@aachen_hexagon I am a former marathon runner and it took me years to figure out how to sustain a run in zone 2. It takes time to figure out your pace for zone 2 because it is much, much slower than you think. When I switched from my main sport being marathons to CrossFit and I started actually trying to run in zone 2, I would keep my watch on the heart rate screen so I could pace off of that. I would suggest giving that a try; don't run to pace, just your heart rate. It will be slow and that is the point. My marathon pace was 7:57/mile, which I can still do just not for a full marathon, and my zone 2 pace is about 10:45/mile.
@aachen_hexagon You need to slow way down. The easiest way to Zone 2 for people who just want Zone 2 benefit is a stationary bike.
Running is strenuous for most people who don’t do it a lot. You’re bigger, too, so just by that it will be more strenuous.
You need super flat ground, and if not then prepare to fast walk a lot of hills. It shouldn’t feel taxing at all. It’s your “steady state” cardio like your all day gear. And I mean all day. Like if you were stuck in the wild with days of travel to get out you’d preserve energy, right? But you’d move toward your goal consistently. That’s the gear.
When I started Zone 2 as a runner I was running like 12 minute miles. It was crazy how slow I had to go.
