This Zone 2 Playlist Will Keep Your Runs Relaxed, Your Pace Steady, and Your Miles Aerobic

Whether you’re running outside or hitting the treadmill, good music can often make the difference between a great run and a blown goal. That’s why we’re putting together playlists each month chock-full of songs with enough of a beat to keep you moving. For even more tunes, check out our best running playlists to power every pace and distance.When your goal is to get faster, it’s easy to forget about incorporating the slow stuff into your training. The golden rule is that 80 percent of your training should be easy. Pushing your body too hard with little to no time for recovery in between can eventually lead to burnout, plateauing, or worse—injury. So what’s the solution? Zone 2 training.In recent years, experts have broken down athletic exertion into training zones that correspond to a percentage of your maximum heart rate to nail down exercise intensity. With zone 1 being minimal effort and zone 5 being maximum exertion, in very general terms, zone 2 is about 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. That translates to a conversational pace, one that allows you to chit-chat while jogging but still feel like you’re working.To aid those zone 2 training days, we’ve created a playlist stacked with slower songs to remind you to slow down and enjoy the scenery—and the songs!Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple MusicListen on Amazon MusicFind Your Next Running PlaylistMatthew Huff is a freelance writer and runner, and he is the author of MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon, published by Rizzoli Publications. His writing has appeared in Runner's World and BuzzFeed among others, and he is the co-host of “P.S. You're Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast.” Originally from Michigan, he now lives and runs in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as an expert chicken tender taster.