Overheard a guy at the trailhead say he paces himself by checking his heart rate every 15 minutes

2 comments

2 Comments

That's actually pretty smart. Always thought checking it more often would be OCD, but once every 15 minutes sounds reasonable.

charles_green19d agoMost Upvoted

But do people actually stick with that once they get into the groove of a long hike... I mean sure, checking your pulse every quarter hour sounds nice in theory but once you're climbing up a steep section and trying to keep your breath steady, stopping to count beats feels like the last thing you'd want to do. You'd have to stop moving or at least slow way down to get an accurate reading, and that can mess up your whole pace if you're trying to cover serious distance. Seems like the kind of trick that works better for runners on flat pavement than for folks picking their way over roots and rocks.