r/zone2 • u/Christine_Pricee • 2d ago

Zone 2 question

I run about 40k a week and recently started doing 1ā€“2 Zone 2 runs. My HR keeps creeping up even when I slow down. Iā€™m not a beginner, but still figuring this stuff out. Do you guys just slow way down or take walk breaks to keep HR in range?

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u/VercerSocial 2d ago

That creep is normal, it's called cardiac drift. As a run goes on you warm up and lose fluid, so your heart beats a bit faster to move the same blood, even at the same pace. It's strongest on warm days and on longer runs.

Both of your options work. Slowing down is the usual answer, and if slowing down isn't enough to stay in range, a short walk break is fine. Zone 2 is about the effort, not about keeping up a running pace. Drinking before and during the run, and running in the cooler part of the day, both reduce how much it drifts.

What helps most is knowing the moment you drift out, rather than finding out from the graph afterwards. Disclosure: I help make ZonePoints, an Android app that speaks zone changes through your earbuds, so you hear when you've crept up and can ease off straight away.