For anyone who hasn’t heard of HYROX, can you describe what it involves and what drew you to it?
For the past few years, I have been focused on participating in running events – I completed the Kilomathon, 10k, half marathon and the full marathon in Edinburgh. I was happy with my performance in each of these events and wanted a new challenge, something different to the endurance of the running. HYROX blends endurance, strength and high intensity functional training into a single race format – and with my solid aerobic base of running, I thought it looked like a challenge that I already had a good starting level.
I started training the specific workouts at my local gym and I found them both challenging and enjoyable – getting to work multiple muscle groups, whilst maintaining a balanced effort to ensure I could last the whole race. I started to become aware of HYROX through social media. It has really become massive recently, and having completed it, I can see why – it’s a great community and the events are run to a very high standard.
How long have you been training for this race, and what does a typical training week look like for you?
I’ve always been running, but I started the functional training in October and the race itself took place in mid March – so I had around 5 months of training in total. Training involved 3 gym sessions and one outdoor run each week. For the gym sessions I got up at 0515hrs, had coffee, cycled to the gym, did my workout and was at my desk for work by 0730hrs. With a busy job and 3 young daughters, this was the only time I could squeeze in the training. The outdoor session was a Sunday morning and it usually involved a run of around 10km and I aimed to be back home by 0800hrs. I also play 5-a-Side football every Wednesday night – something different that I enjoy.
How has your approach to health and fitness evolved since you started training for HYROX?
Yes, for the HYROX you need to have technical skill to complete the functional exercises, you need to have all-over strength, and you need to be able to run under fatigue. I had to balance my time wisely to ensure I was getting exposure to all the varied training I needed to complete the 8 functional strength exercises whilst progressively overloading throughout the training block. I think because I trained over a longer duration, I was able to build the strength and aerobic base at a pace which got me to where I wanted to be without injuring or straining myself.
How did you first come across Lumity’s Morning & Night supplements, and what made you decide to include them in your training?
I was conscious that the volume of the training could lead to injury – something I’ve experienced before and suffered through whilst running. In addition to a healthy lifestyle, I felt the need to supplement to give myself the best chance of recovery throughout the training block. I’ve tried various multi vitamins over the years, mostly led by the marketing without properly researching what I was actually taking, and I was never consistent at taking them either.
At the same time, having 3 young girls and turning 40 made me more reflective in general and prompted me to think more about myself and the ageing process. I think I first became aware of Lumity through social media and I liked what I saw: the benefits Lumity promoted aligned with my expectations of a supplement. I liked the tailored supplements for both morning and night. The natural products were a major plus, and sustainable business practices amongst others made my mind up to give it a try.