This was my view for the nearly all of my 7.2 mile run today.  There was a light rain all afternoon, and yet I was still looking forward to my run.  I enjoy running in the rain as long as it’s not a down pour or too cold.  It was a pleasant 60F today.

I ran a loop through the Chickamauga Battlefield here in northwestern Georgia.  A major civil war battle was fought here, but now it is a beautiful park with nearly as many monuments as deer.  Speaking of deer, I saw nearly two dozen during my run.  I even took photos during one of my walking breaks and after I finished.  The photo below was taken after my run.

So far this is my favorite place to run.  There was little traffic for most of the route; just trees, deer and quiet.  I ran a really slow 14 minute a mile pace.  About 2 mile of the run was on the side of the road, which always slows me down some.  But I really don’t want to run hard during these long runs.  I kept between 60-75% of my heart rate reserve, which for me is 131-149 BPM.  To learn about heart rate reserve, Karvonen formula and heart rate zone training, check out this article from Purdue University.

Now the best thing about a long run day, I can eat a scrumptious meal and have no guilt.  When I got home from my run Shelley had made a veggie stir fry with vegan Tender Bits.  Yum!