Birthday MILE Training....Mountain Man Style - Seth James DeMoor

Aug 13, 2025

This is a quick summary of Birthday MILE Training…Mountain Man Style from Seth James DeMoor. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

The “Birthday Mile” is a 2.6‑mile (≈4.2 km) uphill segment with a 10% grade and 1,400 ft of vertical gain – a perfect “mountain‑man” hard effort.
Aim to beat your personal best while keeping an eye on your heart rate (around 170 bpm for him). This single, hard effort is a fantastic way to build the power needed to improve your race times, and the principles are similar to those in Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time.
Use a fast trail‑racing shoe (e.g., Pulsar 3) for speed, but any comfortable, responsive shoe works.
Treat the segment like a race: warm‑up, then go hard, then cool‑down.

Workout Example

Warm‑up: 10‑minute easy jog on flat terrain, gradually increasing to a brisk pace.
Main set – Birthday Mile: Run the 2.6‑mile uphill segment at a hard, sustained effort (aim for 85‑90% of max HR, ~170 bpm). This long, sustained push is a classic example of a hill interval. Focus on a steady effort with no sprint bursts. For a deeper dive into structuring these kinds of workouts, check out our guide on Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
Recovery: Walk or jog back down the same route (or a flat path) for 5‑10 minutes to bring your heart rate down.
Optional repeat: If you’re feeling strong, repeat the uphill segment after a short 3‑minute easy jog. Adding a second interval builds serious endurance and mental toughness, which is crucial for longer races. This kind of session is a great building block for anyone who is Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
Cool‑down: 5‑10 minutes easy jog + stretching.

Closing Note: Give this mountain‑man mile a try, tweak the distance or effort to match your own paces in the Pacing app, and enjoy crushing that hill! 🚀