So, second video in this little mini series about the Couch to 5K.
And I’m going to talk about effort level, heart rate, and bits and pieces.
So, if you are a brand-new, shiny runner wanting to get into it using the Couch to 5K programme, hooray and welcome, and yeah, I hope you’re enjoying it so far.
Should Couch to 5K Runs Be in Zone 2?
But you might hear, if you’re on running-based social media or talking to runners, that we should be running at easy effort, at Zone 2. It’s a conversational pace, full sentences on and out breath, et cetera.
But just again, a little thing to say out loud with the Couch to 5K, particularly if you’re new, have not done much cardio before, have not done cardio or running for a while, or are returning back from illness, injury, et cetera: you’re running gently, more likely than not, will not be in Zone 2 and will not be fully conversational.
Because one of the goals of the Couch to 5K programme is to rebuild that cardiovascular fitness.
So, it’s only really when we’ve got a bit of a level of cardiovascular fitness that running at Zone 2 becomes possible.
What Zone 2 Might Feel Like When You’re Starting
If you’ve not been doing any cardio exercise for a while, for whatever reason, a brisk walk or even just a gentle walk might be Zone 2 for you.
And then, when you’ve been doing that for a while, a brisk walk might become Zone 2.
And once you’ve started and got towards the end of the Couch to 5K programme, then maybe a gentle run might become Zone 2, but it definitely won’t be at the beginning.
Don’t Try to Run as Fast as You Can
Definitely don’t try and sprint off.
You’re not trying to run as fast as you can in the Couch to 5K running intervals. You’re still trying to run gently.
But I guess what I’m trying to say is that that gentle might not, well, probably definitely won’t be Zone 2 or a fully conversational pace, at least to start with, for those first few weeks or even two or three months, depending on your background and fitness levels.
So, yeah, try and take them as gentle runs, but don’t feel bound by the heart rate, the breathing rate, the effort level definitions at this stage when you’re just getting back into it.
That will come because, with that regular programme of those three runs a week with the Couch to 5K, that cardio fitness will improve, and that is where you’ll get to, but it’s not the goal right at the start.
Hope that’s useful. Happy running.
