Zone 2 training: run slower to run faster
Have you ever heard the phrase “no pain, no gain”? When it comes to training for endurance and longevity, many of us fall into the trap of assuming that the harder we work, the more benefits we reap. The good news is, this is rarely the case. Those who push themselves to their maximum effort every session often end up feeling depleted and frustrated. A change of pace can often be the missing piece, with a wealth of evidence suggesting enormous benefits of exercise at lower intensities.
What is Zone 2?
When we talk about training, we can define the intensity of our effort by using certain training zones. As well as being a useful tool to describe how hard we are working, these zones also relate to what energy systems we are using, and what fuels we are burning as we move.
The body has many ways of producing energy, some that result in little fatigue but produce energy slowly, and some that contribute to more fatigue but give us high amounts of energy rapidly. Whilst all systems are activated and working all the time, the level we push them to depends on the energy demands of a given activity.
The aim of zone 2 training is to work at the greatest intensity possible whilst remaining in a state where energy demands are low enough, that we maximise the use of our aerobic system - a slow yielding but efficient pathway of supplying energy. To do this, the formula of 180 - your age was developed by Dr Phil Maffetone, a highly regarded clinician who found success by using this formula with ultra endurance runners.
How to do it?
The theory is that if you can train at an intensity that tests the limit of your aerobic capacity, before having to rely on other forms of energy production, you can increase the efficiency of this energy system.
Let’s put ourselves into a scenario to illustrate what this looks like.
Say you are 25 years old. You decide it’s time to improve your running pace and you begin implementing some zone 2 training into your week. You set out using the formula of 180 - your age, achieve a heart rate of 155 beats per minute and find that this intensity correlates with a pace of about 6.30 minutes per kilometre. As the determined individual you are, you maintain this for 6 weeks, holding a 155bpm heart rate every single week on a long run. After 6 weeks you’ve found that running at the exact same heart rate (155bpm), your new pace has become 6.10 minutes per km.
What's happened here is that by training at your maximal aerobic function (MAF), you've improved your body's ability to burn fat as a fuel source and as such, feel like you don't have to work as hard to maintain a given pace. In fact professional athletes have started to adopt more of this training approach when it comes to their programming, so much so that a wealth of professional coaches work on an 80/20 principle. 80 percent low intensity work, to 20 percent high intensity.
Recent study has also provided evidence suggesting different exercise intensities influence activation in different parts of the brain. One such study draws a correlation between exercise at lower intensities and cognitive control/attention processing whereas high intensity exercise draws more on emotional processing. This suggests a potential benefit of lower intensity exercise in the development of memory and motor skills.
So before you set out on the usual 3 kilometre slog at a pace that leaves you feeling exhausted, consider pushing the distance a little further but slowing it down and holding an easy talking pace. Not only will it feel much more enjoyable running at a comfortable pace, you will also boost your running performance long term by improving your aerobic threshold.
