For a while now I have been deliberately focusing on raising my average speed, and as a consequence my heart rate, during runs. Today I ran yet another good distance, some seven miles, at better than ten minute miles and so I am making great strides. One particular skill is to even out one’s pace for better fat burning, and today is a significant milestone for me in that respect. On previous runs I have had a very uneven pace and my heart rate data from Apple Watch shows that my heart rate has been outside the 127 bpm threshold for around half of the run, and that is a rather irritating waste of time. I solved this problem by concentrating on maintaining a ten minute mile pace and also by running a trail for a good portion of the way. I must say that running through a forest on a sunny, fresh, cold and clear autumn day with the sounds of birds tweeting and running water everywhere is a rare pleasure and I will most definitely be repeating it whenever possible. Granted, it was only a local park rather than actual wilderness but nonetheless it is a beautiful place and so very beneficial for the mind and body. I always make a point to turn off the headphones and stop listening to whatever podcast I have on in order to take in the sounds, smells and sights of nature.

So, a beautiful and rewarding run today and I kept my heart rate in the fat burning zone for 21:35 minutes, a significant improvement on my previous best performance. Only 15% of the run was below a useful heart rate. Raising the heart rate like that is much easier in the midst of great natural beauty.

Map & Data

• 7.05 miles
• 1:09:19 hours
• 9:50 minute miles
• 1121 calories
• 377 feet climbed
• Average heart rate 246 bpm