(Zone 2 Training)
Why Always Running Hard Is Less Efficient
Hello everyone, my name is Dakarai Haynes, and I’ve been running for almost 2 years now.
Before running, I wasn’t really into endurance sports at all.
I lifted weights, cared about getting bigger, and never touched the treadmill.
But during a rough time in my life, I found running, and everything changed. I fell in love with it.
At first, progress came fast.
Just like beginners in the gym, I was improving quickly without really knowing what I was doing.
The schedule was crazy. All I did was run really fast, get gassed, then sloppy run the rest of my neighborhood.
But just like anything, you eventually hit a wall in progress
No matter how hard I trained, I wasn’t getting much better.
I was tired all the time, pushing every run, and not seeing the results I expected or desired.
That’s when I came across something called Zone 2 training.
What Zone 2 Actually Is
Zone 2 is an easy, steady pace where you can hold a conversation without getting out of breath. This usually falls around 60–70% of your max heart rate.
For me, that’s around 135–145 BPM.
Why Zone 2 Works
Zone 2 builds your aerobic engine.
You’re building a bigger engine so you can go faster later.
One thing that confused me at first was that Zone 2 isn’t tied to just running
Meaning it’s not domain-specific
So when I got injured and wanted to do Zone 2, I just biked at that HR and was building that same system.
As long as your heart rate is in that range, you’re training the same system.
But if you’re a runner like me, there’s something called running economy
You only get better at running by running.
So while Zone 2 can be trained in different ways, running itself still matters for performance.
My Current Plan
Right now, the current plan I have for myself is 5 to 6 days a week of Zone 2 for 60 to 90 minutes per session @145 BPM
Thinking about adding a day in which I get a 2-hour session or splitting it up and doing two a day.
But on top is the current layout.
I’ve stopped focusing on miles and focused more on time spent in Zone 2.
I used to do 3.25 miles and be done, but if you can do more, I say do more.
Now I care more about the time spent in Zone 2
That shift alone changed everything for me.
Early Results
When I switched to focusing on time instead of distance, things started to click.
Before, I used to cut my runs short at a certain mileage, and honestly, I can say I wasn’t fully developing my aerobic base as much as I could have.
Now I’m aiming for a longer time in zone 2, which, yes,
it’s boring, but I feel more consistent. Funnily enough, recovery is better, and of course, making more progress than ever.
The biggest realization for me was that it’s not about how far you go, it’s about how long you stay in Zone 2.
Mistakes I Made
Running Too Fast
I thought my Zone 2 pace was faster than it actually was.
Then I got a heart rate monitor…
And it told me the truth, slow the hell down…
Once I started doing Zone 2 with a Heart rate monitor (HRM) that was a game-changer.
Buying a heart rate monitor was one of the best decisions I made.
It removed all guesswork when I was running. “Am I going too fast?” “Did I progress this much?”
HRM allowed me to focus on my form while running, which again helps with running economy
So nowadays I don’t even have to worry about if I’m in zone 2, just focusing on form and checking my HR every so often.
Inconsistency
This was a big Mistake, as I thought this whole Zone 2 thing would be a phase, but this is part of training
The long boring chucking at zone 2, and the thing is…
Zone 2 only works if you stay consistent.
This isn’t something that changes overnight. (Unless you are a beginner, noobie gains)
We’re talking months… even years.
But one day, you look up and realize.
Your “easy pace” is way faster than before.
Below I have some visuals on “Quick Progress,” In which I took a long break and came back to the method of Zone 2 …
The good thing is, once you stop and get started back up,
You will progress really quickly, and your body will adapt.
How You Can Start
You don’t need anything complicated.
Here’s what I would tell my past self
Get an HRM if possible, if not, run slow every day.
That’s it, you may want to add some tempo runs, maybe even a long run.
But that’s it, don’t overcomplicate it, get your running economy up, and have fun.
My Goal With Zone 2
I want to be able to run people’s zone 4 at zone 2
To be able to run an 8-minute mile at a zone 2 pace would be amazing, but I also want to be able to endure fast paces
It wasn’t until recently that I learned that 5k’s are just Aerobic base and a tad anaerobic.
My fastest mile is 6:30. I would love to hit that sub-6 minute mile pace, running more miles without gassing
And I believe Zone 2 is the foundation for all of it.
Follow My Progress
Well, thank you everyone,
for reading, and I hope you guys are applying this to your training
This is just the beginning.
I’ll try my best to keep things updated, especially on my zone 2 pace
If you’re on a similar journey, stay tuned.
Here’s my Strava 😉