Welcome to not another running podcast. I'm your
host line six Today we're calling out one of
the biggest fitness killers hiding in plain sight.
Running your easy days too hard. You know exactly
how it happens. Pace creeping faster, heart rate
drifting higher. All because you don't want to
look slow. Maybe you're chasing that pretty Strava
upload. Telling yourself you're feeling good
when really you're just feeding your ego. I mean
let's be honest. That's not confidence. That's
insecurity with the GPS watch. Stop being a peacock.
and keep it real because when it's time to actually
put out you and that peacock ego are nowhere
to be found because easy runs aren't about proving
anything they're about building something and
every time you turn them into a low -grade race
you're not getting tougher you're just sabotaging
your progress that my friend is peacocking and
today we're shutting it down we're talking about
what easy effort actually means how heart rate
zones keep them honest and why real discipline,
not flashy splits, is what actually makes you
faster. Before we start, I want to share a story
from a listener, Antoine Cook. My name is Antoine
Cook, and I'm a runner based in Charlotte, North
Carolina. I got into running during COVID 2020.
I had gained about 30 pounds, and despite never
liking running, I bought a Peloton bike just
to stay active between home workouts. By the
end of 2021, that consistency led me into a few
local runs in Charlotte. Nothing serious at first,
just movement and community. Everything shifted
in 2022 when I joined Black Man Run. Being surrounded
by men older than I, and others who had been
running for less time, yet training for half
and full marathons, made me realize that if they
could do it, so could I. I took the leap, entered
the 2023 New York City Marathon lottery. I didn't
get in, but I fundraised through charity and
earned my spot. That race was hard, but addictive,
and it changed how I saw myself. Since then,
I've committed to running the world majors. Now
all seven with the addition of Sydney. Since
2023, I haven't stopped training. I work with
a coach, follow my plan, and stay consistent.
through work, family, and life's curve balls.
My purpose in running goes beyond medals. I lost
my father in 2013, and becoming the healthiest
version of myself is my way of defying the odds
and doing everything I can to be present and
around longer for my kids. Running is my anchor
for longevity, discipline, and mental clarity.
Outside of running, I also lift regularly. and
enjoy pushing my fitness in new ways. Once I
complete all the seven majors, I plan to explore
Ironman events, high rocks, or even stepping
on stage for a bodybuilding competition. For
me, it's about movement, growth, and staying
committed to my health. Thank you for creating
a space for stories and real runners. I appreciate
the opportunity to share mine. Thanks for sharing
your story, Antoine. This is exactly what Not
Another Running Podcast is about, community.
giving real runners a platform to share, inspire,
and show the work that it takes. Every voice
matters here. This podcast in our community wants
to hear from all of you. If you have a story
or anything about running that speaks to you,
send it in to notanotherrunningpodcast at gmail
.com. This is about all of us pushing, learning,
and growing. All right. Let's jump into today's
topic. Based on my research. I want to break
down the five heart rate training zones in the
simplest way possible Now I'm not a health expert
or a fitness coach But this is what I've learned
and what I feel every runner should understand
to get real results First up is zone one recovery
very easy 50 to 60 percent of your max heart
rate This is your absolute easy pace the kind
of run where you could have a full conversation
It's not about speed or showing off It's about
flushing your legs, aiding in recovery, increasing
mitochondria, and building a base without stressing
your body. Most runners skip this, but it's the
foundation. Next up is zone two. This is endurance
easy zone. 60 to 70 % of your max heart rate.
This is a bread and butter zone for long -term
fitness. You're still comfortable, but your body's
learning to burn fat efficiently. Build mitochondria
and strengthen your cardiovascular system. Run
here consistently and your aerobic engine grows,
quietly without any drama. Next up is zone three.
This is a moderate pay zone, 70 to 80 % of your
max heart rate. This is where it starts to get
uncomfortable. You're pushing the effort, but
you can still talk in short sentences. It's a
useful zone, but if you do it too much on easy
days, You're flirting with peacocking, looking
fast without building real fitness. After zone
three is obviously zone four. This is the hard
stuff. 80 to 90 % of your heart rate max. You
can sustain it for short periods of time, but
it's not meant for every run. This zone builds
your lactic threshold, teaches your body to run
faster for longer periods of time, improves race
pace strength, strengthens your heart and endurance
under stress. and builds mental toughness. Strategic
work here pays off, but overdo it and your easy
runs will suffer. Last but not least is zone
five. This is max effort, 90 to 100 % of your
max heart rate. Think intervals, sprints, short
bursts. It increases top end speed, trains explosive
power, pushes your VO2 max. This is not for everyday
training. It's where you test the limits, shock
the system, and improve peak performance. It's
flashy, but it's only useful when used sparingly.
So the next question is, how do you come up with
your specific training zones? First off, you
need to know your max heart rate. A common known
formula is 220 minus your age. Or you could use
a more accurate method known as the Tanaka formula,
which is 0 .7 multiply by your age, subtract
it from 208. This is an estimate, but for the
most accurate max heart rate, you would need
to go have it tested in a lab. Once you know
your max heart rate, you're ready to get your
heart rate training zones. The simple way to
do this would be to multiply your max heart rate
by the percentage range of each training zone.
However, a method I prefer is the Kravonin formula,
which uses heart rate reserve. the difference
between your max heart rate and your resting
heart rate. Basically, it factors in how fit
your heart already is, not just your max heart
rate. Think of this. You take two 40 -year -old
males with the same max heart rate, one that
exercises, one that doesn't. They would have
the same training zones. The Corvonen formula
prevents this and tailors your zones to your
fitness level. My personal training zones are
as follows, zone one. 124 to 139 beats per minute.
Zone two, 139 to 154 beats per minute. Zone three,
154 to 170 beats per minute. Zone four, 170 to
185 beats per minute. And zone five, 185 to 200
beats per minute. These training zones may seem
high at a glance. But as I stated, the Kravonin
formula takes into account how fit you already
are. With that said, on my recovery runs, I try
not to ever let my heart rate creep above 142
beats per minute. I say most of my recovery runs,
my heart rate sits between 125 and 137 beats
per minute. Why? Because recovery runs are exactly
that, recovery runs. Right now, zone two training
is the biggest trend in running. Everywhere you
look, zone two is being promoted. And the reason
why is because when done right, it works. I started
focusing on running in zone two in October of
2023. I was listening to a podcast and this guy
was talking about low heart rate training and
it made so much sense. You know what? I'm gonna
stop gatekeeping and I'm gonna keep it a -being
with you. The name of this podcast is Run Planet
365. And it's by far my favorite podcast. So
if you get a chance, go and check that podcast
out. But like I was saying, he convinced me to
start doing zone two running. And pretty much
when I first started, I was humbled right away.
I remember I'd go out on the run. and I'm sitting
here trying not to let my heart rate go above
142 beats, and I'm looking down at my watch,
and it's saying I'm at 145 beats, and I'm running
at, like, a 10 -minute pace, and I was like,
man, this is terrible. So I had to slow down.
Around that time, I had just started doing high
-mileage training to where every Wednesday and
Saturday... I was dropping 20 -mile long runs.
I did so many of them, I code -named them the
20Ps. Anyhow, going on runs that long, having
to run that slow at this time, to stay in zone
two, I'm running 11, 12 -minute miles just to
stay under 140 beats. And if you ever are paying
attention to your watch while you're running
and looking at your heart rate, you know... If
you burp mysteriously, your heart rate, it goes
down. So anytime I'd be going up this big hill
called Capitol Hill, I'd start burping so I wouldn't
have to slow down on my run. I'd burp, oh, yay,
look, I'm at 130 -something beats. I'm gonna
keep going up this hill. But I was cheating.
So eventually, I decided to stop cheating, humble
myself, and start walking up the hill. It was
embarrassing, but... there was a reason behind
it. I knew to get to where I wanted to go, I
needed to stop being a peacock and just do what
the program called for. So I started walking
up that hill. Every time I do my 20 pieces, I
just walk. And then I took it a step further.
I'm like, well, if I'm gonna walk, I'm gonna
be out here building some muscles. So I start
flexing my calves, flexing my glutes, hamstrings
as I was going up the hill. So... Yeah, I was
walking, but I was doing a little bit more than
just walking So I'd say after about maybe two
months. I started noticing that I could run it
like a 10 30 pace and be around 136 beats per
minute and it felt good because I knew I was
progressing and I kept that going the whole winter
all the way through spring and by time April
rolled around I was cracking those 20 pieces
off, running at a nine -minute pace zone and
standing well under 140 beats. And I actually
felt good about myself to come from having to
do it at 12 minutes to now doing it at nine minutes.
That told me that, in fact, I had got more fitter.
And since my zone two paces went to the right,
my slower ranges went to the left, that meant
my faster ranges went to the left as well. For
instance, at a 630 pace, my heart rate in the
beginning was 175 beats. Now at a 630 pace, my
heart rate's more close to like 168 beats. And
that's what's cool about training in the low
heart rate zones is you're building that aerobic
capacity, you're building that engine, you're
getting that mitochondria. And a lot of people,
they neglect that thinking. Ah, I gotta impress
these cats on Strava. Nah, player, you just need
to slow down and chill. Seriously, though, running
in zones one and two unlocks so many benefits
to your running. It speeds up your recovery after
hard sessions. It improves blood flow and oxygen
delivery to muscles. It teaches your body how
to burn fat more efficiently. Like, who doesn't
want to burn fat? It strengthens your heart and
lungs. It improves endurance and running economy.
It also allows you to increase your mileage without
risking to get injured. Last but not least, it
increases mitochondria. Think of mitochondria
as the engine of your cells, the tiny powerhouses
that turn fuel into energy. And that's why easy
runs matter. Build a mitochondria, flush and
fatigue. land the foundation for real progress
but here's the sad truth too many runners out
there act like they're something they're not
they push past their means on easy days turning
recovery into a low -grade race that's peacocking
flashy effort for their timeline not for results
i see it all the time someone will post a run
and say x amount of miles easy zone too and the
pace they're running is maybe 30 seconds slower
than their Marathon PR, and their heart rate
is teetering at low zone three. No sir, that
is not zone two. That is what I like to call
low budget zone two. Personally, I can go out
on a run and run sub seven minute miles and still
be in upper zone two range, but it's like this.
If the legal alcohol limit to drive is 0 .08,
why would I go to a bar and drink until I'm at
.07 and then get in the car and go drive. That's
just foolish. And that's the same exact thing
people do when they say they're going out on
a easy zone two run. When I first started running,
I associated any run that wasn't an all out effort
as easy. I think oftentimes many runners go out
on a run and just because it didn't feel hard,
they assume that it's easy, but really it's a
moderate effort. Your zone two runs should be
significantly slower than your race pace. Literally,
there are some days that I'm running my zone
two miles in 11, 12 minutes. It just depends
on what my body, how my body feels, what my body
wants to do. And I'm okay with that because I've
matured as a runner. I understand the purpose
behind it and what the goal is. So if the biggest
benefits of training in zone one and two is building
mitochondria, Why would you speed up and run
faster on a recovery day? For instance, we have
two runners, same exact ability, running six
miles. Runner A finishes in 50 minutes at zone
two. Runner B finishes in 65 minutes in zone
two. Runner B is going to build more mitochondria,
period. I need you guys to really listen to what
I'm saying here. There is no nutritional value
in trying to be a superhero on a recovery run.
Save that peacocking man -character energy for
workout days and races. Which brings me to my
next point. I think it's super bush league and
insensitive to post a run and say X amount of
miles easy. Running is supposed to be inclusive
and everyone is at a different place in their
running journey. Your easy pace could be someone's
dream race pace. You may not think it's rude
or disrespectful. And at one time I didn't either
until someone that I admire and respect as a
runner told me how that type of stuff makes them
feel and they were right. Call it recovery miles
or don't call it anything. Let's be real here.
None of us recreational runners are world -class
record -breaking runners. So what's the point?
Really, what are you proving? Either you're putting
in zones one and two or you're putting out zones
four and five. I'll use myself for an example.
If I have a seven mile recovery run on Friday
and a 20 mile run on Saturday with the last half
at race pace, would it make sense for me to run
my Friday run at the upper end of my zone two,
let's say 650 per mile pace or in zones one,
possibly low zone two at a 10 to 11 millimeter
mile pace? Which two of those paces would facilitate
me? being fresher for Saturday. I think we know
the answer to that. Let's take it a step further.
We have two runners both preparing for a race.
Runner A does every run at the same intensity,
same pace, all about peacocking for social media.
Runner B uses a polarized training approach.
OK, so they both have a 19 -mile run scheduled.
Runner A goes out on their run, averages 720.
per mile pace, runs their fastest run at a 7
.05 pace. Now, runner B goes out on their 19
mile run and finishes with an average 7 .35 pace
per mile. However, they warm up for three miles
at a nine minute mile pace, then runs four and
a half miles at a 6 .13 pace, then runs three
and a half miles at an 8 .50 pace, then runs
four and a half miles at a 6 .13 pace, followed
by a three and a half mile cool down. at 835
pace. Now when these two runners post their runs
on Strava, runner A, the person that averaged
the 720 pace at a glance, looks like they worked
harder and is the faster runner. But if you go
and dig into the numbers, you would see not only
did runner B work harder, but they actually hit
faster paces than runner A. This is exactly what
can be so deceiving about peacocking. not just
to the audience, but to the peacocker. It makes
you feel fast and elite, but really, you're just
a scrub and a fancy pair of sneakers. I learned
this lesson firsthand. I've made this mistake
myself. So, I'm qualified to say it. And if you
feel triggered, congratulations. You're Perry
the Peacock. It's time to humble yourself and
put the right work in. I'm not here to win hearts
and minds. I'm here to be the best. and to challenge
everyone listening to be their best. The thing
is, these same cats you're out here trying to
impress are not out there grinding with you.
They're not there with you when you've trained
your tail off just to come up short in the race.
They're not there with you when you're looking
in the mirror, staring at yourself, feeling hopeless,
depressed, and like a failure, asking yourself,
where did I go wrong? They're not with you when
you're injured. They're not in your head when
you're asking yourself, am I good enough? So
why sabotage yourself being a peacock? Shut out
the nonsense and focus. Remember, easy runs build
engines, hard runs build speed, ego runs build
nothing. Keep it easy, do the work, and thanks
for listening. I'm out.