Zone 3 running can be an important part of your training, but what is Zone 3 running, what are examples of Zone 3 runs, what’s the difference between Zone 2 and Zone 3, and how can you use Zone 3 running in your training?
We’re going to look at the following questions:
What is a Zone 3 run?
Why is Zone 3 running important?
Zone 2 vs Zone 3 running
Examples of Zone 3 runs
What are the running heart rate zones?
Do you need to know your heart rate zones?
Does Zone 3 running make you faster?
WHAT IS ZONE 3 RUNNING?
Zone 3 running is a moderate to moderately hard aerobic run. It can also be described as a steady run or tempo run.
Using Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE), Zone 3 running should be 5-7 RPE. It’s something ‘comfortably hard,’ but not as challenging as an interval.
Zone 3 running can be a key effort level in your training as it can help improve speed endurance as it’s typically done as longer tempo runs. But it’s important that this is an intentional steady effort and not just pushing harder on what should be an easy Zone 2 run.
One of the best ways to think of Zone 3 is as half marathon or marathon race pace. That’s faster than easy, but not a harder effort like 5-10k pace or interval pace.
WHY IS ZONE 3 RUNNING IMPORTANT?
Zone 3 running can help to improve your aerobic endurance.
Zone 3 runs can help to increase your lactate threshold, meaning you can run harder for longer distances at a steady pace.
Zone 3 running can improve your overall running economy as you get more efficient at using energy at faster paces.
Zone 3 running can give a really good workout, without pushing as hard as an interval session.
Zone 3 runs are particularly good for people training for longer races, like 10k, half marathons and marathons.
Zone 3 can be great for runners who struggle with shorter intervals – this extra speed effort will be a good addition to your easy runs, and with less stress on the body compared to really fast runs.
Be careful that a Zone 2 run doesn’t become a Zone 3 effort or you could risk overreaching.
ZONE 2 VS ZONE 3
Zone 3 is sometimes thought of as a ‘grey zone’ in training, where it’s easy to slip into ‘junk miles’ run at a pace too fast to be easy, and not fast enough to really develop speed (and causing additional fatigue in the process).
In a Zone 2 run you may naturally run close to Zone 3 heart rate, or your heart rate may creep as a Zone 2 run gets longer, but the key is to remember effort and intentionality – in other words, the purpose of each run.
The purpose of a Zone 2 run is to be an easy effort. It’s there for daily miles and is a slower pace to build up your general fitness and endurance.
Zone 3 is an intentionally steadier effort, pushing harder than an easy run for a great training impetus, but not running as hard as an interval.
While the HR zones may be close, it’s the intention of the run which matters. If it’s supposed to be an easy Zone 2 run, then keep it easy; if it’s Zone 3, then work hard within that zone, or that effort, but don’t try to run too hard.
EXAMPLES OF ZONE 3 RUNS
Steady tempo. Warm up for 1-3k, then increase the pace for 30-60 minutes (for example: run at goal marathon pace). Have a 1k cool down at the end.
Fartlek tempo. Alternate between easy pace and tempo to a set interval (i.e. 2 minutes, half a mile, 1k). Keep the tempo pace controlled as this workout gets tougher as it progresses because while the pace changes, you never get any rest.
Long run workouts. These are a staple in half marathon and marathon training. For example, run 30 minutes easy, 60 minutes tempo, 30 minutes easy. Or go for a fast finish tempo: run 15k easy and 5k tempo/race pace to finish.
Hilly tempo. Great for trail running, or for runners training for a hilly race, all you need to do is find your route and run it harder than your easy effort. Push up the hills and run more intentionally on the downs.
WHAT ARE THE RUNNING HEART RATE ZONES?
The heart rate zones are worked out using a percentage of your maximum heart rate, so it’s a measure unique to you and it will change as you age or as your fitness changes.
Here are the heart rate zones, the percentage of maximum heart rate, the RPE and what the run is like.
If you have a max heart rate of 180, then Zone 3 is roughly 126-144 beats per minute.
If you don’t know your maximum heart rate then one way to work out an approximate max heart rate is to subtract your age from 220 (i.e. a 30-year-old will have a max HR of around 190).
Here’s what you need to know about running in different heart rate zones.
DO YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR HEART RATE ZONES?
No, you don’t need to know your heart rate zones. A lot of confident runners know their zones intuitively by the way that the effort feels.
Zone 3 should be an intentional steady, tempo effort. The key is that you are deliberately pushing; this shouldn’t be a Zone 2 run which feels hard.
Think of Zone 3 as half marathon or marathon race pace. It’s something comfortably hard that you should be able to sustain for an extended time.
Intentionality is key in good training. You don’t need to know an exact heart rate, but learn to know the right effort.
DOES ZONE 3 RUNNING MAKE YOU FASTER?
Yes, Zone 3 running can make you faster.
But that doesn’t mean you should just do loads of Zone 3 running each week, and you still need overall balance in your training and that means mostly running Zone 2, or easy conversational runs.
Think of training volume like a pyramid. Most of the base is Zone 2, often around 80% of training. Zone 3 is above that and might be 10-15% of weekly mileage, with Zones 4 and 5 just a smaller percentage overall.
Continuing the pyramid analogy: the more Zone 2 you can do, the more faster running volume you may be able to tolerate and the higher your pyramid gets – that’s why you often hear that running slow helps you to run fast.
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