The Difference between Fitness and Readiness

In early 2024 I entered my first solo HYROX.

At the time I was training at Round 1 four or five times a week. I was reasonably strong, reasonably fit and I'd head out for a run every couple of weeks. Not a lot...but enough that I convinced myself I'd be fine.

Besides, I'd entered months earlier. There was plenty of time to prepare.

The only complication was football.

I was coaching at East Perth, and our season was always going to take priority. My HYROX ticket was for a Saturday. Football was on Saturdays. As the season rolled on and we kept winning, it became less and less likely that I'd actually get to the start line - Race Day was the first week of the finals and we were going to be playing finals. So, without really thinking about it, my preparation changed.

I still trained at Round 1 almost every day. I stayed "strong". I stayed (a version of) "fit".

But I'd skip the occasional running session. There wasn't much point, was there? I wasn't going to be racing anyway - the weather was miserable that year - wind, rain...and of course, it's pretty cold in June and July. It became a LOT easier to do an extra Boxing session/extra Strength class than to get out for a run. But then something happened that I hadn't planned for.

We finished on top of the ladder.

That earned us the first week of the finals off. Suddenly, I was racing after all. I already had my ticket. I'd already paid my entry. I was still training consistently. I was fit.

So I turned up convinced everything would be "FINE". Well, I turned up hoping everything would be "FINE". Those positive thoughts lasted until about halfway through the fifth run when I remember having one very clear thought.

"I am in a lot of trouble right now."

It wasn't because I hadn't trained. It wasn't because I wasn't fit. It was because I'd confused fitness with readiness. And they're not the same thing.

Fitness is your capacity.

It's your strength. Your aerobic engine. Your ability to lift, run, row, push and pull. It's the work you've banked over weeks, months and years.

Readiness is something different.

Readiness is your ability to express that fitness in the environment you're about to face. HYROX wasn't asking me whether I could deadlift. It wasn't asking how many classes I'd attended that month. It wasn't asking whether I could run a comfortable 5km.

It was asking whether I could run hard...then push a heavy sled...then settle back into a sustainable pace. Whether I could keep making good decisions when my heart rate was through the roof. Whether I could manage fatigue instead of letting fatigue manage me.

The honest answer?

I could do it. But not very well. And certainly not very fast.

Basically I had built an engine for the job - but it was in NO WAY "Fit for Purpose". That's why I've become a little careful when new people say they "Just want to get FIT"...

I mean - we can help with that (of course) - but what does "FIT" mean in their mind? When they think of "FIT" do they see someone deadlifting 200kgs or someone dominating a netball game. Do they see someone smiling as they cross the line at the City to Surf or do they see someone running around the park with their kids? What does fit mean?? Because a half marathon asks different questions to a game of football. A game of football asks different questions to a weekend hiking trip. A weekend hiking trip asks different questions to a HYROX.

I guess what it comes down to is that general fitness gives you options - and specific preparation gives you confidence.

That's one of the biggest lessons we've learned over the past couple of years as we've developed our HYROX program at Round 1. The goal isn't simply to make people fitter.

That's actually the easy part.

The goal is to make them ready.

Sometimes that means building strength. Sometimes it means improving aerobic capacity. Sometimes it means practising pacing instead of chasing personal bests.

Sometimes it means putting people into uncomfortable situations in training—not to break them, but to help them become familiar with what discomfort feels like.

Because race day should never be the first time you've experienced it.

The funny thing is, this idea extends well beyond HYROX.

Life rarely asks you to perform when you're fresh. It asks you after a busy week at work. When you've had a poor night's sleep. When the kids have been sick. When you're mentally tired before you're physically tired.

Being ready isn't about feeling perfect.

It's about knowing you can still perform when circumstances aren't.

That's why I think readiness is one of the most underrated outcomes of good training.

I mean - Yes, we want to be stronger. Yes, we want to be fitter. But more than anything, we want to build confidence.

The confidence that comes from knowing you've already practised the challenge before it arrives.

Two years on from that first HYROX, I look back on the experience with a smile.

It was uncomfortable. I would say it was humbling but that's not really me - what I would say is that it sucked!

And somewhere around that fifth run, it taught me one of the most valuable lessons I've learned as both an athlete and a coach.

Fitness gets you to the start line.

Readiness gets you to the finish.