Anyone want to attempt Zone 2 running with me?

[USAUSAUSA]

So after 15 years of mediocre running, I’ve started taking an interest in heart zone training and thought I’d give it a bash. Pretty much all my runs I am at max within 2 minutes and run at max the whole time (clearly don’t know this for 15 years but it was a bit of a revelation to me when I started looking into it). Started reading about the benefits of zone 2 running and (especially as I am getting older and I like the idea of training in the fat burning zone) I thought….lets give it a go!
Anyway…first 5k this morning in zone 2 and it was SO hard…I just couldn’t run slow enough. Ended up getting about 79% of my run in zone 2 but that was about 50/50 walking and slow jogging. It took 54 minutes as opposed to my usual 30.
I am intrigued to see if this is going to work…I didn’t even break a sweat so I can probably do daily zone 2 runs although I was initially planning for 2 a week plus a fast 5k and a moderate 10k. Anyone any tips, advice or want to join me? It feels like a bit of a long haul commitment so would be good to have some company along the way as I suspect it would be too easy to give up on.

I am trying to do zone 2 running. I realised that I was only in it for about 10% of the time. I did a couple of runs in it for 90% of the time. It did feel unnaturally slow but I was able to go further and definitely felt less exhausted.

Aiming for 3 runs a week, 2 in zone 2 and one running in more of zone 3.

hi @Alainlechat welcome!
how long have you been doing it for? Are you having to do any walking to keep it in range? I’ve set up a spreadsheet to track my progress ☺️

I'm finding it incredibly hard to get running again, I've been on week 4 of c25k for over a month! I used to run up to 10k but never very fast. I presume this is zone 2 heart rate for a set time or distance?

I've been seeing lots about zone 2 running, but it doesn't seem to correlate to the zones given on my Fitbit. I spent 5 mins trying to work it out and gave up 🤣

This is a good explanation of Zone 2 training
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/a42824841/zone-2-training/
It appeals to me because it seems like it should be relatively easy (although staying in the range is much trickier than I thought!). I’m planning to do a couple of zone 2 runs a week maybe 5k or maybe gentle run for an hour…and the track pace over the same runs over time. The theory is I should see an increase in pace for the lower effort.

@USAUSAUSA I have really started maybe 10 days ago after reading about it on here!

I'm using my Apple Watch to measure and judge the zones.

I have only just started getting into running and aiming for a 10k in a couple of weeks. Felt a bit daunted by it after previously only having run 5ks in my younger years but it's been a revelation how less tired I am running in zone 2. I don't have to walk but slow down to over 7mins per km or maybe slightly more.

I’m envious! Your base fitness looks way better than mine. My first run at zone 2 was at just under 11 minute kms pace and I needed to walk about half of it to keep it below zone 3. ive a long way to go i think! My usual pace in zone 4 and 5 is 5.5-6 minute kms.

I do 90% of my runs at z2

I don't measure my HR any more I can tell by feel when I'm starting to exert too much. At the start I was having to walk up anything that was even slightly uphill, now I have to moderate my effort but I can keep running most of the time now.

Yes it's frustrating and I did feel like a total chump on strava in comparison to all my running buddies but after a while I stopped caring. I'm definitely faster at the same effort now, it's not astounding but it's improved.

I've just trained this way for 8 months in a really hard training block for an ultra. I needed those slow runs because i wouldn't have completed this plan otherwise. I got to taper starting to show some signs of overtraining, total rest for 2 weeks and would have totally smashed my goal race if I hadn't slipped and hurt my knee at 70k.

So it is slow, it is annoying, you do feel like a twit, but it works (eventually).

Thanks @USAUSAUSA ,I'll have a look. I do a good bit of weight training but I need to shift a few pounds which running used to be good for (I find it a great natural appetite suppressant) and it helps keep my legs strong. Bloody peri and a sugar addiction are being bellends this time round though so I need a new approach I think.

I gave up and started doing 2 bike rides a week instead. Definitely helped my fitness, even if it is cheating!

Session 2 - I decided to walk rather than run as yesterday felt quite stop/start and it felt like trying to walk a tightrope trying to stay in the zone. It definitely helped with consistency but I still feel like I am cheating! Also did it first thing pre breakfast so hoping that fasted cardio in fat burning zone will help me loose some lbs…pace was 10:09 min kms for 5k which is an improvement on yesterday but I suspect because I wasn’t trying to jog and so having to manage the spikes by slowing RIGHT down every two minutes.

Am also feeling quite buzzed after and energised. Back to a normal fast 5k tomorrow then another zone 2 on Thurs.

This is really encouraging to hear! I have given up caring what other people thing of me chugging along and if it works then I am all about it. Hope you have recovered from your injury now…sounds so frustrating when you have put all that effort into training.

I really struggle with this. I also try to do zone training on my peloton bike. Even at my fittest when I was regularly running half marathons my HR jumps high straight away. A jog will have me at 180-190 (sometimes a worrrying 200). Zone 2 is a walk for me.

@legalseagull I’m exactly the same. My (current) theory is that I need to train myself into being more efficient at the lower levels of effort which should translate into a better base/efficiency at higher levels of effort. I’m just intrigued to see if this will work. I spend way too much time at maximum and it’s exhausting!

I do think this is a difficult time of year to start with it though, the heat does increase the amount of effort to run and you'll see your HR go up more quickly.

But do give it a try. It's not instant, it was a good couple of months before I started to think hmmm maybe I am a tiny bit faster. 8 months on and it's definitely happening. I think it takes a while for your body to catch up with the new regime!

I've recently discovered zone 2 workouts through a PT at the gym. He suggested I do a min of 30 mins once a week in zone 2, he suggested the stairmaster as a good option.

The issue I have is that his suggestion for my Zone 2 range is a max of 120bpm whereas my Apple Watch tells me my zone 2 is 129-139 bpm. My cardio fitness rating is high so I'm tempted to use my watch levels rather than what the PT told me (as I think he's based it on genetics such as my age rather than my fitness level).

Any thoughts gratefully received! Taking encouragement from this thread as I'd like to venture away from the stairmaster eventually due to dodgy knees so may try running soon.

Sorry that should say generics not genetics!

I don't think you can have been running at max heart rate the whole time, as that wouldn't be sustainable, so it's likely your max is higher than however you've estimated. Either way, running slowly can be really beneficial, and when people find it hard it's often because they are overstriding and trying to take slower steps. Instead, try to take the power out of each step so your legs are still moving just as fast, but it's more of a light bounce. If you can jog on the spot you can probably jog forwards more slowly.

I think you have a really good point about max rate. Here’s an example from my Garmin charts of a recent run. By all accounts I shouldn’t be able to sustain that…does seem to suggest my max heart rate should be higher? And maybe that’s why I’m toiling to maintain zone 2….

Hmmm helpful if I add the details!

Epic fail! Try again 😂

My Apple Watch has my zone 2 up to 153 based on a max heart rate of 190. No wonder I can seem to stay in zone two. I wouldn't be anywhere close according to your zones.

I think I’ve just had a revelation. I had a bupa health check earlier this year when I did a workout and they measured my stats. I’ve pulled out the report and it shows my predicted max heart rate as 214….which converts to 128-150 and not the 105-122 that my watch is telling me. So no bloody wonder I was finding it impossible to stay in zone 2 without walking! Just shows you relying on your device isn’t always the right thing to do. Thanks @BarnacleBeasley for that prompt! Need to figure out how to reset my watch settings…

Glad I prompted a revelation! I do believe in the benefits of easy running, but I tend to just base it on feel rather than heart rate - if I can comfortably chat to a friend or sing along to music while running I think that's easy enough.

I've not tried it because I've always thought I'd just be walking - I seem to have a relatively fast heart-rate anyway, although I am not out of breath when I am walking.

A friend did get really quick though, so maybe I should give it a try.

I do a lot of walking though, so I would have thought that I am kind of Z2 training already :)