‘ZONE TWO’ RUNNING

There is a lot of buzz around zone two running at the moment… but the reality is, there is nothing special about zone two. yes, the majority of run (all) training should be done relatively easy but we should all include a mix of all intensity all throughout the year.

Often athletes are doing zone two wrong. See, for some zone two is painfully ‘easy’ and often ‘slow’ and for others zone two actually requires a concerted effort to get the heart rate up into the zone two range. Often those in the former cannot fathom that there are others that fit into the latter.

First things first… know where you are and what zone two is for you.

Secondly, many of the BEST marathoners and triathletes in the world do their easy running and their zone two running very slow. For example those who can race a marathon at 3:10-3:20 per km are doing their easy running at 4:50-5:30 per km yet we have amateur runners and age group triathletes complaining about keeping their HR  low because they are running ‘too slow’ at 5:30 per km yet their race pace is 5:00 per km. You are NOT too slow. Take your time!

Better still, it is VERY RARE that if one improves zone one and zone two economy that all subsequent zones, intensities and paces don’t also improve… you cannot loose!

So now we have got that out of the way there is most certainly some benefit in distinguishing between zone one and zone two running if and when you have that ability and can control the heart rate.

Zone two requires slightly more mental engagement, it improves mitochondrial density, increases musculoskeletal loading and leads to greater overall economy.

If you are still struggling for HR control then use zone two as a cap at the top end and simply complete 3-10min reps capped at mid to high zone two HR and intersperse with some walk breaks and you have a session that will pay off over time! Guaranteed! You can always add in some strides to finish (see session two below)

BASELINE ZONE TWO EXAMPLE SESSION ONE

8 x 5min run capped at mid to upper Z2 HR / 1min walk

BASELINE ZONE TWO EXAMPLE SESSION TWO

8 x 5min run capped at mid to upper Z2 HR / 1min walk
4 x 30sec strides ‘fast and relaxed’ / 1-2mins walk after each to finish

For those humming along nicely and with ability to control heart rate and distinguish between Z1 and Z2 then the above sessions are still valuable but you can also try sessions such as:

ADVANCED ZONE TWO EXAMPLE SESSION ONE – EASY FARTLEK

5mins Z1
5mins Z2
30-60sec walk if needed

x6-8 rounds

ADVANCED ZONE TWO EXAMPLE SESSION TWO – BUILD TO AND HOLD UPPER Z2

Start of nice and easy and build throughout

15mins super easy Z1 to start then:
20mins mid to high Z1
15mins low to mid Z2
10mins mid to high Z2
5mins upper Z2 touching on low Z3
Optional 5-10mins easy to finish

As always, no need to over do it – as stated from the outset there is no magic in zone two but it can and should form part of a well rounded program that touches all intensities year round 🙂