Race Ready22 Jun 2025

Ep. 9 The Zone 2 Myth and the Art of Not Overtraining

In this episode of the Race Ready Podcast, Andy and Brian dive into some timely listener questions and share their insights from a busy summer of training, testing, and travel. Brian recaps his recent certification at the IBU Academy and offers a behind-the-scenes look at US Biathlon’s June testing camp, including motion capture biomechanics, shooting analysis, and fatigue-based vision research. Andy previews the return of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup to Lake Placid and highlights the value of domestic World Cups for athlete development.

The duo then unpacks the complexities of zone 2 training, addressing a listener question from a master's skier struggling to keep their heart rate low during roller skiing. Andy and Brian explore how perceived effort, recovery capacity, and training volume all influence heart rate zones—offering practical advice for athletes balancing technique work, fatigue, and the realities of life outside training. They also stress the importance of easy days and emphasize that not all gains come from grinding.

The final segment dives deep into interval training strategies: How long should intervals be for marathon racers? What are the trade-offs between 3-minute reps vs. 15-minute threshold sets? The conversation covers emerging trends in high-quality, power-based interval sessions, the science of VO₂ kinetics, and why all endurance sports are trending toward speed and power as competition intensifies. Whether you're a coach, junior athlete, or master skier, this episode offers practical tools to fine-tune your training.

Linked studies:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333007182_Energy_system_contribution_during_competitive_cross-country_skiing

https://www.calibratedcoaching.com/blog/energysystems/vo2kinetics

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