How do I run in zone 2?

@rbrbrb2 You and I are very similar, it sounds like! The highest I've seen is 207, and when I do a race or other long, all-out effort, my HR will be in the 180's.

If you want some numbers for a gut check: my easy runs are around 140-150. If it's a hot day (heat affects HR) they might get up to 160 by the end. If I'm running at 170+ HR, then that's a tempo run or something else that's higher effort than an easy/z2 run. And if I'm above 180 that's a race or an interval--so definitely not an everyday sustained effort.
 
@rbrbrb2 I don't run in any particular heart rate zone, but I do 80% of my runs at an easy perceived effort, where I can breathe through my nose and hold a full conversation. Here is a very detailed and thorough (long) article about running form. I share it a lot, because it is the best one I've ever read. I think this could greatly help you with form and calf pain, allowing you to run slower.

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/08/how-to-run-running-with-proper.html
 
@tkm Thank you. I have quite a deviated septum and have always been a bit of a mouth breather haha. I focus a lot on managing my breath when I’m running to not puff and pant, in through the nose out through the mouth etc, but I usually end up doing a double breath in and a single breath out, don’t know if that’s relevant.
 
@rbrbrb2 I'm going to agree with the run/walk combo to lower your heart rate.

However, I'm just going to also throw out there what made my running better.

Lose the watch. Just go and have fun. If it's an easy run keep an easy pace. If it's a fast run, run fast. I think we place way too much emphasis on these watches.
 
@dawn16 I need the watch to actually get myself to go. I spent years wanting to run and never actually doing it. I agree that it can cause more anxiety and stress than it’s worth sometimes.
 
@rbrbrb2 It's not about the anxiety and stress, although if it is causing anxiety or stress I'm going to double down on losing the watch. It's about the fact that we allow these watches to tell us whether or not we had an "easy" run or not. We allow them to tell us when we've run far enough, fast enough or if we're recovered enough to run again. We let them tell us if we've made progress, or if we are as fast as our peers.

It's better to just go and run and decide for yourself if it was easy. You don't need the watch to go. You've been running for a year now, I assume you have a habit built up.

If you prefer to use the watch, by all means, do it. But you do not need it to run. I would encourage you to try a few runs without it now that you have a habit built up and see how you feel with the freedom of being watch less.
 
@dawn16 I honestly don’t pay much attention to the rest of the stuff, for instance my run on Monday said I needed to 3.5days to recover, but I did stride repeats the next day because I felt fine to do so, I usually self report as fine even though my HR was high, because I do feel fine. I use mine for the training program really.

I guess I’m just paying too much attention to my HR when really it’s fine? Is it really okay to run for hours with a HR of 180?
 
@rbrbrb2 You can look into other training programs too. There are some built off feel rather than distance and zones. For example run for 30 minutes easy pace instead of run 4 miles in zone 2.

I do think you're paying too much attention to it. How does running for hours with a heart rate of 180 FEEL to you? Are you having fun? Able to sing or chit chat? (Easy breathing). Ready to go again a day or two later? I would just ignore it.

You will make better gains doing mostly easy runs with some speed days worked in. But HR isn't the only way to judge an easy run.
 
@dawn16 It feels normal to me, but my mentality is I’m at the gym to sweat, if I’m not working hard why am I even there? When I started working out I was 60lbs heavier, I would walk for 10 minutes and then run for as long as I could, day 1 was 2 minutes, then I would walk again until my partner was ready to leave the gym (usually just over an hour).

This has increased to 5 minutes warm up then run as long as I can as fast as I can then a 5 minute cd.

It’s only really the last 6weeks where I’ve been trying to run slower to have a longer, easier runs, as I want to increase distance and I was really just increasing pace (how far could I get in that hour etc). That’s how I noticed that I couldn’t seem to “do” an easy run.

Maybe I just have trained myself to do this, as usually when I want to give up I think back to day 1 and how hard it was to run those 2 minutes and that if I keep working that hard I’ll get fitter. Which doesn’t fit with the “zone 2” stuff I’ve been reading.

Perhaps my definition of a “hard” run is skewed, because it’s always been this hard so it feels normal, I self report the runs as easy runs but I couldn’t have a conversation, at most I could spit out a word or 2, but if I run any slower I’m pretty much just walking.
 
@rbrbrb2 Echoing the comments that say easy pace means you can have a conversation. And it shouldn’t leave you feeling wiped at the end - when you’re done with an easy run you should feel like you could have easily kept going.

I started running with a friend who had similar problems pacing herself. She was pretty fit, but her background was all martial arts where you go all-out intensity for a few minutes at a time… no experience with low intensity steady state. When we started she could not set her own pace - she would push herself way too hard without realizing.

What helped was having conversations while running. If she started struggling to converse, we’d slow down. Do you have a friend who would run with you? If not, what about a phone call with someone while you jog?

You might find that your conversational pace is super slow right now. Might even require jogging at a walking pace. It’ll get faster with practice.
 
@rbrbrb2 You say you've been running for a year - Is your running performance increasing (by whatever metric you choose to measure that) regardless of what your HR is?
 
@auna Yes I started at 232lbs, walking for 10 mins, running at 8kmph for as long as I could (minutes lol) gradually increasing, and can now run 5k in 30mins or run at a slower pace for 1hr30ish. I’ve definitely improved a lot, and I’ve lost a lot of weight.
 
@rbrbrb2 Heart rate is a bell curve. There’s outliers with ultra-low heart rates and the same with higher than “normal” heart rates. I ran a 3:33 marathon at 40, and my average HR was 170, measured on a chest strap. That’s just normal for me, even though my overnight resting HR is mid-40’s and my HRV is around 150ms. My best advice is to find what’s normal for you and run in those ranges, as some of us just don’t fit the 220-age equation that’s used as gospel.
 
@rbrbrb2 Hmmmm, if you like running, I think a great option could be the run-walk combo. Let’s say you run for one minute, speed walk for a couple. You might find that your heart rate averages at that 150bpm after some experimenting with your amount of run v. walk time. Over time, you should be able to increase the amount of time you run with the same heart rate/challenge level. I definitely have heard that training too hard before you’re ready can hinder progress instead of help it.

Also, it’s definitely not like what you have been doing has been for nothing, so don’t feel discouraged about that either! But yeah, you might just not be ready for 100% running yet!

PS Yes I see what you mean about r/running. I think like with any hobby subreddit/forum, you do get people who are not very understanding of the different goals/backgrounds/interests of their members.
 
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