As I pointed out in my other post on Project 96, one thing I’ve learned over my three years running (yes, I know I’m a newbie) is that I have to run smarter, not necessarily harder. Sure, there are parts of any training plan that require maximum effort, but there are better - and frankly dumber - ways to do that. In the past, I’ve unfortunately focused on the dumber ways.
What are the dumber ways to train, and why did I do it? It’s easy to figure out when you ask - what are the two things most runners want the most? Speed and distance. you want to run fast, and you want to run far, fast. When you upload your data on Strava, you want fast runs. And long runs. It’s embarrassing to have short runs. Or runs with double digit pace. You feel like you have to explain them.
Don’t get me wrong - there’s nothing wrong with goals of speed or distance. The problem comes in, as I’ve experienced it, when you get obsessed by either or both, and when you feel as if you have to do both all the time. This was my problem before - I had to run 8 min miles all the time, and I had to run 40+ miles a week all the time. In my own case, I did it, and I ran some fast races, but at great cost. I was always exhausted. And really sore. And I got injured quite a bit. Isn’t there a better way?
In response, I did a lot of reading, and decided that for my new training plan (Project 96), I would go with Zone Training that uses an 80/20 approach. What does this mean? Two main things:
Zone Method: drop pace as your central focus and instead focus on heart rate, learning to structure training plans around heart rate zones.
80/20 Method: structure your training plan so that 80% of it has a low zone focus, and 20% has a high zone focus.
Let’s take a look what what the zones are, and what this means.
Looking at the chart above, there are five “zones” with each tagged to percentage of one’s maximum heart rate (or heart rate reserve). Zone 1 would be the bottom, and Zone 5, which is working at or near your maximum heart rate, would be the top. Each of them has a specific purpose in training, but Zone Method tends to focus highly on Zone 2 or ”Light”. Basically, the idea is to run 80% of your mileage in aerobic Z2. To complement it, you spend 20% in anaerobic Zones 3 - 5. For me, that means 10% in Z3 and 10% in Z4 (okay to split up the 10% in Z4 so that it is 5% Z4, 5% in Z5, but I tend to focus on Z4).
Why Zone Training?
Zone 2 running focuses on building one’s aerobic engine. In simple terms, it builds your capacity to run faster at a lower heart rate, which is more efficient because in Zone 2 your body focuses on (and develops a greater capacity for) finding energy in fat, as opposed to carbohydrates. Looking at my previous training plans, I ran almost exclusively - all the time - in Z4 and Z5. So, I was spending 100% of my time in the zones that according to this method, I should spend 10% of my time in. Did I learn to run fast? Yes. But not efficiently. I ran hard, and paid the price for it.
One way to think about it might be to think of a car with a small engine. You can get it to drive fast, but only by really pushing the engine to drive at really high RPM. And as everyone knows, if you run an engine at high RPM for too long, you damage the car and the engine (which is why those RPMs are denoted by red, meaning “avoid this area for long periods”). So, essentially I was redlining all the time and then wondering why I felt so beat up and injured all the time. So, think of Zone training as the plan that will help you to turn your Yugo into a Porsche. Both can go 120 mph, but one of them (Yugo) does it with the tachometer at 10, with the engine about to explode, while the other (the Porsche) does it with the tachometer at 3 and purring, because it has a better, bigger, and far more efficient performance engine.
A Better Engine. As I noted, the main gain is a better aerobic engine. I ran my marathon at a 9:08 min pace, with my average heart rate at 161. As you can see in my Strava data below, I ran that entire marathon split between Z3 and Z4.
No wonder I was a physical wreck after - absolutely none of those miles were “easy” in Z2. Now, imagine running most of that distance and pace in Z2, with a heart rate of 140 - little to no lactose build up, and running cool as opposed to hot. I’ve clicked into the Strava data of performance runners who have used this method, and for a race you’ll see many of their miles in Z2. That would mean not being a wreck - or opening up the possibility of dialing it up and running faster, or having a lot “in the tank” in the last few miles. Because now you can. No way I could have run faster - 9:08 was all I had, since I was running with a Yugo engine. Hence, the motto of Z2 running is:
To run faster, you have to learn to run slower.
Fewer Injuries. If you are constantly running 80% of your miles in Z2, this is an easy pace. Which means you are not pounding your feet and legs. Running in Z2 can actually feel like you’re not training, because it is so easy to do. Which can raise issues of its own (see below) regarding your mental state, but physically it’s very easy on your physical structure. I’m 54 years old, and I have osteopenia (low bone density, due to a bout of parathyroidism and thyroid cancer). I have to learn to go easy or I’ll be in a cast and sitting on the couch watching TV.
Pleasureful Runs. I like to run, even when I’m running in Z4. But I have to admit, it’s hard to really enjoy running when you are always running hard. You wind up in so much discomfort all the time that you end up trying to distract yourself, either by listening to music to keep your mind off it, or by talking to yourself and telling yourself that you can make it through the next mile. Now imagine slower running where that’s not the case - where you can think, reflect, pay attention to nature. You feel good and there is no need for distractions. That’s Z2.
How Do I Set Up My Zones?
If you are interested in giving this a try, the first thing you need to do is figure out your maximum heart rate, since your zones are all determined by percentage of maximum heart rate. Obviously the best way to do this is to go have an actual stress test. I didn’t have the time or patience to do that. The most generic method for doing it is a simple formula:
220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate
For me, that would mean 166. The problem with this method is that it makes no distinction between someone who has been laying on the couch and someone who has been running for years. So instead, I used my Garmin data. I looked at the last month’s four weeks of average maximum heart rate and then I averaged those four data points. For me, that was 182. That rate was actually pretty consistent over the past six months, so I felt comfortable with it.
The next step is to figure out your zones. Again, there’s a generic way to do it, and a more specific way. The generic way is easy: just take your maximum heart rate and then apply the percentages in the chart above to it. Using my 182 max heart rate, that would mean, for example, that my Z2 range is between 109 - 127 beats per minute. Again, this generic method makes no distinctions for level of current fitness. Since I have been running for a while, I didn’t want a generic calculation so I chose to use “maximum heart rate reserve” as the method.
Maximum heart rate reserve modifies the number so that your current cardiovascular fitness is a part of the picture. So here you’ll need your maximum heart rate and you’ll need your resting heart rate (which is a reflection of fitness). To get your maximum heart rate reserve:
Calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. Multiply your HRR by 0.7 (70%). Add your resting heart rate to this number.
Now how do I figure out my zones from there? Well, it gets complicated. So I’d say use an online calculator to do it. I used this one. It will give you your HRR and all of your zone parameters. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Here’s what mine turn out to be:
What Should My Zone Training Plan Look Like?
Obviously what your plan should look like depends on what you’re trying to do. What I can do is offer up my plan, so that the example of how I apply this to the week is clear. I’m at the start of a 10 month training plan where my aim is to run a half marathon in 1:36. That means I need to log a lot of miles as my base. That said,
I run 6 days a week (not necessary, obviously - and that’s a lot; I started at the beginning with 3 days a week)
I run about 45 miles a week (again, not necessary, I started in the teens)
This means that my “long run” (once a week) should be between 25 - 33% of my weekly mileage, so between 14 miles long.
From there, I figure out what the purpose of my runs would be so I know what I’m doing. Since I am using an 80/20 method (80% in Z2, 20% in higher than Z2), and assuming a 45 mile week:
80% of my weekly mileage is 36 miles, in Z2 only.
10% of weekly mileage is 4.5 miles, in Z3 only.
10% of weekly mileage is 4.5 miles, in Z4 or split between Z4/Z5.
This makes my running plan fairly straightforward for the week. For me, it turns out to be (assuming a 45 mile week):
Monday: 6 miles, Z2
Tuesday: 6 miles. Z2
Wednesday: 5 miles, Z3 (tempo threshold running)
Thursday: 4 miles, Z4 (interval training/VO2 max)
Friday: rest
Saturday: 14 miles, Z2
Sunday: 6 miles, Z2
Drawbacks on Zone Training
I’m writing this post as I am completing week one of this plan. Since I just started, I really can’t say yet what the drawbacks are. But one thing I can say so far, is that this method requires a lot of patience, and a lot of humility. In my first week running this plan, my Z2 miles averaged 12:30 pace. WHOA. That’s really slow when you’re used to always pushing 8 - 9 min miles. So, as a result, it’s going to feel like you’re not doing anything. In fact, you’re not even breaking a sweat. Worse yet: when cardiac drift takes over (when your heart is not only dealing with your run, but also trying to cool you down from your run as you heat up), you’ll find that you have to actually stop running and walk in order to stay in Z2.
If this method works, soon I won’t need to walk and soon after that I’ll start to see my average Z2 pace come down. But for now - right. I have to occasionally walk. Yikes.
That means that your thinking about what running training is supposed to be like will need to be substantially reframed. And you’ll need to swallow some ego, because you know that running at 12:30 is not terribly impressive in terms of speed. And when you start walking, you’ll get annoyed because you feel just fine. You’re not tired one bit. But, they say this works - and I’ll find out soon enough, as I’ll document here at Brief Habits what I learn from the data I will be meticulously collecting. But prepare for some strange experiences if you take on Zone training. That said, so far I can easily say that I’ve enjoyed my runs!
Hi Chris. Almost everything I see on heart rate zones suggests the percentages you have here, but I've just been updating a calculator on my website that determines optimal zones and my research coincides with my personal experience that the real zones, using the heart rate reserve method, are a bit higher than what's listed here. If you use the "percentage of max HR" approach things are even worse. I also came across some research that suggests fat burning zones are different from zone 2 and also different for men and women.
Hi i read your blog its interesting, i am runner. My run is based on speed and distance and as you have said injuries exhaustion always occur. I need a training plan that in the long run will make me improve my speed and endurance. I run 80-100km per week. With average pace of 4.46min /km. Advice on a good plan. I do run 6 days a week.