Road to Karlsruhe | July 2026
The Month in Context
July reminded us that total training load does not come only from workouts.
Golf, long walks, holidays, family events, travel, active days, and late-evening gym sessions all contributed to the physical picture. Some weeks contained fewer formal sessions but far more time on our feet.
This mattered because running progress could not be evaluated separately from the rest of life.
July also marked the point when DrivenBySISU began to take shape as more than a private training project. The brand identity, website ideas, and the concept of documenting an ordinary working couple’s HYROX journey started becoming more concrete.
The Focus of the Month
The goal was to keep three elements alive:
- aerobic development
- one purposeful quality-running stimulus
- HYROX-specific training
At the same time, we wanted to protect the calves and preserve freshness for key sessions.
This led to a major practical change: some longer aerobic work began moving from running to the crosstrainer.
Key Training Sessions
Quality Running With a 10 km/h Test
One key session used:
- 2 × 10 minutes
- 1 × 8 minutes
- walking recoveries
The completed intervals were approximately:
- 9.3 km/h
- 10.1 km/h
- 9.4 km/h
The 10.1 km/h interval demonstrated that the speed was available, but heart rate rose significantly. The lesson was clear:
Ten kilometres per hour was possible, but not yet economical.
Improved Quality Running After a Golf Block
Following several active golf days, another quality session was completed in warm weather after an 18-hole round.
The intervals were approximately:
- 9.1 km/h for 10 minutes
- 9.2 km/h for 10 minutes
- 9.7 km/h for 8 minutes
Reported heart-rate data:
- average 136 bpm
- maximum 165 bpm
This was an encouraging result. The faster final interval did not create the same uncontrolled response seen in earlier sessions.
Solo Simulation at 10 km/h
A three-round solo simulation included:
- treadmill running at 10 km/h
- burpees
- lunges
- thrusters
- Farmer Carry
- rowing
- SkiErg
Reported totals included:
- 59:47 total time
- average heart rate 158 bpm
- maximum heart rate 187 bpm
The running remained structurally stable. The station drift, especially on lunges, remained more important than the running itself.
Crosstrainer Z2
A long crosstrainer session provided:
- 1:22:04 total duration
- average heart rate 127 bpm
- maximum heart rate 141 bpm
- aerobic training effect 3.0
- anaerobic training effect 0.1
This was a breakthrough in programming terms. It delivered a meaningful aerobic stimulus without adding running impact.
High Summer Activity
One seven-day period accumulated 135,217 steps, averaging approximately 19,317 steps per day.
The four-week total was reported at nearly 500,000 steps.
These numbers explained why some “easy” running days still felt mechanically heavy. The cardiovascular system might have been ready, while the calves, feet, hips, and lower back were already carrying substantial background load.
What the Data Told Us
July’s clearest lesson was that exercise classification can be misleading.
A golf day was not necessarily recovery. A holiday week was not necessarily light. A low-intensity day could still contain 20,000 to 30,000 steps.
The available data also suggested:
- 9.1–9.4 km/h was becoming a controlled quality range.
- 9.7–10.1 km/h was available in shorter controlled efforts.
- the crosstrainer could produce useful aerobic work with less impact
- calf tightness was related to cumulative load, not one isolated run
What Went Well
We learned to adapt without abandoning the goal.
When running impact became too expensive, we used the crosstrainer. When a long day had already provided substantial movement, we did not automatically add another session.
The quality sessions also suggested that aerobic control was improving, even when the route to that improvement was not a traditional running-only programme.
Challenges and Adjustments
The calves remained the main recurring warning signal.
There were sessions where running felt smooth, but calf tightness increased afterwards. That distinction mattered. Good subjective running during a workout did not guarantee that the load had been tolerated well.
Another challenge was enthusiasm. A minute of fast running at the end of an easy session was enjoyable, but it also changed the purpose of the workout.
The programme increasingly prioritised protecting the key sessions over adding spontaneous intensity.
The Sisu Moment
July’s Sisu Moment was not about completing a brutal workout.
It was the willingness to accept that a 75-minute crosstrainer session could be more useful than forcing another run.
Replacing a preferred method with a smarter one is not a compromise when it keeps the larger goal alive.
What We Learned
- Steps, golf, and travel are real training load.
- Aerobic fitness can be developed without every session being a run.
- Ten kilometres per hour was becoming possible, but not yet inexpensive.
- Calf response after training mattered more than how good the run felt during it.
- Summer life and serious preparation could coexist with flexible planning.
Looking Ahead
August would provide the first major checkpoint since Espoo: the Kuopio HYROX Simulation Race on 8 August.
The aim was not only to improve the clock. It was to execute more intelligently.
Final Thoughts
July taught us that consistency does not always look like following the original plan.
Sometimes consistency means changing the method while protecting the purpose.
DrivenBySISU
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