Benefits of zone 2 running :)

Since I did the lactate test, I have been diligently doing all of my runs except speed workouts in zone 2. This has taken a lot of patience. Before I knew my heart rate zones, I would typically do my runs at about 6:45 - 7:15 min/km, or 5.2 to 5.5 mph on the treadmill. A month ago, I had to do my treadmill runs at 4.7 to 5.0 mph, outdoor runs at more than 8 min/km to keep my heart rate in zone 2 (150 to 160 bpm). Really painfully slow :( But now, I am starting to see some improvement. Yesterday, I did my 7 mile LSD (as per week 4 of Hal Higdon's intermediate half marathon training). My pace was 7:35/km with an average HR of 153 :D Yay! I believe that all the aerobic running that I have been doing has helped my fitness level. Hopefully I can translate that into a new PB at the Chilly Half Marathon...only 2 months away.