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Happy Friday, Vitalizers β‘
Spring race season is in full swing, and the VTLZR community is delivering. JC, Boston, and Paris are done. Now it's time to recover right, celebrate the people putting in the work, and look ahead to what's next.
Let's dive in π
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βHereβs what to expect this week:β
π§ Mindset
βπ Vitalizer of the Weekβ
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Community
π₯ Training
π¬ Must-Watch
π° The Industry
π§ Quote of the Week
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"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." β Mark Twain
We talk a lot about output: PRs, podiums, times, and weight on the bar. But the gap between wanting something and actually getting it is almost always the same thing: you didn't start. Or you started, then stopped when it got uncomfortable.
You start with structure. Keep showing up to sessions. Do the reps. The output will follow the input - it always does.
That's the piece most people skip. They want the result before they've earned the process.
Every great performance you've seen from a VTLZR athlete this spring, the PRs, the podiums, the unexpected race days β they all started with someone committing to the process - the training block that built their fitness.
Start the thing. The momentum builds itself.
π Vitalizer of the Week: Christian Maiz
Christian joined VTLZR after years as a former football player at Westwood Regional and Union College. A strongman cornerback that's not exactly the profile you'd expect to see logging sub-7 miles and posting HYROX PR after HYROX PR.
But that's exactly what's happening.
In February 2025, Christian ran a 1:46 half-marathon. Promising.
Then he locked in on HYROX prep under Matt Zelaya's coaching, and things have gotten serious...fast. He went from a 1:16 in Boston to a 1:08 in Miami just weeks later. Matt's words: he's picking up gains like no other.
This past weekend, Christian ran the Jersey City Half Marathon, a race that wasn't even on his original schedule, and crossed in 1:27:47.
Then, a few days later, on his 25th birthday, he ran 25 miles.
Just because. At an 8-minute pace without realizing it.
This is what focused input looks like.
Structure. Consistency. Time at work.
Christian didn't just get faster. He's getting stronger, learning the ropes of each race, and it's showing in everything he does.
Happy birthday, Christian. Keep building. π
That's real VTLZR energy.
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VTLZR Events
We've got a couple of big events ahead.
π Tomorrow, April 25 β’ VTLZR x UCC HYROX Workout
10 spots left. This one's going fast. Join us at Union City CrossFit for a HYROX-style session at 10:30 AM β powered by MyProtein & Alfalfa. The kind of workout that earns the weekend. Sign up on ZenPlanner today before it fills
Last time we packed the house with 80+ athletes. We've got close to 10 spots left. Don't forget to apply your drop-in ticket to save your spot.
ποΈ The VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat Is Back: June 12β14 β’ Long Beach, NY
Three days. Down the shore. An athlete's dream getaway.
Sunrise runs. Hybrid sessions. The VTLZR Games. Ocean dips and cold plunges. Sunset yoga. And this year, Matt Long is our keynote speaker.
Last year, 36 athletes showed up. Some didn't know a single person. All of them left connected.
This year we're back in Long Beach, and we brought in someone who redefines what "showing up" actually means.
Matt Long. FDNY firefighter. Ironman. Our 2026 keynote. His story is a masterclass in what the human body and mind can endure and recover from. You'll want to be in that room.
50 spots total. Sold out twice. Filling fast.
π₯ Fitness Tip of the Week: How to Bounce Back Faster After a Race
You crossed the finish line. The hard part is over. Now the question is: how do you get back to training without digging yourself into a hole?
The Numbers
Full muscular recovery after a half-marathon takes 7β14 days. A full marathon: up to 4 weeks. Most athletes feel fine after 2β3 days and go back too hard, too soon β that's where the setback happens, not on race day. Research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows muscle damage markers like creatine kinase can stay elevated for up to 7 days post-marathon, even when you feel physically fine.
A Simple Strategy
Days 1-2: Rest. Walk if you want to move. No running. Prioritize 8β9 hours of sleep β this is when the repair actually happens. Passive recovery (legs up, naps, easy movement, and mobility) is your priority over active recovery runs here.
Days 3-4: Easy shakeout. 20β30 minutes, conversational pace only. You're flushing the legs, not building fitness. If it doesn't feel effortless, walk more of it.
Day 5: Gauge how you feel. Light strength work is fine. A short tempo is not.
Pro Tip
Sleep is the most underrated recovery tool you have. No ice bath, compression boot, or supplement comes close to what 8β9 hours of real sleep does for your body in the 72 hours post-race.
The race is done. Protect the work you put in.
π§ This Week's Must-Watch: Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais β "The Psychology of Winning" ft. Michael Johnson
Four-time Olympic gold medalist. Nine-time World Champion. And by his own account, one of the most psychologically prepared competitors the sport has ever seen.
In this episode, Michael Johnson talks to Dr. Michael Gervais about the "call room", the space beneath the stadium where finalists wait together in silence before stepping out under the brightest lights in sport. His argument: the race is often decided before it starts.
β3 Takeaways
Nervousness is fuel. Fear is a signal of underpreparation. Know the difference, and train accordingly.
Self-knowledge is the single most important factor in high performance. You can't control the outcome. You can control how well you know yourself.
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βThe mental frameworks that make champions also make comebacks. After a stroke at 50 that forced him to relearn how to walk, Johnson used the same tools, small improvements, present focus, controlling the controllables, to rebuild.
Bottom Line: This isn't just for sprinters. If you just crossed a finish line, or you're building toward one, this episode is required listening.
π° In Other News (this week in fitness)
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Boston Just Got Faster
John Korir set a new course record at the 130th Boston Marathon, crossing in 2:01:52. Sharon Lokedi repeated as women's champion in 2:18:51. Back-to-back titles for both. And on the American side, Jess McClain set a new US women's course record. The bar keeps moving.
π View the Boston Resultsβ
π€ A Robot Just Beat the Half-Marathon World Record
At the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon last Sunday, a humanoid robot built by Chinese smartphone maker Honor ran the 21km course in 50:26 β faster than the human world record of 57 minutes. Wild. It also crashed into a barricade and needed handlers to set it back up mid-race. We'll keep our finish lines for now.
π Read more about the record-breaking robotβ
π adidas Just Dropped the Lightest Supershoe Ever
Yesterday, adidas unveiled the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, its first sub-100-gram race shoe. At 97 grams, it's 30% lighter than its predecessor, delivers 11% more forefoot energy return, and improves running economy by 1.6%. It debuts on elite feet at London this Sunday, with a limited release hitting adidas.com tomorrow, April 25th, for $500. Not cheap, but this will be the new standard of race-day tech.
π Read more about the dropβ
ποΈ HYROX Is Back in Boston
HYROX Boston is happening. Early access tickets drop Tuesday, April 28th at 11 AM EDT. VTLZR+ members get exclusive early access β head to Skool for the link.
π Grab early accessβ
π What's Happening in VTLZR+
On Wednesday, April 29th, we're bringing in Dr. JoAnne Bullard, Doctor of Sport & Performance Psychology, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and a practitioner with the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. She's logged 5,000+ hours working with endurance athletes, college athletes, and pros.
With Boston, Jersey City, and Paris in the rearview, the timing couldn't be better. We're going deep on the mental side of race recovery:
β’ Post-race blues: why they hit & how to move through them
β’ Processing your result without letting it define you
β’ Comparison culture & how to stop racing other people's races
β’ How to frame a win, a miss, or a DNF to come back stronger
This is the stuff coaches don't talk about enough!
As always, thanks for being part of this.
Keep showing up and conquering hard things.
See you soon!
βDerek Morgen
βFounder & Coach, VTLZRβ
βLift for your mind. Run for your soul.
π© Forward this to someone who needs a little extra motivation this week.
Questions, ideas, feedback?β
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