Easy runs, Zone 2 rules

Several established plans put easy-run pace 60–120 seconds per mile slower than marathon pace, with the Hansons Marathon Method calling for about 1–2 minutes slower and other guides citing a 60–90 second window for most runners. (letsrun.com) The “run slow to run fast” 80/20 approach—used by coaches and summarized in recent training guides—recommends keeping ~80% of weekly volume in low intensity work to protect key quality sessions and promote faster race-day adaptation. (marathonhandbook.com) Zone 2 prescriptions in coaching literature treat 30 minutes as a plausible minimum session length for beginners and maintenance, while noting optimal sessions for aerobic development often run 45–90+ minutes and that benefits are dose‑dependent. (biologyinsights.com) Practical plans that pair Zone 2 with targeted speed work often schedule 30–40 minute steady-state Zone 2 workouts midweek and longer 60–120 minute aerobic long runs on weekends to accumulate weekly aerobic minutes. (ideafit.com) Coaching sources treat HIIT and short sprint repeats as the primary race‑specific stimuli for improving VO2max, speed and neuromuscular turnover, recommending structured intervals (e.g., 30s–3min hard efforts with ample recovery) rather than unstructured hard running. (marathonhandbook.com) Most modern guides warn the exact easy‑pace gap varies by fitness and goal—recreational marathoners often see 60–150 seconds slower than race pace while elite athletes may only need ~60 seconds of separation—so coaches advise using heart‑rate or talk‑test anchors in addition to pace. (trainwithmarc.com)