127 days to go - Fat burning in the long run

Route #8 Duration : 1 hr 51 min 19 sec Energy : 1255 KCal Distance : 11.2 Miles Max HR : 157 Bpm Av HR : 135 Bpm Mile pace : 9:56 Min/mile Having studied various training plans and seen that the "Long Run" should be a session that is specifically designed to train the body in fat assimilation, I set off on today's run determined to stay in my "conversion" HR zone of 115 - 135 bpm. I managed to achieve this for the vast majority of the run, albeit at the very top of the range. In fact I am pretty sure that my recorded maximum HR of 157 was a monitor glitch because the rate suddenly jumped up to that level for a few seconds before jumping straight back to 130. Bizarrely I found it quite difficult to keep my pace in check and felt full of energy at the end, although I found I had to run the last couple of miles quite slowly to keep my heart rate in the zone. The advice I have seen states that these long conversion runs are typically a minute or so slower per mile that the target pace for the race itself, that being the case I am relatively pleased with today's performance. Today was the first time I have taken water with me on the run and I think that it is a very good idea, and I have ordered a runner's hydration pack to make this easier to do. The weather today was perfect, it was a real pleasure to spend a couple of hours running in the sunshine with next to no wind and a nice cool ambient temperature, I suppose days like today are the reward for those foul wet and windy days! Finally, I suppose even I must accept that the Ashes are gone, go on England, prove me wrong!