Can you run 30 kilometers at 3:32 min/km in Zone 2? The latest training update shared by Yago Rojo has sparked a debate on social media. The Madrid-based marathoner posted a video of a long run in Madrid’s Casa de Campo, which has already accumulated around 260,000 views on Instagram and 1.2 million on TikTok.
The training data draws attention: 30 kilometers at an average pace of 3:32 min/km, an average heart rate of 145 beats per minute and 200 meters of positive elevation gain. In addition, the athlete kept a steady pace for virtually the entire session.
‘It’s false’: doubts about Yago Rojo’s training
The post has received numerous messages of admiration and support, but also comments from users who question whether that pace could correspond to Zone 2. “Your Zone 2 is that fast… And then the marathon at 3:03? I don’t know, something is off,” reads one comment. Others are more blunt: “It’s false” or “Surely a lie, the numbers don’t match.”
Part of the doubts focus on the relationship between pace, heart rate, and the effort required to sustain that speed for 30 kilometers. However, the data align with the pace zones that the athlete currently uses in his Valencia Marathon preparation.
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Yago Rojo’s Pace Zones: 3:32/km falls within Zone 2
Yago Rojo’s current training zones place Zone 2 between 3:22 and 3:54 min/km. Therefore, the average pace of 3:32 per kilometer recorded in this run sits within that range. Here are his pace zones:
It is important to distinguish between pace zones and heart-rate zones: they are not necessarily equivalent and cannot be interpreted as the same indicator.
A 2:07:47 marathoner preparing Valencia
Yago Rojo stands out as one of Spain’s best marathon runners in recent years. His personal best in the distance is 2:07:47, roughly a 3:02 min/km pace. With that mark, sustaining 30 kilometers at 3:32 per kilometer would mean running about 30 seconds per kilometer slower than his typical marathon race pace, a margin that, for elite athletes, is already quite substantial.
The Madrid-born runner now begins to prepare for the Valencia Marathon, one of the calendar’s major international events. In this context, long runs are a fundamental component of the endurance work needed to tackle the full 42.195 kilometers.
The takeaway is clear: the 3:32 min/km pace is indeed within the Zone 2 pace range he currently uses. That does not imply that average heart rates alone can verify all aspects of the training, but the published paces do not contradict the zones indicated by the athlete.
