What Training For HYROX At 46 Taught Me About My Physical Potential

It started as a fitness goal. It became so much more.

Like many, I was inspired by the energy and strength I saw in women doing HYROX competitions. I was floored by how many thousands of women were embracing this physical challenge, and I couldn't help but wonder if I could do one too.

After many seasons as an athlete, I'd been missing real cardio training, but I've always hated treadmills. I wanted to keep pushing myself, and I was drawn to the way HYROX blends two distinct training modalities—cardiovascular endurance and weight-based strength work. It felt like the perfect answer.

A little context on where I was fitness-wise coming in: I moved to Miami in 2022 and started incorporating weights more meaningfully into my routine. In 2024, I began working with my trainer, Ashley Damaj, starting with weight training before evolving into more functional fitness workouts with an added cardio element.

The first thing we tackled was running. Our first run was on the Rickenbacker Causeway—about 3 miles with some functional movement woven in—and it was a serious cardiovascular wake-up call. I spent 26 minutes in Zones 4 and 5 and hit a max heart rate of 194. The data didn't lie: my cardio fitness needed work.

From there, we built up to at least two runs a week, around 5 miles each, with a stretch break at the halfway point. What I didn't expect was how much I'd love it. Running together reminded me of how much I used to enjoy training with people, that particular feeling of moving through something hard side by side. Our runs became something more: real conversations, genuine connection, an intimacy that's different from a run club.

Training for HYROX meant rethinking how I fueled. I increased my carbohydrate intake to make sure my body had enough energy, and I was intentional about both protein and creatine. I find it hard to maintain or build muscle mass, so this was essential.

I upped my creatine to 12–15g per day, cycling through creatine with taurine+ and creatine brain+ daily, and adding creatine+ with electrolytes on race day.

For anyone curious about creatine: it's not just for gym performance.

It supports muscle maintenance, energy production, and even cognitive function, which is why so many women are adding it to their routines.

About two months before the race, Ashley and I did a simulation, running through the full race in a gym setting, with each of us completing every modality rather than alternating as you would in a doubles race. I went hard, and I paid for it: I ended up hurting my knee.

One thing HYROX training taught me is that it demands a different kind of body awareness than traditional weightlifting. The form cues aren't as built-in, and when you're fatigued and moving fast, it's easy to push past what your joints can handle. I had to shift focus, working with both Ashley and my chiropractor, Jenna, to strengthen my quad and stabilize my knee. It meant less running in the weeks leading up to the race than I would have liked.

The energy at the Miami Beach Convention Center was electric. Our slot was 2:40 PM, which was new for me as most of my past competitions were morning events. I actually loved having the morning to rest, sleep in, and not feel rushed.

The pre-race tunnel experience is hard to describe. The buildup of energy and crowd support is genuinely moving. The stations were everything I expected (challenging!), and after each one, we ran laps around the track. The first lap was always a recovery lap to bring the heart rate down.

I've worn a WHOOP for years, and while I love the data, I found myself wishing I had real-time insights during the race. I don't use an Apple Watch (I really don't want the distraction of messages and calls) and this experience has me seriously considering a Garmin.

Having my girls there meant everything. Our family talks a lot about the importance of movement and doing hard things, and it matters to me that they see me putting in the work. I went in without a specific time goal and finished in 1:27:06.

I'm still not sure whether I'll race again but I know I want to maintain this level of fitness as a way of life, not just as a sprint toward a competition. This is just how I want to live.

And in a world full of heavy news, there was something deeply inspiring about being in a packed arena with tens of thousands of people, all there to support each other. Married couples, adaptive athletes, pregnant and postpartum mothers, seniors, solo competitors. It was impossible not to leave feeling energized by the collective human spirit in that room.