Just finished my first open singles in Osaka. 113.9kg male for reference. Pre planned my runs very conservative with 8’00”/km in mind (even if my pace is 6’30”-7’00”/km typically. Last threshold run sat at 9’15”/mi (5’45”/km) which is fast for me along with a 2’00”/400m sprint VO2 interval training about a month prior to the competition. 

I’m pleased that I finished my first race, especially solo as my first was planned to be a doubles. Yes, the running was a bit funky to follow in Osaka but wasn’t overly difficult to follow the path. Where I did fall off was keeping mental track of my progress and how my body reacted. 

I was able to run 90% of the race, two major exceptions: grabbing water/electrolytes in every Roxzone & a hamstring cramp on the 3rd of 4 laps in run 8 that costed me valuable time in accuracy in depth on the WB station. Another thing for me to keep in mind is station time begins as soon as you cross the arch! Lesson learned there. 

1. Ski: actual 1,000m pace was good. Sub 4’ (3’54” I think it was). Head judge complimented on pacing) loss of time was heading out and finding a judge to confirm. Played it smart and stopped about 980m, allowing the ski to carry the final amount with residual energy. 

2. Sled Push: one of my strongest stations. First 18.75m unbroken. Took small breaks in the remainder to make sure lactic acid didn’t blow up in my legs. Played it a bit too safe and took longer breath brakes than I actually needed. Sleds were surprisingly easier than I thought considering generalized complaints regarding carpet issues. 

3. Sled Pull: relatively easier station. Changed technique the day of comp and did the full body lean and pull rather than how I trained with all arm pulling. Ran into the station and was placed next to someone about 1/2 lap ahead of me. I focused on doing my own thing until he and his group of friends were eyeing my progress out, pushing him to catch up. I tried to ignore it but my competitive nature got the best of me and began pushing further, getting a whole lap ahead of him by the time I was done. Where my mistake happened - doubting my mental lap tracking. Halfway through the out lane I was mentally counting again and then tracked backwards to go back to the pull. Turns out I was already completed and had to backtrack once again to head into the Roxzone. At least 90” of valuable time lost. 

4. BBJ: pretty self explanatory lol. I gave myself 10’ to get through it. My personal hardest station. I took a lot of time on the floor to allow myself time to keep my HR under control. Halfway through I felt a pinch in my left shoulder. Turns out how I was having my hand placement on the descent of every burpee. Changed the technique on my downward movement to reflect the irritation in my shoulder which didn’t add time but caused a mental bump in the road. The fact didn’t redline in this station is a blessing. 

5. Rower: another actual 1,000m pace being good (3’43” if I remember correctly). Where I went wrong. Taking too much time getting in and out of the rower. Another issue I had was flagging down a judge to confirm my 1,000m completed. Stopped rowing early to allow the machine to finish the final 20-25m while I was flagging a judge down. 

6. FC: a surprisingly good station for me. I only trained running with KB twice, one heavier and one race weight. Only practiced unbroken once as well. I was able to do 1/3 of the station in a run and went unbroken the whole way through. Those feats gave me a big boost of adrenaline allowing me to get back under 8’00”/km pace after the brutal BBJ and very slow runs 5&6. 

7. Lunges: way better than I anticipated. I did hit a big mental wall 30% and 75% through this station. Big shout out to RP who I met on the course because we kept hyping each other up through the whole race, especially the lunges. Finished surprisingly faster than I anticipated. Sub 9 when I was planning 10+ to finish.

8. WB: pretty self explanatory. This one was surprisingly rough for me even though in training was solid. More time training WB under fatigue is needed. Hamstring cramp gave me timing issues as I spent about 90-120 seconds stretching it out before even beginning the reps. Once I started, I was consistently wary of the cramp coming back so I not only paused a lot more than I would typically but the concern about cramping mid rep caught me and I lost about 18 reps to depth issues. Another 6-7 reps for overshooting the target. So this station was a larger mental game for me than I expected. 

9. Runs: 1-7 no major problems. Run 1 played it real cool and followed that pacing for most of the race. I think I could’ve pushed it 10-20” faster and still be in Z4 or less. Felt a hint of cramping starting to form on run 5 post burpees and felt it linger on the rower. Changed my form a bit, stronger strokes with a more relaxed return allowing to stretch my calf and hamstring with every release. Maintained pacing on the rower 1’36”-1’46”/500m. Run 8 lap 3-4 is where the cramp hit. Took some time to slow down and walk it out. Didn’t stop to stretch as I wanted to complete the run as quickly as I could. 

10. Rox Zone: kept my composure in each of the passings. The only time I walked in the rox zone was grabbing/drinking water/electrolytes/Red Bull at the water aid station. Surprised that it was basically 45-90” in/out of the RZ each time. Definitely felt much longer post Burpee and lunges especially. 11’44” total spent in RZ. I’m sure I could shave time off here as well. 

11. Mid-race fuel: 3 gels and a pack of salt tabs. I bought 4 gels, 2 different flavors I tested and liked in Hyrox sims. Only 3 made it with me to Osaka 🧐 having that 4th gel would’ve been good as I had mentally placed where I’d take each gel. Salt tabs helped. Things for me to note. Hydrate more consistently in the rox zone. I prioritized the electrolytes drinks only only the first half before taking in more water. I’m wondering if that had caused me some cramping issues. 

12. Pre race fuel: heavy carb loaded Wednesday-Saturday (Race Day) 392-826g of carbs and 162-331g of protein daily. 1.5L of water daily. Usually 1 packet of electrolytes each day. I think I doubled on Wednesday which was my shakeout run. Double pack on race day as well. 

13. Post race fuel-recovery: still had a good chunk of carbs and protein, upwards of 642g and 289g respectively. Hit an onsen Sunday morning and that helped immensely. What didn’t help was lack of hydration post onsen/sauna and not stretching with the same intent and focus that I had pre-race. Especially considering I was walking 25-30k each day post race. 

Would I do a Hyrox again? Absolutely!! I’m already looking for more. Lots of lessons to learn and the biggest one is relishing the moment when it’s happening. I overanalyzed the small details as soon as I crossed the finish line rather than allowing myself to be happy with what I just accomplished.

Looking to improve, small mistakes and overall efficiency