Hey Reader,
Happy Friday, Vitalizers⚡️
Race season is in full swing, and the calendar is starting to feel real.
This week, we’re talking mindset, race prep, training strategy, and what’s building across the VTLZR community and the industry.
Let’s dive in 👇
Here’s what to expect this week:
🧠 Mindset
🏆 VTLZR of the Week
📅 Community
🔥 Training
🎧 Must Listen
📰 The Industry
🧠 Quote of the Week
“It is difficult to train for a marathon, but it is even more difficult to not be able to train for a marathon.” — Aaron Douglas Trimble
Training is hard.
The early alarms, tired legs, long runs, and constant balancing act are real.
But the ability to train at all is something many people would give anything to have back.
So if your body is healthy enough to show up today, take that seriously.
Not with pressure, but with gratitude.
Because the work is hard.
But the opportunity to do the work is a gift.
🏆 Vitalizer of the Week: Kat Fahsbender
Kat is a perfect example of what it looks like to go all in on your potential. A Sparta, NJ native and former high school track and softball athlete who went on to play college softball, Kat has continued to level up year after year.
She’s now competing at the highest level of the sport as a HYROX Elite 15 athlete, racing against some of the fittest competitors in the world. And this week, she’s back on the big stage at HYROX Houston.
What makes this moment even bigger: Kat has officially stepped away from her corporate career to go all in on fitness full-time, a huge goal she set for herself and is now living out.
She’s now coaching online, including VTLZR's HYROX Athletes, and coaching in person as she builds a life around helping others perform at their best.
This isn’t just about performance.
It’s about betting on yourself.
Kat continues to lead by example, demonstrating what’s possible when you fully commit, stay consistent, and relentlessly pursue your goals.
That’s true VTLZR energy.
Keep going, Kat 👏
👉 Follow Kat's journey on Instagram here
📅 VTLZR Events
This week:
Sat, March 28 • Vitalizer Run Club • Miami
Community miles with the crew and coffee after. A simple, strong way to start the weekend.
👉 RSVP to Run — 9 AM — Brickell Underline
Upcoming Community Events
📍 Sun, April 12 • VTLZR x adidas Run Club • 10 AM
A special community run with adidas one week out from the Boston and Jersey City Marathons.
Try running in adidas gear. Meet new people. Get some miles in. Let’s have a Sunday.
👉 RSVP to join the vibes
📍 Sat, April 18 • Jersey City Marathon Shakeout Run • 9 AM
Powered by Lululemon, RoadRunner, Celsius, and Apollo Bagels
The day before race day:
- Easy miles
- Big community energy
- Brands + fuel + coffee
This will be one of our biggest runs yet - please RSVP to give our partners an accurate headcount!
👉 RSVP Here
📍VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat • June 12-14 • Long Beach, NY
Our retreat is getting closer. Expect training, recovery, connection, and a full weekend built around the hybrid athlete lifestyle. If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now’s the time to lock it in.
👉 Learn more about the retreat
🔥 Fitness Tip of the Week: Tapering doesn’t mean doing nothing
If you’ve got a race coming up, this is your reminder:
You do not build fitness in the final week.
You recover and reveal it.
A good taper is about arriving fresh, not flat.
That means:
- lower total volume
- keep some intensity
- don’t chase one last “confidence workout.”
The hardest part of taper week isn’t physical.
It’s mental.
You feel restless.
You feel “too fresh.”
You want to squeeze in more just to feel like you’re doing enough.
Don’t confuse movement with progress.
Instead, use that extra energy intentionally:
• 15–30 minutes of mobility
• easy walking
• light strides
• extra sleep
• better fueling
• race prep and logistics
The athletes who race best don’t overdo race week.
They trust the work they’ve already done.
Save the proving for race day.
🎧 This Week's Must-Listen: How Elite Athletes Train to Avoid Burnout
Meg Martin on the WHOOP Podcast
If you train hard, care a lot, and sometimes struggle with doing too much…this one is worth your time.
In this episode, HYROX Elite athlete Meg Martin breaks down how her training has evolved from doing more to doing less, but with more intensity, focus, and intention.
She talks about the mistake a lot of athletes make, training from a place of fear, and why recovery, mindset, and trusting the process matter just as much as the hard sessions.
A few ideas that really stood out:
- Many athletes overtrain because they’re afraid that doing less will make them worse
- Great athletes get curious about their own data, recovery, and patterns
- You can still want to win without letting fear ruin the process
- Mindset directly affects performance and longevity in the sport
Bottom line: The best athletes don’t just train hard.
They know when to push, when to recover, and how to keep fear from driving the whole process.
👉 Listen here:
📰 In Other News (this week in fitness)
🔹 The Rise of Branded Fitness Competitions Is Accelerating
It’s not just HYROX anymore. After F45 launched its new PEAK500 hybrid competition, Fitstop followed with Global Games, a team-based event series built around functional performance. Add in the LifeTime Games, ATHX Games, and HYROX’s continued growth, and the signal is clear: brands are racing to own the next big format in competitive fitness
👉 Read more on F45’s PEAK500
👉 Read more on Fitstop Global Games
🔹 London Marathon Could Expand to a 2-Day Event
London Marathon organizers are thinking about turning the race into a two-day event by 2027, allowing up to 100,000 runners over a full weekend. The move comes as demand continues to rise, with over 1.1 million applications in recent races.
👉 Read more
🔹 Nike Pegasus 42 Drops April 9
Nike is releasing the Pegasus 42, the latest version of its most popular everyday running shoe, on April 9. The update features a full-length Air Zoom unit with increased energy return and improved cushioning, signaling a continued push toward more responsive, versatile daily trainers
👉 Learn more about the Pegasus 42
🔔 What's Happening in VTLZR+
We’re doubling down this month on something most athletes get wrong: doing too much, too often, for too long.
Upcoming inside VTLZR+, we’re breaking down:
- How to avoid burnout during peak training blocks
- How to manage training load (intensity, volume, frequency) without breaking down
- How to structure strength training so it actually improves your running and HYROX performance
👉 If you want to train harder and stay healthy, this is where that happens.
Join VTLZR+ to access upcoming sessions, recordings, and tools to train smarter, not just more.
Plus, members get access to perks that can save $50–75/month on gear, fuel, and recovery.
As always, thanks for being part of this.
Keep showing up and conquering hard things.
See you soon!
Derek Morgen
Founder & Coach, VTLZR
Lift for your mind. Run for your soul.
📩 Forward this to someone who needs a little extra motivation this week.
Questions, ideas, feedback?
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