I'll be honest with you. Standing at that start line inside the Principality Stadium, I wasn't thinking about splits or strategy. I was thinking about how long it had been since I'd stood somewhere like this — in a competitive environment, representing something I'd built with my own hands.
A year off social media. A lot of quiet work. And one race to mark the return.
"This wasn't just a race. It was a statement — to myself more than anyone else."
The Build-Up
The preparation for Cardiff was structured around what I know from years of multi-sport training. Football, athletics, taekwondo, swimming — all of that background feeds into how I approach HYROX. It's not just a fitness event. It's a test of how well you've trained every energy system, every movement pattern, every mental gear.
The weeks leading into race day, I was managing a lot. Building MiSPOV, working through qualifications, training around a demanding schedule. Sleep was a limiting factor. Nutrition was something I was dialling in. But the work was getting done.
Race Day — What Actually Happened
The Principality Stadium is a different environment to a standard HYROX venue. The scale of it hits you when you walk in. The noise, the layout, the fact that you're running circuits through a space that normally holds international rugby. It adds something to the experience — pressure, energy, adrenaline.
The early stations felt controlled. Ski Erg, rowing — movements I'd put serious time into. The running laps were consistent, holding around 5:14/km which is where my conditioning was at this point in the year.
Then came the stations that told the truth. Sled push and pull — the ones that exposed where I still have work to do. Wall balls too. These are the stations I'm building the next training block around. Not to avoid the weakness — to attack it.
What I'm Taking Forward
1:42:00 is a time I'm proud of for where I am right now. But it's not the ceiling. The next phase of MiSPOV training is being built specifically around the weaknesses Cardiff surfaced — sled mechanics, wall ball efficiency, and running pace under fatigue.
The target isn't just a faster time. It's a more complete athlete. And that's the same standard I hold every client I coach to — build on what the data tells you, not what you wish it said.
Next target: Sub 1:10. The work has already started.
"Build on what the data tells you — not what you wish it said."