Have we put Zone 2 running on an undeserved pedestal?
A recent episode with Brady Holmer dug into Zone 2 as it relates to heat training.
One listener named Nadine emailed me some great questions to follow up on the Zone 2 conversation.
Like many of you, easy running has gotten confusing for Nadine because of so much of the advice on the internet to never go faster than Zone 2 and the value of very slow running. But Nadine was feeling better at slightly faster paces!
I figured it'd be more helpful to record a conversation about these topics as a follow-up to our episode with Brady, and Nadine agreed.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Zone 2 for non-elite, less experienced runners
- How and when to increase the speed of easy/long runs
- Is there such a thing as too slow?
- What if “too slow” corresponds to the right heart rate?
- Benefits of Zone 3 running for low-volume runners
- Polarizing training and recovery runs
- Running in the heat and heat adaptation
- How do you determine your easy running pace?
If you like what you hear in this episode, send it to a friend who runs!
Links & Resources from the Show:
Thank you AG1! We’re also supported by AG1, the greens superfood mix. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens. It’s recommended by professional athletes and has over 7,000 positive reviews.
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Thank you Previnex!
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Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
