If you're racing HYROX in Birmingham this weekend, here's a little timeout before the tip-off.
This weekend, the screen is going to give you a number. Hours, minutes and seconds. And for about 10 minutes after that, that time is going to feel like the most important thing in the world.
The reality is, it's not even close.
Your time is one snapshot
Your finish time is a reflection of what happened on the day, in your heat, in the building. It's a reflection of how you slept, how you ate, and whether you went off early in the morning, at lunchtime or in the evening. How busy the lanes were. And whether the judge liked your wall balls or not.
Change any of those things and the number changes quite dramatically. Your fitness doesn't.
So if you finish 5 minutes slower than you hoped, you didn't lose 5 minutes of fitness on the way round. And if you smashed it, brilliant, congratulations. But the race didn't make you fit either.
What the training already gave you
The real work happened weeks ago. Building up with the early alarms. Every sled push when you didn't fancy it. Every late night run when it was cold and wet.
That's what made you stronger and fitter, and that's what made you better at turning up on a bad week. And none of that gets taken away from you at the finish line, whatever the clock says.
Why it still matters next week
Here's the bit that people miss. The training you did didn't stop mattering as soon as you crossed the finish line. It's the thing you keep. And you should build from there.
A lot of people finish their HYROX, take a couple of weeks off to celebrate, and the habit goes in the drawer with the medal. Then they start all over again when they sign up to something else. By Christmas, the fitness is gone.
Don't let the race be the end of the training. Let it be the start of something new.
This weekend
You know the drill. Go out slower than you feel like going. Nothing new on the day. Enjoy it. You've earned the right to.
If you want the full race-week rundown, I wrote it a few weeks back: the last 2 weeks before HYROX Birmingham.
Your half-time check-in
Next week, once the legs come back, give yourself a half-time check-in. Not on the time you achieved. On the block.
What did you enjoy?
What did you get better at?
What hurt that shouldn't have?
What do you want to keep doing?
That's the game plan for the next one. Or for no race at all, just to be fit and strong to get you through the winter. Both of those things count.
Timeout over
Yes, your time is a number. Your training got you to the start line, and it's what will get you to the next one.
Be proud of what you worked on. Then keep doing it.
If you want someone to build the next block with, in person in Birmingham or online, I can help. It's what I do every single day. Check out bysteve.uk or DM me on Instagram at @trained_by_steve.
Go out slow and enjoy it.
