Turning a cyclist into a runner is one thing, but can you target a Hyrox in four months in your fifties? Frank Bauer finds out
The idea of doing a Hyrox in your fifties was originally suggested when I was having a pre-gig pizza with my nephew, Will, and my best friend [and Men’s Fitness editor] David. Will had already completed a men’s open singles in 1 hour 26 minutes and so the gauntlet was laid down for the two 52-year-olds – and more importantly 20 years Will’s senior- to have a go and try to beat his time.
David and I had done a full simulation as a double in August and laboured to the finish in a little under Will’s time. So, carrying a nagging doubt that the reality of the full distance would be much harder than the more encouraging part simulations that I’d completed in the weeks prior to the event, the optimist in me hoped that my body and legs would fall in to a transcendental state on race day with the possibility of achieving sub 75 minutes and maybe a top five in my age group.
From cycling to Hyrox in your fifties
To fit Hyrox into my typical cycling season, I figured that I could swap my training focus at the beginning of July, which would allow me to do a few masters races through to June, and still have enough time to get run-and-workout fit by the end of November.
What I hadn’t anticipated though, was how long it would take for my legs to adjust to running. For the past 12 or so years my training has focused almost entirely on road cycling, and, although I’ve added some early season strength work in recent years, I haven’t included any running. One change of footwear later, though, and I was starting to make some good strides – literally.
Practice makes perfect
I was encouraged by how well my training went. I followed a structured plan that involved six workouts and one rest day per week.
This roughly consisted of:
• 3 days of cardio
• 1 day of strength and conditioning
• 2 days of Hyrox- style workouts, with a gradual progression from week to week
I made a conscious effort to try to make the easy days ‘easy’ (i.e ‘long steady run’) so that I could make the hard days, hard. On the numerous occasions that my long steady run became a long tempo run, I definitely noticed residual fatigue on subsequent days. Trying to stick, not only to each day’s workout but also the required intensity, is something that I could certainly have done better.
Hyrox race day
Although I wore a sports watch showing heart rate, lap split and total time, I decided that I would manage my effort based on feel. The idea was to try to maintain a manageable run pace throughout and to try to hold things around threshold as much as possible. This was more controllable on the run, but it was very difficult on some of the workouts to stop my heart-rate from spiking.
During the event I quickly realised that I was going to find it extremely difficult to take onboard any food so instead opted to stop for an electrolyte drink every time I passed through the Roxzone. I’m not sure if I needed to stop every time or not, but I decided that the 10 seconds or so that it cost me each time was worth it for peace of mind if nothing else.
For each workout I tried to focus on aspects other than how long it was taking, so, for example, on the ski and row, it was about concentrating on aspects of technique, and on the sled push about holding a steady pace that didn’t cause my calves to burn.
When it came to the runs, I focused on getting moving as quickly as possible and then trying to settle in to a tempo that allowed enough recovery in time for the next workout. I checked my watch at the start of each run and then again after one lap to get an idea of the pace that I was running.
The reality was that I felt pretty much on the limit throughout, so even when I perceived that my pace was below what I was hoping to achieve, there was little I could do about it without the risk of blowing up completely.
Pain is temporary…
In reality, the event felt hard from the first run. I soon realised that I was just going to have to settle in and embrace the pain. At the end of the day, so long as I beat Will’s time then it could be classed as a win. Well, that’s what I told myself!
I’m my own toughest critic; I was pleased with my performance. I certainly felt that I got the best out of my body on the day, despite ending up finishing outside my ‘best case’ target time. Still, I did manage to finish top 10 in my age-group, and with only just over four months of Hyrox- specific training, I was pleased with the result.
Post-Hyrox thoughts
In Hyrox, there’s no place to hide. If you over-egg things at the start or go too far into the red on any exercise, then you’re likely to pay for it from then on. That’s maybe why Hyrox doubles is so popular – at least you have a get out of jail card if you push things too far on a workout!
