Welcome to the GAIN Blog
The blog is updated Monday-Friday. Tune in for posts and discussion about health, fitness, nutrition, training experiments and reflection. We share articles, videos and more. We post the link to our Instagram story every day, make sure to follow along there to never miss a post.
Seacoast Cancer 5k: Team Cupcake in memory of kendra CHEVALIER
It’s September, and that means another round of the Seacoast Cancer 5k.
We first got involved in this event two years ago when GAIN member Kendra began her cancer treatment. This past April, Kendra passed away. This year’s race is an opportunity to honor her memory while supporting the many others who are going through a similar fight.
Whether you run, walk, or just sign up to donate, your involvement makes a difference. My whole family and I will be out there again, just like we were in 2023, and I’d love for you to join us.
What: Seacoast Cancer 5k
When: Sunday, September 14th at 9:00am
Where: Wentworth Douglass Outpatient Center, Pease Tradeport
When you register, be sure to join one of the two teams already set up for her:
TEAM CUPCAKE
TEAM CUPCAKE: In Memory of Kendra Chevalier
It doesn’t matter which one you pick—they’re both for Kendra.
USE THIS LINK TO GET INVOLVED!
—Justin Miner
We’ll be rocking this stroller again, though I think it’s going to be a little harder to push this year.
Friday Thoughts 94
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind and on my feed. Enjoy!
Enjoy the Long Weekend
Get out and do something this weekend! Hike, walk, bike, or if you’re like me, do some yard work you’ve been neglecting.
Push Ups
Last week’s Friday Thoughts 93 created a great discussion around form, technique, proper movement, and the idea of quality vs quantity in the gym. We should always strive for excellence in our movement. As defined by fitness thinker Greg Glassman, virtuosity is doing the common uncommonly well.
It doesn’t mean all your reps will be perfect. A common issue young coaches struggle with is overcorrecting movements, and not allowing people to have a little wiggle room to try and sort it on their own.
It might take someone two years to nail a perfect push up. In the meantime though, we can use proper progressions and regressions to work the movement in an a challenging yet appropriate way.
It doesn’t mean all your reps will be perfect. A common issue all young coaches struggle with is overcorrecting movements, and not allowing people to have a little wiggle room to try and sort it on their own.
It might take someone two years to nail a perfect push up. In the meantime though, we can use proper progressions and regressions to work the movement in an a challenging but appropriate way.
Perfect vs Consistent
A big reason why every rep or every workout doesn’t have to be perfect, and we don’t expect it to. Consistency wins every time.
Reading
Three things helped me turn into a reader.
I traded non-fiction for fiction.
I quit books I don’t like.
Heard someone in an interview when asked how the read so many books. “I read for 5-90 minutes in the morning and night most day.”
Still Got It / Never Lost it
Speedy!
Thanks for reading, I’m out today—see you on Tuesday!
—Justin
labor Day HOurs
Quick heads up: we’re closed on Monday, September 1 for Labor Day. Also, no PM class tomorrow (Friday 8/29). Morning and midday sessions Friday are normal.
Enjoy the long weekend. See you soon!
—Justin
Slowly and Consistently
I heard something the other day that stuck with me:
The best way to get in shape is the same way you got out of shape — slowly and consistently.
Think about it. It’s not one meal, or even ten, that leads to weight gain. It’s the habit of overeating, stretched out over months and years, that sneaks up on you. The change feels sudden, but really it’s been happening slowly all along.
The same with moving less and less. Before you know it, two decades have past.
There’s no shortcut.
The way forward is the same as the way back: steady, patient, consistent effort.
—Justin Miner
Truth-0-Meter and Longevity
In college I participated in a peer’s research study that needed 20 strong, college-aged people.
How did they determine “strong”? With a hand dynamometer—a device that measures grip strength by the pounds of force you can generate with your best squeeze.
It was simple, low-skill, and surprisingly accurate. That was the first time I learned grip strength can be used as a predictor of total body strength.
A couple years ago, several GAIN members sent me an article, What Grip Strength Can Tell You About How Well You’re Aging.
“A wealth of research already tells us that strength is good for us. People who lift weights are substantially less likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure and many other chronic illnesses than those who skip resistance exercise.”
Grip strength doesn’t just measure your squeeze, it’s a window into your overall strength. And strength itself is one of the best predictors we have for longevity.
Next time you’re in the gym, give it a squeeze. See what the Truth-o-Meter says.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check in
Labor Day is around the corner, that means it’s back to school time.
For a part of our lives, back to school time is a signal for change to come. New schedules, routines, things to learn and places to be. Elliot starts kindergarten in just a few days, so we’re feeling all that newness. It can be overwhelming, or a chance to get into new habits and routines.
Whether the school year starting is directly affecting you or not, the cooler times and changing season is reason enough to get started on a new habit—get back to the gym, start walking more regularly, or finally start stretching at night like you said you we’re going to.
There’s never been a better time to start.
SCHEDULE NOTE:
CLOSED MONDAY 9/1 for Labor Day (NO Friday PM Class 8/29)
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 93
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts—where I share what’s been on my mind (or my feed) throughout the week. Let’s dive in.
PUSH UPS
Push ups are an all-time great. If there were a Mount Rushmore of exercises, they’d be carved right in. They require nothing but the ground and are a pure test of strength and muscular endurance.
Here’s my issue though: the standard. We all know what a push up is—but what actually counts as a good one? In the gym—especially at our gym—this isn’t the most important thing. Our goal is to move better, get stronger, and feel good. But the standard does matter when you’re making a claim.
If someone says they can do 50 push ups, what does that mean? Chest to the ground, arms locked out? Or just a slight elbow bend before pressing back up? Those are two very different things.
For me, the rule is simple: use as much range of motion as safely possible. Unless you’re chasing some official record, that’s what matters. But if you are claiming a record—like most push ups in a certain time—then the standard absolutely matters. Otherwise, what are we even comparing?
This came to mind after seeing RFK and Pete Hegseth do a push up challenge to promote fitness. I love the idea—push ups and pull ups on national TV? Great! More people moving? Even better. But if you’re going to make a claim about how many you did, form has to be part of the conversation.
Same with the world record set last year for most push ups in an hour. Watch the video—would those reps pass your standard? For me, not really. At GAIN, I’d say, “You’re strong, now let’s work on range of motion and control—chest to the ground!”
Everything I needed to know about RFK’s Jr.’s push ups I learned during his presidential run a few years back.
Push ups are cool. Quality push ups are even cooler. But if we’re going to do them, let’s do them right. Because at the end of the day, we all know what a push up is, and this isn’t it.
Recently, the Army has established a new push up standard for the Army Combat Fitness Test, and I’ve got to say, I like it because it forces a proper depth for every rep. Check it out.
To reiterate once more, we all don’t have to do Army Combat Fitness Test Push Ups every time we’re in the gym. We should strive to use the bets form possible, and the most range of motion that we safely can. When making a claim though, there needs to be an agreed upon standard for this basic movement.
Most of all, we should value movement quality over quantity. If we’re going to become healthier as a nation, we must understand that.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
—Justin Miner
EAse BAck IN
If you’ve had an extended break from training, the kindest thing you can do for yourself is ease back in.
Trying to “make up for lost time” by doing more right away isn’t productive. It’s just hard for the sake of being hard—not smart training.
If you’ve been away this summer, or haven’t made it in as often as you’d like, remember: easing back in is the smartest path forward.
There’s no short-term benefit in crushing yourself on your first day back. Instead, think long term—how can this workout become a stepping stone to more?
The good news: you hold on to more strength and fitness than you think. After a couple of sessions to shake off the rust, you’ll feel back to normal in no time.
Remember to play the long game!
—Justin Miner
WheN HRV TANKS
My HRV is still low. The week of MMD it started dipping into “unbalanced,” then hit “low,” and it’s been clawing its way back for the last ten days.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures the time between each heartbeat. More variability is a sign your body is well-recovered. Less variability usually means you’re overdoing it.
Here’s my HRV chart from the past four weeks. That lowest dip in red? Morning of the MMD 50k.
It’s been 20 days since the first orange square on that chart. The only other time I dipped this far, it took me 19 days to climb back into the green. The difference this time is how I handled it.
April vs. August
Back in April, when my HRV dropped, I was just starting to ramp up my summer training. I felt good, but I listened to the tech and took a couple extra rest days. It was frustrating, but it worked. I bounced back and stayed steady all summer.
In August, though, the dip started during race week. And honestly? I ignored it. My training load was already reduced, and I was doing the run no matter what. That’s the reality—training is stress, and big events magnify it. Sometimes your numbers will take a hit no matter what.
Now
Race morning HRV was the lowest it’s ever been. It’s creeping upward now—though dipping again a bit—but I’m still ignoring it. Based on past experience, I expect a few more days before things normalize.
Meanwhile, I feel great. Running feels strong (I deadlifted 405 the other day), sleep scores are trending up (lots of 80s and 90s lately), and I’ve been cutting caffeine and getting to bed earlier.
The metric I am listening to is desire:
Do I want to run today?
Do I want to lift, move, and rack up some steps?
Or do I need a nap instead?
If the itch to train is there, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll rest. If I had a big event coming up in 6–8 weeks, I might back off more strategically. But right now? I’m training for fun.
So while my HRV is low, I’m not giving it much attention—other than looking forward to that little win when it climbs back into the green.
—Justin Miner
Step up tips
Step ups don’t get much love in the strength training world. They’re simple, not flashy, and usually overshadowed by the more exciting things people do on boxes—like jumping on them.
That’s too bad, because step ups are one of the best teachers in the gym. They show us how we move, how to create tension, and even highlight where our movement faults come from.
Once your foot is planted on the box, don’t let it cave inward toward your big toe. A good cue: knee toward your pinky toe. It feels like you’re overcorrecting, but even if your knee drifts slightly inward, you’ll still be in a safe, strong position.
Another thing to watch: your knee driving too far forward and pulling your heel off the box. Think of your foot as a tripod—big toe, pinky toe, and heel. Keep all three points firmly planted.
Finally, allow a slight lean forward at the start of the rep. Getting your shoulders over your thigh helps you stay organized and balanced.
These simple cues make step ups effective whether you’re using them for conditioning, adding weight for strength, or just moving through everyday life when you find yourself—literally—stepping up to something.
—Justin MIner
Monday Check In
Another new week! Can you feel it in the air? The seasons are changing, and I don’t mean the cooler weather we’re expecting today.
Summer is winding down and good habits and new routines are on peoples’ mind. I’ve always said, September is just as busy as January for gyms. It’s a a chance to start something or build a new habit.
If you want to start hitting the gym this fall, keep these things in mind.
The first few workouts should be easy. You need to build momentum, not push it too hard (people who push hard in the beginning always quit for the next shiny thing)
Less is more. The 60 minute workout window is arbitrary. Don’t let time dictate how much your body should handle. Expect your first workout to be 30-40 minutes—and that’s okay.
Identity and mindset. My favorite takeaway from James Clear’s Atomic Habits: if you want to accomplish something, you need to see yourself as that thing. It’s not “I’m going to start working out,” it’s “I workout now.”
See you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 92
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share things I’ve seen or been thinking about lately. Enjoy!
Seltzer vs. Sparkling
There’s been a debate and at gym and consider this my official statement: there is no difference between seltzer and sparkling water. They’re simply two terms for the same thing—carbonated water. Case closed.
Untapped
Just some more love for these little packets. Sure, I could make my own or fill a soft flask with maple syrup for a long day out, but the individual serving packs are just too convenient. Perfect for training days or long races when I want something quick and easy.
What’s Next
I’m feeling really fit after finishing MMD last weekend. The big question I’m pondering—what’s next? I have a few ideas, like a couple different mountain routes, floating in my head. The only thing officially locked in right now is the Great Bay 5K in late October.
HRV
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of your body’s recovery status. It’s the natural variation in time between heartbeats, measured in milliseconds. Generally speaking, higher HRV means you’re more recovered; lower HRV means your body is under stress.
Back in April, I had a 10-day stretch where mine tanked. This time it dropped a couple days before MMD. I’ve been training this week, but keeping things moderate—getting to bed early and cutting off caffeine sooner.
When HRV dips, I think it takes many days to climb back up, no matter what you do.
Climbing out of the hole!
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading—see you next time.
—Justin Miner
Running: What’s In and What’s Out in 2025
It’s been a great summer of running. I’ve been experimenting more than usual, and I’ve learned a lot about what works for me—and what doesn’t. Here’s my personal In/Out list for Summer 2025.
In
Untapped Maple Syrup
I needed something packable, quick to deliver carbs, and gentle on my stomach. The texture of regular gels has always put me off—plus, those horror stories of people getting sick mid-race didn’t help.
Enter Untapped maple syrup. My favorite is the plain version with added salt, though the raspberry and citrus are solid, and the mint is surprisingly great.
They also make MapleAid—maple syrup mixed with juice concentrate and salt. Stir it into a bottle of water and you’ve got instant fuel. I use MapleAid for shorter runs on hot days.
Salomon ADV SKN 12 Pack
I held onto my old Ultimate Direction pack from for years—so many mountain miles together, I didn’t want to let it go. But the Salomon kept popping up as the pack, so I gave it a shot when my sewing on the old pack kept failing.
Before Wasatch last year, I must have packed and unpacked it a hundred times, trying to get it right. Now that I’ve worn it 4 or 5 times, I’ve realized it doesn’t matter how you pack it—the thing just hugs your body. Smooth, secure, and zero bounce.
Uphill 100m Strides
During the first couple weeks of the Fast Mile Summer Project, I did my 100m workouts on the hill in front of my house. The goal was to build leg strength and reinforce good form.
I only did them four times this summer, but the payoff was huge—not just in form, but in the confidence to push hard.
Track Workouts for Trail Gains
I’m not sore from last week’s big mountain run—and I think the track is why. Doing two track workouts a week meant my legs were used to the extra loading from running fast and absorbing higher impact. That translated directly to better downhill durability.
My muscles, tendons, and joints were ready for the pounding, and I finished without the deep soreness that usually follows.
Altra Escalante 4.0
I was determined to run my fast mile in barefoot shoes—just to see if I could. I trained in them on the treadmill all spring, but once I hit the track I needed something more.
I hadn’t bought road shoes since 2019, but I ordered the new Escalante 4.0 anyway. The big toe spring looked odd, and my calves felt sore in a new way at first. But after a few runs I adjusted, and they ended up being my mile race shoes.
Topo Chico
Sparkling joy in a bottle. I see the microplastic headlines. I don’t care.
Out
Running Belts
I love my new pack—but I also hate wearing packs. My preference is light and fast, which usually means a single handheld soft flask in the summer.
I wanted to carry a bit more water, so I tested some running belts. Every one was floppy and hard to fit just right. Maybe the perfect one is out there, but my search is on hold.
Vibram Soles on the Lone Peaks
This was big news for me: my favorite trail shoes finally got Vibram soles for more grip. I’ve always said that’s what they needed.
But in practice, I can’t feel much difference. On my first run I actually slipped more—maybe because I was over-testing the new grip. They still fit great (especially the wide version), I’ve had zero blister or toenail issues, but I just don’t feel that extra bite I was hoping for on wet rock.
Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitors
After nine years of wearing a chest strap, I’m done. My Garmin Enduro 3 has the latest wrist-based HR sensor, and it’s far better than I expected.
Every once in a while I notice it lags slightly, but most of the time it’s responsive and accurate enough for training. And it’s nice not having to deal with that stinky strap.
That’s my Summer 2025 running edition of What’s In and What’s Out. Here’s to more experimenting and more running.
—Justin Miner
Gym Lingo: Goblet
You ever wonder why it’s called a goblet squat when you hold a kettlebell in front of your chest and perform squats?
For a while we had a large number of clients referring to kettlebells as goblets. Along the lines of, “I dropped my marker and it landed over there near the goblets.” I always got a kick out of that, and it is a little confusing.
The goblet designation doesn’t have to be with a kettlebell though, you can goblet hold a dumbbell or kettlebell.
Its origin comes from legendary strength coach, Dan John. As he writes in his own article on the subject, he was trying to teach 400 student athletes to properly squat. He dabbled with the Zercher squat (another GAIN favorite) but it wasn’t simple or quick enough for Coach Dan John.
It came to me when I was resting between swings with the weight held in front of me like I was holding the Holy Grail. I squatted down from there, pushed my knees out with my elbows and, behold, the goblet squat!
- Dan John, 2002
Just like that, this simple, highly effective loading strategy for both beginners and advanced athletes was created.
—Justin Miner
MOre and MOre difficult 50k recap: 9 years in a row/finishing the 48
Every second Saturday in August, I line up for MMD—the More and More Difficult 50k—in the White Mountains. It’s as unofficial as a race can get. No bibs. No chip timing. No course markings. Aid stations are scarce. The only guarantee? Big climbs.
This year’s loop took us through Waterville Valley to bag several NH Four Thousand Footers: Tecumseh, Osceola, East Osceola, and the Tripyramids.
Training? More Like Mile Prep
I’ve always been a lower-volume runner compared to most ultrarunners. This summer I leaned even harder into that—focusing on my fast mile project and fitting in just 2–3 trail runs a week, always with plenty of vertical. Early summer was all about hills for the Mount Washington Road Race (which I ended up not running… I keep forgetting I even trained for it).
Heading into MMD, I’d done exactly three “long” runs:
9 miles at Sunapee Scramble
About the same at Loon Mountain Race
9 miles hiking Mount Washington
I wanted to see if faster running would prep my muscles, tendons, and ligaments for a long day in the mountains. Spoiler: it worked—but only because I’ve spent years building a base for efficient mountain travel.
The Start: Tecumseh & the 4K Finish
The alarm went off at 3:00 a.m., followed by a 90-minute drive and a cinnamon raisin bagel before our 5:30 start. We set off from the campground and climbed Mount Tecumseh—NH’s shortest 4K.
Tecumseh happened to be the only 4K I hadn’t climbed. I started the list in 2017, and had been sitting on Tecumseh since 2021. Crossing it off felt great—I snapped a selfie to mark the completion.
The Osceolas
After a road stretch to the Osceola Trail, we climbed both Osceola peaks. The ridge between them includes the famous chimney scramble, which is always a highlight. Then came a long, mostly downhill stretch—about seven miles—where I tried to lock into a rhythm and keep things smooth.
The Tripyramids
Next up: the South Slide. Loose rock, steep grade, and the full heat of the day. By now I had over 20 miles on the legs, and cramps threatened if I pushed too hard. I kept a steady grind, “Little Engine That Could”-style, until topping out on South Tripyramid.
From there, it was a mile-long ridge run before descending and heading for the North Slide—a steeper, more exposed, and more fun challenge. But my motivation cracked. I was ready to bail and take the “Fun Run” shortcut.
That’s when another runner (Special Forces, if you’ve read Scott Jurek’s Appalachian Trail book) passed me and gave some much needed encouragement. At the junction, I turned away from the finish and started the climb.
Rain, Rocks & Lone Peaks
A cool rain rolled in—right as I hit the steep, exposed slabs of the North Slide. My new Lone Peaks with fresh Vibram soles didn’t grip quite as well as I’d hoped, but it was still a blast.
It’s impossible to show how steep the North Slide is with just a photo.
Topping out felt like redemption. I crossed the ridge again, summiting all the Tripyramids for the second time that day—7 total 4K’s in the bag.
Descending the South Slide was much more enjoyable than climbing it. From there, it was four miles of smooth, slightly downhill running back to the campground… and a cheeseburger.
The Finish
I shuffled in just under 12 hours—beating my goal time. The route totaled 33 miles with 11,070 feet of vertical gain.
Recovery has been surprisingly smooth. My legs are tired, but not wrecked. Most importantly, I’m feeling fired up about running. Now the only question is… what to train for this fall?
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Another Monday, another new week!
If you see me walking slowly today-I’m coming off my 9th running of the More and More Difficult 50k. It’s a different course each year with plenty of technical and steep White Mountains terrain to navigate. I finished the full 33-mile course with 11,000ft of vertical gain just under my goal time of 12 hours. I’ll do a full account of the day later this week.
My focus of the week: recovery. My HRV has been tanking, and when I woke up at 3am to leave on Saturday morning, I had a sleep score of 54 and my HRV was 20 some-odd points off baseline. I’ll be extra cautious with the caffeine and try to get to bed as early as I can. Despite what the data days—I’m feeling pretty good, but I know from experience it might all hit me in a few days.
What do you have going on this week? What are you preparing for? And what can you do today the start the week out right?
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 91
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts! Let’s get into it.
Fast Mile
The Fast Mile Summer times are rolling in and we got faster! Most of us shaved around 20 seconds from our 6 minute baseline test—nice work everyone!
See Core Value #1
STyle
We’ll be replacing our florescent bulbs with chandeliers next week, and the sculptors will be here at the end of the month.
Greysteel Strength & Conditioning
A few people, including a physician friend of mine, sent me this article. It’s really cool. In 2018 outside of Detroit, a physician opened a strength training gym for people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. He prescribes barbell lifts as a way to stay healthy and fight off the negative effects of aging like like or strength, power, mobility endurance and balance. It’s pretty awesome.
That’s it for the week. Be nice to Riley 6am and 7:30am crews. See you next time!
—Justin Miner
foot Pressure
Some of my favorite coaching cues aren’t really cues at all—they’re more like universal movement principles. One of the most powerful? Foot pressure.
Whether you're deadlifting, squatting, lunging, Olympic lifting, jumping, rowing, or skiing—this idea holds up: Keep your weight centered on your midfoot.
You want your foot pressure balanced—not so far back on your heels that your toes lift, and not so far forward that your heels come off the ground. Right in the middle. The sweet spot.
When you're in that balanced position, you’re able to call in all your strength. It sets you up to use your full potential and keeps your body aligned from the ground up. Your feet won’t lie.
So today, whether you’re squatting, deadlifting, or even bench pressing, take a second to check in with your feet. Find that sweet spot. You’ll be surprised how much it cleans up your movement.
—Justin Miner
Fast Mile REFLECTIONS
Eight weeks ago, on June 21, we started the Fast Mile Summer with one goal in mind; run a fast mile. The marathon gets all the attention. I wanted to plant my flag in the ground and say: a fast mile is more impressive than a slow marathon, and one that everyone can relate to. My goal was to get a PR in mile. I hadn’t run a fast mile on the track since 2020, when I ran a 5:35. There’s some controversy around what I thought my PR was, more on that later.
Last week the time had come to take the test. Coming from vacation my legs were tired, but improved throughout the week. On Thursday, I did a make-up workout from the week before, 400m with 1 min rest. I was able to run these fast and smooth and it was a confidence builder. My schedule opened on Friday afternoon and I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather and nice breeze.
I ran a mile easy interspersed with drills and stretching, followed by some 100m strides working up to race pace. I felt good so I walked a lap, took a swig of water and was off. I knew pacing on the track was going to be tricky. Despite my lack of skill, it would still produce the fastest time. I knew my splits for a 5:20-2:25 mile. My strategy was to run fast and look down at my watch as little as possible—this was a mistake.
I came around the first lap, took a quick peek and saw something different what it ended up being. On the second lap, I looked down and was about where I thought I was supposed to be for halfway. Two hundred meters later I was in the pain cave. Coming into the corner I was surprised at how hard it was to breathe. I glanced down and my pace was WAY too slow. I put my head down for the next lap and a half knowing I screwed it up, that sub 5:30 probably wasn’t in the cards today.
My mile—1609 meters measured by GPS, not just four laps—was 5:30.57
After the fact, I really wish I had lapped every 400m to get my split times and see how the effort went. Did it really all fall apart on that third lap? I exported my GPX file into ChatGPT and it was able to pull my splits from the file. I ran my first lap way too fast, about 4 seconds faster than target pace. Combine that with slowing down by 4 seconds on the third lap and I went 5:20-5:30 just like that.
Note how my cadence slowed on the third lap.
Heart rate run for fun (strapped up)
I was hoping to be a little faster, solidly in the 5:20s, or honestly, maybe even faster than that. After a couple days reflection however, I’m pleased with my effort, the result, and mostly with how the training plan went. I’m 36, and didn’t pull a hamstring trying to run at near maximum effort. I didn’t tweak anything, overdue it, get too sore, and anything like that, and that’s actually the biggest win.
In years past when I’ve opened up like that for a mile, my hamstrings would be very sore, or my calves. This time, I was drained! I laid in the grass for a good 20 minutes before recuperating. It was all a little bittersweet though, because I really wanted to PR, and I might have gotten one anyway.
My last mile was documented here, and in it I cite that I ran a faster mile the summer prior (2019). I’ve always taken that for face value because it seemed like I was a reliable source. After Friday’s fast mile, Strava and Garmin both claimed that was my fastest mile ever. Upon further investigation, the 2018 mile registered as .99, and I did it on West Road, not the track.
So was that really my PR? You know the rules, if it doesn’t happen on Strava, did it happen at all?
—Justin Miner
July By the numbers
Welcome to this month’s edition of By The Numbers—where I look back at the data my watch collects, spot trends, and make adjustments. I’ve been doing this for nearly two years now, and it’s become a helpful monthly reality check. Let’s dive in.
Steps
Total: 465,141
Daily Average: 15,004
That’s about an increase of 1,000 steps per day from June—not surprising, and I expect this number to fall back down in August. Interestingly, it’s 30,000 more steps than last July, which is surprising. I was running every day in July 2024 and thought my volume then was impossibly high.
Sleep
Average Nightly Sleep: 6 hours 56 minutes
Average Sleep Score: 77
While I beat my step count from last year, I didn’t beat my sleep. July 2024 was the last time I averaged over 8 hours per night. Sleep quality has been similar, though I had a couple of rough nights with low scores.
My bedtime has been trending a little later, but I’ve been making up for it by sleeping in. This works most of the time—unless I go to bed late and wake up early, which is more often my problem than simply going to bed late.
Compared to last month, my average sleep time was only about five minutes less, but my average sleep score dropped by six points. Here’s hoping for more restful nights in August and an average score back in the 80s.
Workouts
Total: 30
7 strength sessions
23 runs: 105 miles, 30 hours, 21,365 ft vertical gain
In July, I raced the Loon Mountain Race, completed the Fast Mile Summer Program twice a week, and packed in as many trail runs with big vertical gain as I could to prepare for this year’s MMD 50k (coming up this Saturday).
It was a big vertical month—about double my usual gain, with roughly 10 more training hours than normal. This came from vacationing in the Whites, where I managed a 2-hour hike/run most days (and one much longer). The jump in gain from being in the mountains is huge—especially considering I already make an effort to run hills and hit the local mountain frequently. It just goes to show: you’ve got to train on terrain similar to your race/event.
Thanks for reading. As always, I encourage you to look back at any data you’ve collected from the past month and do a check-in.
How are your steps?
How’s your sleep?
Did you work out enough?
The information is there—take a look!
—Justin Miner