#45 - Zone 2 Training for Older Runners: Ditch the Formula, Try This Instead

The MVP Method: How Older Runners Can Start Zone 2 Training Without Walk Breaks

Herb describes struggling with Zone 2/Maffetone training at age 62, shuffling so slowly that walkers passed and needing walk breaks to keep heart rate low. He compares the Maffetone formula (180 minus age, with an added 10 over 60) to a Zone 2 calculator using known max heart rate (185 from a medical treadmill test) and resting heart rate (about 42), which produced a Zone 2 range of roughly 128–143 bpm, but still felt unclear. He develops a “minimum viable pace” (MVP) by running 1–3 miles at the slowest sustainable pace without checking his watch, then noting a consistent heart rate (132 bpm) at about 10:30/mile. By holding MVP pace, his heart rate drops over weeks, allowing a later return to standard Maffetone training, and he outlines doing frequent easy runs for consistency.

00:00 Zone Two Struggle Story
00:41 Maffetone Formula Limits
01:30 Zone Two Calculator Approach
03:06 Stop Chasing Formulas
03:28 Finding Your MVP Pace
04:39 Results and Progression
05:52 MVP Program Steps
06:54 Consistency Builds Aerobic Base
07:47 Forever Runner Wrap Up

P.S. If you are passionate about running, and you don't want to lose that passion, then getting your copy of my new Forever Runner Method book is the right move. Click this link to get yours: https://foreverrunner.com/

Runners over 50: Pain free running without injury with slow running!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey runners, how's it going? You know, back when I was 62, that was the first time I tried zone two training. I was running around a popular lake trail and it was embarrassing. I was shuffling so slowly that walkers were passing me. You know, then my heart rate crept up above my zone, and then I had to walk to bring it back down. And this was supposed to be my easy run. You know, if you've tried maphetone or zone 2 training and ending up having to walk all the time, you know, if that's if that's familiar, well, here's what's going on. So back then I tried a couple different ways to determine what my training heart rate should be. First, I tried the maphetone method formula. That's that's where you take 180 minus your age to get a conservative maximum heart rate for aerobic training. For me, that was 180 minus 62, which equaled 118 beats per minute. Now I I couldn't even start to run at that heart rate. But what I found was the maphetome formula kind of breaks down after you get over 60. The only advice out there was just add 10 points. So for me that made it 128 beats per minute. Better, but for me at that time it wasn't still runnable. So I I went looking for another way. And I used a calculator for zone two training to figure out my my proper zone two range. And it it factors both your maximum heart rate and your resting heart rate to calculate what your personal training zones are. So for me, uh I knew my maximum heart rate was uh 185 because I've had a medical treadmill test and we did that in a controlled medical setting. And I always track my resting heart rate, and at the time that was around 42. So when I enter those numbers into the formula, uh my zone 2 came out to a range of about 128 to 143 beats per minute, with the midpoint of my zone 2 around 135 beats per minute. And that that seemed a little high. So all this is useful, but the problem is you might not really know your true maximum heart rate. The safest way to get it is through a medical stress test, but you can estimate it by doing a hard 5k effort and pushing at the end and checking your watch. That'll get you pretty close. Your resting heart rate is easy, you just check it first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. So, what I found was both methods have issues. I had two formulas, two different numbers, and still no clear answer on how to actually start running in a way where I could build up my aerobic capacity on every run. You know, there had to be a better way. So I decided to try an experiment. After warming up on flat ground, I ran three miles at the slowest pace I could maintain, you know, keeping my posture upright with short steps and a higher cadence. I didn't even look at my garment till the end of my run. I found that I was running at 10.5 minutes per mile pace rather than my normal eight and a half minute mile pace. And my heart rate was at 132 beats per minute. You know, it felt really awkward running that slow. I hadn't ever really done that before, but I knew I was on to something. If I got better at running slow, I could lower my heart rate without having to take walk breaks. So I I called it my minimum viable pace or MVP. What I learned from all this was stop chasing the formula, find the pace your body can actually run, and just start there. That's my MVP approach. So instead of tracking how my pace increased while holding a steady low heart rate, like the maftone method, I started tracking how my heart rate decreased while holding that 1030 pace. And it worked. You know, within about a month, I got my heart rate down to 126 beats per minute, running slow, and I never had to take walk breaks. Then I switched back to standard mafetone training, working on running faster at that 126 beat per minute heart rate. And within about another 60 days, I was comfortably running nine and a half minute miles at that 126 beats per minute. That I could work with. So if if you've tried mafetone running in the past or zone two running, and uh your heart rate was just too high, and you ended up having to walk all the time, I would suggest you give my MVP program a try. Here's how you do it. So, step one, just warm up on flat ground and then run from one to three miles at the easiest pace that feels very comfortable. And don't look at your watch, just run by feel. At the end, check your heart rate on your Garmin and what your pace was. Now, this now you want to look for what your maximum heart rate you were at, not the average, but it should be actually fairly consistent during your run since you're going so slow and easy. And note your running pace because that is your MVP or your minimum viable pace. So your heart rate might be 130 or 135 or even higher, but that's okay. You know, start here because now you can actually start your zone 2 training by actually running and not having to take walk breaks, which is really the key to improvement with zone 2 training for us older runners. For best results, you want to do lots of easy runs, you know, like four or five times a week, 30 to 60 minutes in duration. The goal is consistency, not intensity. That's what builds your aerobic engine. We want to get your heart rate down while you hold your MVP pace. Now don't expect massive improvements in the first 30 days. Building your aerobic capacity is a slow, steady process, but you should see your heart rate drop at your MVP pace after a couple of months. And that's when running really starts to feel effortless again. So I'm convinced that getting started with zone two training as an older runner is the best way to ensure you effortless running without pain and injury as you age. And that's why that's the foundation to my Forever Runner method. And the MVP is a great way to get you through the front door and get started. So let me know. Have you struggled with zone 2 or maphetone training as an older runner? Let me know in the comments. I'd really like to know. Have a great week, and we'll see you in the next one.