Who this plan assumes you are
You train already, probably more gym than running. You can jog 30 minutes without drama, even if it has been a while. You have a race booked, HYROX, Deadly Dozen, XENOM or similar, eight or more weeks out. If your running base is genuinely zero, give yourself twelve weeks and spend the first four just building the easy run.
The eight weeks
| Weeks | Easy run | Quality session | Compromised session |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 25 to 35 min, conversational | 6 x 400 m controlled, 90 sec easy | 3 rounds: station plus 400 m run |
| 3 to 4 | 35 to 45 min, conversational | 5 x 1 km at race effort, 90 sec easy | 4 rounds: station plus 600 m run |
| 5 to 6 | 40 to 50 min, conversational | Broken tempo: 4 x 5 min comfortably hard | 5 to 6 rounds, race-effort rehearsal |
| 7 | 30 min easy | 3 x 1 km at race effort | 2 rounds, short and sharp |
| 8 (race week) | 20 min very easy, early week | 2 x 400 m touches, early week | None. The race is the session |
Strength training runs alongside: two or three sessions in the early weeks, two as the race nears, light touches only in race week. Hard lifting and hard running stay on separate days throughout.
Race day, run by run
- 1Run one: deliberately easier than feels natural. This is the deposit on every later run.
- 2Middle runs: defend the rehearsed effort. Check posture and cadence, one cue per run.
- 3Transitions: two breaths, five controlled steps, then run. Every single time.
- 4Final two runs: now you may race. Whatever is left, spend it.
After the race
Take a genuinely easy week. Walk, mobilize, sleep. The fitness does not evaporate in seven days, and the review matters more than the training: where did your pacing hold, which station cost you most, what would you train differently?
Most people book their second race within a fortnight. When you do, the HYROX Prep Camp is the ongoing version of this plan, with coaches and a room full of people aiming at the same start lines.
