Posted by Ignore the Garmin, for the most part
Today I had a really good run. If pace was the only thing I had to judge the run by, it wouldn’t look special. The plan was simple: 40 minutes of moderate Zone 2. I ended up running just over 41 minutes at about 8:10 per mile pace. For a Zone 2 rune, this is neither super slow nor super fast for me. By pace alone—compared to my well-rested potential—it’s just kind of meh. Still, today was a good run.
When Coach Robbie prescribes “Zone 2” it isn’t nearly as precise as it sounds. Invariably, he’s telling us to go by feel. Officially it’s the Rate of Perceived Exertion or the RPE scale. Usually he calls it “run easy.” It should be possible to talk without feeling breathless. If you’re unable to get enough air breathing through your nose, then you’re running too fast.
Heart rate ranges can also be associated with running zones, but using HR to judge effort can also be misleading I’ve found. Early in the run, I haven’t warmed up enough. Towards the end of a run, my HR has started to drift upward even while maintaining the same perceived effort. I do wear a heart rate monitor, but I mostly use it as a governor to make sure I’m not wildly overdoing my effort, especially on days when I feel good.
The reason I say today was a good run was that I was able to meet the expectation on effort, my perceived “moderate Zone 2” and, even though my pace was pedestrian, it felt like I was moving fast. After over three weeks of daily running and increased volume, I’ve got a lot of fatigue built up in my body. The fact that I felt relatively good tells me that I’m getting better at withstanding the training day-in and day-out. And though I haven’t had a full recovery yet to fully realize the gains in speed, I’ve built up enough strength and stamina to move relatively well.
All this to say my pace today was actually quite good in the context of where I’m at with my training. This is why Coach doesn’t prescribe a pace or a distance in workouts: pace alone isn’t a good indicator of fitness. We’re forced to listen to our bodies which turns out to be just as important in the long run as the physical stress we need to improve and get faster.
Out and Back 