Road to HYROX — Week 2 Update
- Dr. Eric Davis
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Week 2 is in the books, and I'm still standing. If you read my Week 1 update, you know I made a commitment — not just to train for HYROX, but to document this whole messy, humbling, beautiful process in real time. No filters. No highlight reel. Just a 50-something guy lacing up his shoes and doing the work.
And let me tell you — there's something about Week 2 that hits different. Week 1 has that honeymoon energy. You're fired up. Everything is new. By Week 2, the novelty fades and what's left is the question that really matters: Are you going to keep showing up?
Week 2 Training — Compromised Running, Burpees, and a Long Run
If Week 1 was about getting my feet wet, Week 2 was about getting thrown into the deep end. The training shifted toward some of the core demands of HYROX, and let me tell you — this race doesn't play around.
A big focus this week was compromised running — and if you're not familiar with that term, welcome to the world of HYROX. In the race, you don't just run 8 kilometers straight. You run 1 km between each of the 8 workout stations. That means every time you start running again, your legs are already wrecked from whatever you just did — sled pushes, wall balls, burpees, you name it. Running on fresh legs is one thing. Running when your quads are screaming and your lungs are on fire? That's compromised running, and it's a skill you have to train.
Burpees were also a staple this week. Not just regular burpees — broad jump burpees. If you've never done them, imagine doing a burpee and then launching yourself forward into a broad jump on every single rep. It's brutally effective, and it's one of the 8 HYROX stations. I'm getting very familiar with the floor.
But the real milestone? A 75-minute long run covering just over 6 miles. I'm going to be real — it wasn't fast, and it wasn't pretty. But I finished it. Every step. And something clicked during that run. I realized that HYROX demands two things simultaneously: running endurance and functional strength. You can't just be a runner. You can't just be a lifter. You have to be both, at the same time, while exhausted. That's the game.
Long runs are now a weekly staple in my training plan. The distance will grow. The pace will improve. But that 75-minute run was a breakthrough moment — proof that this body can still go the distance.
Training Footage — See It in Action
I've been filming some of my training sessions because I want you to see what this actually looks like — not the polished, edited, perfectly-lit version, but the real, sweaty, gritty version. Here are two clips from Week 2:
The sled pull is one of the 8 HYROX stations, and it's as primal as it gets. You grab a rope, dig in, and pull a heavy sled toward you hand over hand. It tests your grip, your legs, your back, and above all — your mental grit. There's no hiding on the sled pull.
Broad jump burpees are widely considered one of the toughest stations in the entire HYROX race. You drop to the floor, do a burpee, then explode forward into a broad jump — and repeat, over and over. It's brutally effective and it will humble you fast. This clip is proof that I survived them.
Week 2 — Done. The Work Continues.
Two weeks down. The training is getting harder, and I'm getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. That's the whole game, isn't it?
If you're reading this and you're on the fence about your own fitness journey — whether it's HYROX, a 5K, getting back in the gym, or just going for a walk around the block — I want to say this as clearly as I can: start. Start messy. Start slow. Start scared. Just start. The numbers don't have to be perfect on Day 1. They just have to exist so you can make them better.
Being over 50 isn't a barrier. It's a badge of honor. Every rep, every mile, every burpee I do at this age is proof that we're not done. We're not winding down. We're just getting warmed up.
Week 3 is coming, and I'm not slowing down. Stay tuned.
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