(Or just improving your paddling fitness)
Most of us are going to have to figure out what our Zone 2 is and what specific levels of effort called for in training programs mean for our own training. If you have the time, inclination, and budget that affords working with a personal coach, then so much the better. See Coaches
Lisa Carrington Training photo from video
How to Train
Types of workouts, progressions, etc…
Building your aerobic base and not burning out or injuring your body with too much high intensity work (and the relative effectiveness of % time spent in high intensity or long, slow training.)
Typically involves wrapping something like a bungie and/or small plastic balls around your boat to add drag. It does not take much to slow you boat down and make it significantly harder to achieve or maintain your usual speed.
The training concepts described in the following discussions are applicable to all age groups. Younger athletes may be able to tolerate higher levels of exertion and will want to augment some of the recommended training levels to suit their own age and ability to recover more quickly.
Zone 1 - 2 for Older Athletes
Zone 3 - 5 for Older Athletes