March By The Numbers
Welcome to this month’s edition of By The Numbers, where I look back at the data my watch collected over the previous month. I break down things like average sleep duration, steps, and total workouts. I’ve been doing this monthly reflection for at least 18 months now, and it’s proven to be a valuable tool for understanding my habits, spotting patterns, and finding areas to focus on. I highly recommend that everyone builds a practice like this.
Steps
245,344 total — Daily average: 7,911
Last week, Hannah hit her 300th day in a row of 10k steps, and I’m continually impressed with the dedication that takes. I’ve started training for the Mount Washington Road Race, so I’m sure this daily average will start creeping up as I start racking up more miles.
Sleep
6:55 nightly average — Average sleep score: 80
The slow decline of my sleep average continues. My score is higher than last month (for whatever that’s worth), and I’ve still been waking up feeling rested and energetic. I’m curious to see if that average ticks up over the next couple of months as training volume and intensity increase ahead of the race in June.
My resting heart rate has been at an all-time low and tends to respond this way whenever I crank up the cardio. On the flip side, my heart rate variability (HRV) was pretty low most of the month, finally dipping into the "below average/unbalanced" range the morning after the Ergathon. No surprise there—low HRV is an indicator of reduced recovery, and I was pushing it with more high-intensity intervals than usual.
What did surprise me was the heart rate drop that came alongside the HRV dip. I expected my heart rate to rise, and it did—but only by a few beats, and it still came in under my 2024 average.
Training
35 workouts — 3 rest days — 12 double-session days
Double sessions are easier than they seem—at least for me. Instead of doing a single 60–90 minute block, I’ll typically split it into two 30–40 minute sessions. That structure works well with my schedule (a little training before coaching, a little after), and it gives me two key advantages:
I get to train more frequently—which I genuinely enjoy. I don’t want to work out just three times a week; I want to do it every day.
It hedges against life happening. If a kid needs to be picked up early? No big deal—I’ve already banked a session.
On the surface, it might look like more rigidity, but in practice, it gives me more flexibility and helps me get more done in less time. It also gives me room to shift things around based on how I’m feeling. I do that a little too often, if I’m honest, and don’t always put enough trust in my former self who wrote the plan—but I’m working on that.
That’s all for today. As always, I hope reading this inspires you to take up a similar practice. Look back at March and ask yourself:
How did I do? What could I improve?
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Justin Miner
@justinminergain