The Aerobic Base Blueprint: What Zone 2 Really Means — with Scott Johnston

Scott Johnston is one of the most respected endurance coaches in the world. As founder of Evoke Endurance and co-author of Training for the Uphill Athlete, he has coached athletes across skiing, mountaineering, trail running and road running. In 2025, both the men's and women's UTMB champions — Tom Evans and Ruth Croft — were coached by Scott.

In this episode we dig into the foundation of endurance performance: the aerobic base. Scott explains what zone 2 actually is, why percentage-based calculators don't work, how to find your personal aerobic threshold with a free at-home test, and why most runners are unknowingly training in the wrong zone.

We also cover aerobic deficiency syndrome, the vacuum cleaner analogy for lactate, and why consistency beats every magic workout you'll ever find on the internet.

If you're a recreational marathon runner who wants to train smarter, this episode is the place to start.

What we cover:

• How Scott went from ski coach to world-class endurance coach
• What aerobic and anaerobic actually mean
• Why zone 2 is not a percentage of your max heart rate
• The heart rate drift test — free, simple, and personal
• Aerobic deficiency syndrome and how to fix it
• The vacuum cleaner analogy: lactate as fuel, not waste
• How long does building a real aerobic base actually take?
• Why consistency is the only secret that works

Links & resources:

Evoke Endurance — evokeendurance.com

Aerobic Deficiency Syndrome (ADS): https://evokeendurance.com/resources/aerobic-deficiency-syndrome-ads/

Heart rate drift test & aerobic assessment: https://evokeendurance.com/resources/our-latest-thinking-on-aerobic-assessment-for-the-mountain-athlete/

Setting your heart rate zones: https://evokeendurance.com/resources/setting-your-hear-rate-zones/

Book a free coaching call with Joost: https://www.cal.eu/pacebuddies/freecall

Pace Buddies — pacebuddies.com