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It’s that time of year again when I, like many other athletes, start building my base for the season with more zone 2 training. But, there’s a common mistake I often see athletes make – thinking it is easy, so they don’t need to fuel – big mistake.
Zone 2 is my “all-day pace, but not easy forever.” Better put, it starts feeling too easy for me and ends just slightly annoyingly hard.
How to Determine Your Zone 2: If you have a smartwatch or heart-rate monitor, it’s straightforward to figure out your zones or just search it. There are a million calculators online.
Don’t overthink it too much. Also, if it feels too easy initially, don’t just go harder. Stick with it. It will get more challenging as you go. Also, don’t stop or take breaks. You have to keep going for a minimum of 90 to 120 minutes.
The Advantages of Zone 2 Training: More and more, we hear about Ironman champ Gustav Iden and Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar spending an endless amount of time in Zone 2. Many people want to rename it, but for simplicity, I’m sticking with calling it Zone 2.
The benefits are enormous, from fat burning to increasing aerobic capacity. Not to mention the ability to work on your pedaling technique or stride. Almost all athletes could benefit from more slow and steady time in zone 2, yes, I’m looking at you.
How to Fuel Zone 2: You want to fuel these workouts, but you don’t need to go crazy. Aim for 60 grams of carbs per hour and then refeed yourself with a post-workout shake and/or meal.
If you want to be more precise and are cycling, take your average power, say 180 watts, and divide by 3 for 60g/carbs per hour.
I’ll go with hydration plus a two-gel-per-hour plan or the new SIS Beta Fuel Chews I mentioned last weekend + a bottle of Skratch.
Improve Fat Utilization and Lactate Clearance: I mentioned above fat burning. Zone 2 training also improves my body’s fat utilization. It helps me become more efficient at using fat as my fuel source, so in future workouts, I can preserve more of my precious glycogen stores.
Post Workout: A recovery Drink like Ultragen Recovery is perfect.
DRG
