The Extramilest Podcast

#122: You're Doing Zone 2 Wrong (Even If You Think You're Not) | Scott Johnston Round 2

March 27, 2026·1h 31m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Thanks to Bear Mattress for sponsoring this video. Get 40% off your Bear mattress at https://www.bearmattress.com/floris using code Floris. Another incredible episode with Coach Scott Johnston. He is back for Round 2 after our first episode reached over 140,000 YouTube views in just a few weeks. We dive deeper into Zone 2 training, common mistakes runners make, VO₂ max myths, recovery, and how to balance intensity and volume for long-term progress without burning out. Watch this full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDg4NAEKQO8  Chapters: 0:00 – The truth about zone 2 training 1:00 – Training for the Uphill Athlete 1:20 – BEAR mattress sponsorship 2:40 – What people get wrong about zone 2 training 10:10 – MAF training explained (180 – age) 14:11 – What people get wrong about high-intensity training 23:18 – Introducing our new Personal Best Running Club 24:07 – Recovery times by training zone 28:27 – How Jakob Ingebrigtsen runs double threshold sessions 34:50 – Balancing volume, intensity, and priorities 37:14 – Overtraining signs and recovery debt 47:45 – Motivation, body signals, and when to stop 51:40 – How to do run-walk training in zone 2 55:40 – How to measure progress in run-walk training 57:12 – Sample run-walk training week 59:22 – Guidelines for beginners starting easy training 1:02:04 – How to do cross-training during injury 1:05:12 – Lever treadmill tool (injury recovery) 1:07:23 – Returning after injury or time off 1:13:20 – Training in heat and adjusting effort 1:18:58 – Does aerobic threshold improve over time? 1:20:58 – Breathing vs heart rate for intensity 1:24:00 – Training at altitude (heart rate adjustments) 1:25:35 – Where to find Scott, his books, & programs 1:27:03 – Final advice for recreational runners to improve without burnout   FIND SCOTT JOHNSTON ► Website: https://evokeendurance.com/ ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_scott_johnston/ ► Evoke Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evokeendurance/ ► Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/ ► Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/evokecast/id1652132598 ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hEgBO6OHjnya5S6CWL024 ► Training for the New Alpinism Book: https://a.co/d/056KjXT1 ► Training for the Uphill Athlete Book: https://a.co/d/00NXdpdR       YOU CAN FIND ME, FLORIS GIERMAN HERE: ► Our New Personal Best Running Coaching Program: https://www.pbprogram.com/ ► Buy my new book Running Breakthroughs: https://geni.us/runningbreakthroughs  ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florisgierman/ ► Extramilest Website: https://extramilest.com  ► Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/1329785  ► Path Projects Website: https://pathprojects.com      Affiliate Disclosure: I may earn commissions if you purchase items via my affiliate links. "As an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases." Affiliate links do not increase cost to you. Also, you do not need to use these links. You can also search for these same items in Amazon or on any search engine/shopping site of your choice and buy/research them that way.   ABOUT THE EXTRAMILEST SHOW:   A podcast and YouTube channel where host Floris Gierman interviews world class athletes, coaches and health experts on the topic of how to become a stronger, healthier and happier athlete.   More info about our running coaching program can be found at https://www.pbprogram.com    Subscribe and hit the bell to see new videos: https://bit.ly/Flo-YT

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