Runner Adopts Heart-Rate Zones for Walk-Run Training

A run/walker who had been training for years found themselves stuck in a plateau, with two paces: hard and easy. This approach made sense when they first started, as their run intervals were hard efforts and their walk segments were easy. However, when runners began discussing the benefits of zone-based training, the run/walker didn’t think it applied to them.

That was until they had a conversation with Heather Milton, MS, RCEP, CSCS, cofounder of Master My Run and host of The Runner’s World Guide to Running Form. Milton suggested that the run/walker was going too fast during their run intervals, making all their workouts essentially speedwork. She recommended slowing the run pace during long runs and running faster during shorter workouts, using heart rate to monitor pace and stay in specific zones.

Laura Norris, a run coach who created the Runner’s World Heart Rate Zones Training Plan, agreed with Milton. Norris stated that if a run/walker is using intervals, it’s key that an easy workout doesn’t become a series of hard intervals followed by walk recoveries. She emphasized that walk breaks don’t negate the efficacy of workouts as long as run intervals are appropriately paced.

Getting Started with Heart Rate Zone Training

To begin heart rate zone and run/walk training, the run/walker consulted Chris Twiggs, director of training for Jeff Galloway. Twiggs explained that the goal is to adjust run/walk intervals to stay within specific zones. This might mean running slower or for less time during zone 2 runs and then running more and faster during zone 3 and 4 runs.

Twiggs also noted that it might be necessary to break some run/walk “rules.” Typically, walk breaks are kept to 30 seconds, but if the runner finds themselves straying out of their zone 2, they can add extra walk breaks and even make them longer. Some Galloway runners have had success keeping their heart rates down and going longer by walking as much as 2 minutes between 30-second runs.

Experimenting with Heart Rate Zone Training

After talking to the three experts, the run/walker began experimenting with their run/walk intervals during each run on the plan. At the beginning of their two-week experiment, their zones were: Zone 2 walk pace at 3.5 mph (121–130 bpm), Zone 3 walk pace at 3.7 mph (130–139 bpm), Zone 3 run pace at 4.2 mph (130–139 bpm), Zone 4 run pace at 4.5 to 4.8 mph (139–148 bpm), and Zone 5 run pace at 5.0 mph (148–157 bpm).

To stay within their zones, the run/walker adjusted all their run/walk intervals for each run on the plan. For example, on the Thursday of Week 1, they ran slower and walked more to stay in zone 2. Then, on Monday of Week 3, during the zone 3 section of the run, they sped up and shortened their walk intervals.

Results of the Experiment

The experiment was a success. After a couple of weeks, each of the run/walker’s paces rose by 0.1, except for their zone 5 run pace, which rose by 0.2. Notably, their heart rate didn’t change, indicating they had broken through their fitness plateau. The run/walker’s perception of the zones changed, and they could differentiate between “easy” and “hard” with more nuance.

Combining heart rate zone training with run/walk made a huge difference in the run/walker’s current fitness and their attitude towards future workouts. They now know how to use their heart rate as a guide to adjust both intervals of their run/walks. The run/walker had been feeling discouraged about their ability to get fitter in their 60s, but their entire attitude has changed, and they look forward to their workouts more than they did even just a few months ago.