Let’s break down my first Hyrox experience – because wow, what a ride! When I signed up a few months back, I honestly had no idea what I was truly getting myself into. The event, the energy, the weights – I hadn’t grasped just how intense it would be. Fast forward to now? Hyrox has basically taken over my life, and I’m not even mad about it.
Pre-Race Prep: The Taper Life
In the week leading up to the race, I tapered my training right down. Normally I’m pushing six or more sessions a week, but this time I dropped to just three – and even took two whole days off. That’s basically unheard of for me. Ash did the same; we both knew our bodies needed to feel fresh heading into race day.
Location, Vibes & Warm-Up
The race took place in Warsaw, Poland – and let me just say, what a stunning city! The people, the atmosphere, and the food? All top-tier.
We got to the venue around two hours early to get a feel for it, watch a bit of the action, and then ease into a warm-up. We didn’t go too hard – the plan was to use the first 1km run to settle in. If I could go back and change one thing though, it would be to practice wall balls and burpee broad jumps more beforehand – new trainers and unfamiliar movement patterns don’t mix well mid-race!
The Race Begins: Let’s Go
We agreed before the start: no talking during the race – too risky if one of us was feeling off! We knew adrenaline would spike, so we tried not to fly out too fast. But of course, our first km was at 3:40/km pace instead of the planned 4:20. Oops.
Stations & Struggles
- SkiErg: Ash felt great here and ended up pushing more than planned. Looking back, we should’ve stuck to our original strategy of 200m each.
- Second Run: Brutal. And from there, each run just got tougher.
- Sled Push: Absolutely savage. The surface was totally different from what we’d trained on, and I seriously considered quitting here.
- Sled Pull: Even worse. I could barely move it – Ash had to take on about 75% of the load. Beast.
- Row: Surprisingly solid. I actually love rowing, and was doing fine, but Ash jumped in thinking I was flagging. Communication hiccup there!
- Farmer’s Carry: Ash sprinted this and crushed the full 200m. Legend.
- Lunges: Surprisingly felt strong. And with the final run being slightly shorter, we dug in and pushed at about a 4:10 pace.
- Wall Balls: Tough start. A few no-reps threw me off, but once I found my rhythm, we got through it.
The Finish Line
We were aiming for a sub-60 finish, which would have been insane. We just missed it – 1:02:03 – but honestly, I’m so proud. We learned so much and now have a solid blueprint for how to train and strategise going forward.
It was hard. At times, I wanted to throw in the towel. But I kept thinking of my kids, my clients, and the fact we flew all the way there for this. I’m no quitter – and we got it done.
What’s Next?
Straight after finishing (and chugging a Red Bull), we picked the whole thing apart, analysed our strategy, and agreed on one thing: we’re doing another one ASAP.
Next up: London Women’s Doubles Pro and Cardiff Women’s Pro. Bring it on.
