Why Does HYROX Prep Feel So Damn Hard?- My honest experience

When I first committed to training for HYROX, I knew it would be tough. What I didn’t expect was how relentlessly exhausting it would feel — not just physically, but emotionally, hormonally, and mentally.

I train consistently. I eat well. I sleep. I take care of myself. But lately, my body feels like it’s waving a white flag.
Running leaves me drained. My muscles and tendons stay sore no matter how much I stretch or foam roll. I’m pushing harder but feeling weaker. Some days, I wonder, “Am I the only one struggling like this?”

The short answer? No — I’m not. And if you’re in this space too, neither are you.

The Hidden Side of HYROX Prep (That No One Talks About)
We see the race medals, the smiling podium photos, and the Instagram clips of flawless sled pushes. What we don’t see is the in-between:

The days where you feel strong in your mind but your body won’t follow.
The moments when your legs feel like lead during a run you should be able to do. The quiet frustration of wondering if all this hard work is actually getting you anywhere. Truthfully, it feels like training for a powerlifting meet and a 10K at the same time — without enough time to recover from either.

For Women, It's Even More Layered
HYROX programs aren’t always designed with the female physiology in mind. Our recovery windows are different. Our hormone cycles impact everything from energy to inflammation. And let’s be honest — we’re often expected to train like men, recover like machines, and keep smiling through it all.

There’s this unspoken pressure:
If you’re tired, you’re not trying hard enough.
If you scale a workout, you’re not serious.
If you’re listening to your body, you must be making excuses.

But here’s what I’ve come to realise and to be honest have to keep repeating it to myself:

Burnout isn’t a badge of honour. And struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re doing something hard. Really hard. And that’s brave.
 
What I’m Learning (The Hard Way)
Pushing more doesn’t always equal progress. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is pull back and recover.
Rest days aren’t weak — they’re strategic. Without them, you’re just stacking fatigue and calling it “training.”
Recovery is more than sleep and food. It’s nervous system resets. Electrolytes. Smart movement scaling. Honest self-check-ins.
Progress looks weird sometimes. Some days you’ll lift lighter. Some weeks you’ll run slower. But your resilience is growing. And that counts.
 
If You’re Here Too — I See You
If you're in the trenches of HYROX prep feeling sore, slow, or stuck... you’re not alone.

You’re in the place where real athletes get built — not the place of hype and highlights, but the raw middle where you decide to keep showing up with grace and grit.

And maybe that’s the real strength HYROX teaches us:
Not how to suffer through more, but how to listen, adapt, and rise — tired but determined, humbled but still going.

Still training. Still here. Still showing up.

Let that be enough today.