How do I run in zone 2?

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rbrbrb2

New member
My heart rate always sky rockets when im running. I control my breaths, run at about 165-175 cadence, but my hr is always 170+ when im running at 7kmph+. When I run at 10kmph it’s a lot harder but my hr is about 185.

I can’t physically run any slower than 9kmph without calf pain, I guess because im not really using my glutes?

If I can walk at 6kmph my hr tops at about 115. I can’t seem to hit that magic 150bpm.

I usually run 15km/week at various speeds, on Monday I ran 13km as slowly as I could (8kmph mostly) and my hr was 180 for over an hour of that.

I’m asking this here and not in running because i feel they’re quite elitist.

I’ve been running for almost a year now.

I’m really grateful for any advice or anecdotes, I’m just feeling quite terrible that there’s so much advice about improving that just says keep running in hr zone 2, which I can never seem to run in.

I measure my hr with my garmin watch and cross check it with the treadmill.
 
@rbrbrb2 A coach on the online fitness platform I subscribe to does a lot of HRZ training, and she basically says to power walk or “shuffle” if you can’t jog in zone 2. So I shuffled away at the beginning and can now manage a light jog in zone 2. My problem now is I feel like I can’t get into zone 4 on my spin bike anymore unless I’m absolutely busting on it!!!
 
@rbrbrb2 I did a half Ironman with a training plan based on heart rate zones. I started from the couch, so my zone 2 was just walking for a while. As I became more fit I was able to speed walk in zone 2 and then run :)

The book I was using said the same thing - stick in the heart rate zone you are training for and speed comes with time
 
@rbrbrb2 So you're 20 if aiming for 130-150? Some people can't slow jog but most can fast walk. If there is too much shin pain when walking fast switch to a different cardio exercise until your VO2 improves a bit. Like bike or eliptical.
 
@rbrbrb2 I haven’t heard of HR training despite running for a few years now. I thought my muscles were weak and I had to do strength training to improve speed. Sorry to hijack the thread, is there anything else I seem to be missing..?
 
@the_dan_x Since I started doing leg workouts at home and some leg press at the gym I’ve found I haven’t had runners knee since and I trust my knees a lot more.
 
@rbrbrb2 Walk on an incline on the treadmill, it's reliably zone 2 for me. Also it's easy to do while watching a video or whatever, because long zone 2 can get dull at times.
 
@rbrbrb2 I’ve been doing zone 2 for a few years now. My zone 2 cadence was around 140-150 with a fair amount of walking. My pace was a 17 minute mile. My zone 2 pace now is a 1030–1130 mile, and my cadence is around 160.

It’s taken a long time to see this much progress but the journey has been really enjoyable. It’s a lot nicer to focus on heart rate, not pace. I haven’t had any injuries, and that includes training for a half Ironman. I look forward to my workouts bc I know for the most part I won’t be tired. This year is the first one where I’ve added back in some speed workouts, and I still enjoy the “turtle runs” as I call them more than the speed work lol.

All that to say, consistency is key and I think worth it in the end :)
 
@rbrbrb2 Maffetone method, if you really want to run in zone 2.

If you want to increase your zone 2 but it doesn't have to be running, then some other form of cardio. Personally I can stay in zone 2 pretty easily doing incline treadmill walking or outdoor cycling on bike trail (i.e., limited traffic). The upside is that lower intensity activity doesn't have a high recovery burden so you can do this on top of your normal training plan and your running will benefit. The downside is just the amount of time it takes to do all that.

IMHO if you're just trying to improve your running, ignore HR zones and go by rating of perceived exertion. Lots of runs where you take it super easy.
 
@rbrbrb2 If you figure this out let me know. I'm in the same boat. Running for more than a year, similar speed to you, always above Zone 2 if I'm above a walk. I feel you on the calf pain in the jog, too. I'm a slow runner but extremely slow paces mess up my form.
 
@richardsonne Yea I’ve been waiting to see a physio to ask about my calf pain for over 2 months now, it’s just so painful to run slowly I must be doing something wrong, and if I try and video myself in the gym, well that’s just a recipe for disaster lol. I’m going to try the incline method and I’ll let you know if it works in a few months time.
 
@rbrbrb2 The majority of your training sessions should be in zone 2, with some intervals and a long run in zone 2 or 3.

If reaching and maintaining zone 2 requires more walking than running, then that’s how its going to be. The hardest thing about zone 2 isn't intensity but patience and consistently doing the training every week. Let go of the urgency and feeling that you need to run faster, even when kids and old people seem to be lapping you lol. You’re playing a different game. There is no need to prove that you can run fast.

You will start noticing that you can walk faster or keep a jogging pace for longer before going over to zone 3. This will happen over the course of weeks, so don’t feel discouraged if it seems slow, because it is but that’s how it works

Eventually your base aerobic cardio will be strong enough that you can sustain a jog pace for a long time.

I agree with the suggestion to find a beautiful and peaceful place to train. Environment does have an effect your mindset
 
@rbrbrb2 sorry OP i will use your post to ask a related question: i jog/brisk walk in place (extremely sedentary background, trying to get in the habit of exercising daily) at 150-160/min cadence and this puts me in zone 2 HR (130 bpm) and can maintain this cadence and associated HR for 60 minutes with little variation

but i keep thinking that it can't be this easy for me compared to how hard others have it when they try to hit zone 2, am i missing something?
 
@quotewarz There is a tremendous amount of extra effort required to propel your body forward, staying in place is much easier than moving your body in a continuous direction. Think about treading water vs swimming forwards-it’s the same kind of thing.
 
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