12 weeks of training in the book, and it’s officially race week! Thursday afternoon I will be heading down to Miami for the Saturday Hyrox event - finally time to put the last three months of work on the line.

There’s something sacred about race week.

It’s a strange blend of nerves, excitement, and raw anticipation. Your training is done. The work is in the bank. But still, the mind races—playing out every possible scenario, visualizing the finish line, questioning whether you’ve done enough. Especially in a new endeavor like Hyrox.

You’re wired with energy. You feel alive.

This week, I’ll toe the line in what is a difficult physical challenge, sure, but it’s also a mirror. It will provide a rare opportunity in modern-day life to see who I am when things get hard.

And that’s why we do this. Not for the medals. Not for the social media post. But for that internal litmus test.

I sign up for these things to put myself in a position where quitting is an option—but finishing is a choice. I want the discomfort. The uncertainty. The test.

No matter the result, I know I put my all into the training and didn’t take any shortcuts, so there is no losing this week. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t heaped on a ton of internal pressure to make a statement out there. See you on the other side - let’s have a week.

Brain - 12 Stoic Choices to Level Up Your Life Today

I love a cheesy Youtube thumbnail like above, just about as much as I love the core competencies of stoicism. I write about it a lot, because I believe in what it teaches us. Period.

So much of the distraction and challenges of modern life are simply being over-enhanced because so few of us have a guiding code and compass anymore on how we act and respond to certain situations.

This Youtube video is 19.5 minutes long and a great way to start your week. The 12 stoic choices are below, but watch to gain the additional context and great insight from what I believe to be one of the 3 - 5 best self-help writers of our generation - Ryan Holiday.

Which of these 12 could you do a better job of emphasizing this week?

1. Choose To Do it Now
If something is worth doing, then it is worth starting now.​

2. Choose Discipline
In a world full of temptations, maintaining focus on what truly matters is a radical act.​

3. Turn Off the News
If we wish to improve, we have to be willing to seem out of the loop on some matters - prioritize your learning.

4. Choose the Essential
“Ask yourself - is this essential? Motivation is difficult because deep down we know many things we do don’t ultimately matter

5. Choose to See The Opportunity
A cornerstone of his book “The Obstacle is the Way” - everything in life is an opportunity - opportunities for us to practice virtues - courage, discipline, justice, wisdom.

6. Choose the Higher Standard
We care about other people’s opinion of ourselves more than we care about our own opinion of ourselves - it has to be addressed.

7. Choose to Keep and Even Keel
It’s easy to get carried away, to get swept up, to get emotional - it’s more impressive and effective to keep those emotions in balance

8. Choose to Get Outside
Meditation isn’t just something you do while your sitting - it can be walking through a beautiful forest. We must get outside to reground ourselves.

9. Choose to Be Kind
There is only one rule to life - you have to be kind.

10. Choose to Pick Up a Book
“A person who can read but chooses not to has no advantage over someone who can’t read at all”

11. Choose a Good Ending
Life is like a play - what matters is a good ending. Yeah you screwed up, you should’ve changed earlier, you should’ve started earlier - but you didn’t. What matters is the final act.

12. Choose Perspective
Remember you are mortal - this gives us urgency and perspective

Body - Race Week Nutrition - The What & The Why

One of the major learning curves anyone who is taking on an endurance event has to incur is the nutritional strategy, especially as it pertains to race week and race day. There are so many differing opinions out there, and ultimately, you have to land on a strategy that makes sense to your body and allows you to feel confident as you toe the line for race day.

I will be employing a ramping up “carb load” this week, starting at breakfast on Thursday morning. Why “Carb Load” you ask?

Carbs are your body’s preferred fuel source during endurance events. When consumed, they’re stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, which is a critical energy reserve that gets depleted as you race. The longer and harder the effort (like a marathon or Hyrox event), the more glycogen you’ll burn through.

By increasing my carb intake in the final 2–3 days before the race, I am aiming to maximize my glycogen stores, helping delay fatigue, maintain pace longer, and avoid the dreaded “bonk.”

Here is my carb load strategy that I have tested over multiple disciplines, and could provide a nice starting point rubric for your next endurance pursuit, should you choose to toe the line:

When:
Begin carb loading two days before my race (Thursday), once the training has tapered. My energy needs will be lower from a training perspective, but my glycogen stores can be topped off more efficiently.

How Much:
Aiming for 3.5–5.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight on both Thursday & Friday. I have found that eating a higher level of carbs two days before instead of the day before allows me to properly digest the food and feel comfortable on race morning.

Favorite Meals to Carb Load:

• Sushi - Sushi settles really well in my stomach and the white rice is a great clean carb source. (Pro-Tip - avoid the spices)

• Chipotle - I love a good Chipotle bowl. Get extra rice, but skip the beans - we aren’t looking for extra fiber here

• Pasta - I am not a huge pasta guy normally, but it is definitely the easiest way to consume a radical amount of carbs in one sitting.

• PB&Js - I am a kid at heart, and I love a good Uncrustable as a snack during race week

Hydration and Electrolytes

Carbs bind to water—for every 1g of glycogen, your body stores 3–4g of water. So hydration becomes even more crucial during carb loading. I will be drinking water consistently throughout the day (which I do a good job of any day of the year really), but I will over-emphasize drinking electrolytes this week to ensure I am race day ready for the amount of sodium my body will excrete.

Race Morning Strategy

• 2–3 hours before the race: 75–100g of carbs + some protein. I normally stick to a couple of english muffins with peanut butter, plus a carb drink like G1M Sport from BPN.

• Coffee - A crucial part of race day morning - not for the caffeine…if you’re catching my drift.

Book - The Wealth Score Quiz from “5 Types of Wealth” by Sahil Bloom

I am re-reading the physical copy of “5 Types of Wealth” by Sahil Bloom this week, so I can highlight the pages and texts I enjoyed. This is one of those books I know that I want to be extremely diligent about revisiting. It is everything I needed in messaging at this point in my life, which is recalibrating my mind to make good decisions and goal plans around the 5 pillars of true life wealth - Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial.

Below is a quiz from the book that is a great exercise to pique your interest to pick it up yourself.

For each question, grade yourself on a point scale of 0 - 4 (0 being strongly disagree, 4 being strongly agree. You can get a max of 20 points per section, and 100 for the quiz. This quiz gives you a quantifiable snapshot of where your current status stands in each “wealth bucket”. Use this as a baseline to improve.

TIME WEALTH:

1. I have a deep awareness of the finite, impermanent nature of my time and its importance as my most precious asset.

2. I have a clear understanding of the two to three most important priorities in my personal and professional lives.

3. I am able to consistently direct attention and focus to the important priorities that I have identified.

4. I rarely feel too busy or scattered to spend time on the most important priorities.

5. I am in control of my calendar and priorities.

SOCIAL WEALTH:

1. I have a core set of deep, loving, supportive relationships.

2. I am consistently able to be the partner, parent, family member, and friend that I would want to have.

3. I have a network of close relationships I can learn from and build on.

4. I have a deep feeling of connection to a community (local, regional, national, spiritual, and so on) or to something bigger than myself.

5. I do not attempt to achieve status, respect, or admiration through material purchases.

MENTAL WEALTH:

1. I regularly embrace a childlike curiosity.

2. I have a clear purpose that provides daily meaning and aligns short- and long-term decision making.

3. I pursue growth and consistently chase my full potential.

4. I have a fundamental belief that I am able to continuously change, develop, and adapt.

5. I have regular rituals that allow me to create space to think, reset, wrestle with questions, and recharge.

PHYSICAL WEALTH:

1. I feel strong, healthy, and vital for my age

2. I move my body regularly through a structured routine and have an active lifestyle.

3. I eat primarily whole, unprocessed foods.

4. I sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis and feel rested and recovered.

5. I have a clear plan in place to allow me to physically thrive into my later years.

FINANCIAL WEALTH:

1. I have a clear definition of what it means to have enough financially.

2. I have income that is steadily growing alongside my skills and expertise.

3. I manage my monthly expenses so that they are reliably below
   my income.

4. I have a clear process for investing excess monthly income for long-term compounding

5. I use my financial wealth as a tool to build other types of wealth.