As any runner who has attempted zone two training will tell you, keeping your heart rate low and stable when you’re pounding the pavements is hard. It often feels that no matter how slow you plod along, your heart rate will never sit comfortably in that 60-70% of your maximum heart rate range.

It’s frustrating, not least because zone two training has been proven to offer a host of benefits, from enhanced endurance and stamina to improved bone density and muscular adaptation.

Recently, Team Strong Women has been facing this dilemma. As keen runners, we want to embrace everything zone two training has to offer, but our patience has started to wear thin. Having to check your watch every 10 seconds and stopping and starting in an effort to lower your heart rate isn’t exactly the recipe for an enjoyable run, no matter how beneficial staying in that zone may be.

Can you reap the benefits of zone 2 training through walking alone? We asked the experts