Hey Reader,
Happy Friday, Vitalizers ⚡
Race week energy is in the air.
Paris Marathon this Sunday.
Jersey City next Sunday.
Then, Boston on Monday.
This week: race prep, mindset, and how to show up ready when it counts.
Let's dive in 👇
Here’s what to expect this week:
🧠 Mindset
🏆 Vitalizer of the Week
📅 Community
🔥 Training
🎧 Must Listen
📰 The Industry
🧠 Quote of the Week
"Confidence comes not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong." – Peter T. McIntyre
Race day confidence isn't about having the perfect training block. It's not about hitting every single workout or nailing your goal pace on every long run.
It's about showing up anyway.
You're going to have doubts.
Your legs might feel heavy.
You might question your pacing strategy at mile 8.
You might wonder whether you tapered too much or too little.
That's normal.
That's part of it.
The athletes who perform best aren't the ones without doubt — they're the ones who don't let doubt dictate their decisions. They trust the work. They execute the plan. They don't spiral when things feel hard.
Confidence on race day comes from trusting yourself, even when it's not perfect.
🏆 Vitalizer of the Week: Christine Connelly
Christine Connelly is toeing the start line in Paris this Sunday, and the fact that she's even there is the story.
Last August, Christine was diagnosed with a stress reaction in her femoral neck. Eight weeks on crutches. Run/walk protocol starting in October. Officially back to running in November.
She signed up for Paris in the summer when life was heavy, and she needed something big to work toward. What she didn't anticipate was that it would also become an injury comeback journey, but that made getting to the start line even more important.
Christine is a product manager at Betterment, lives in Hoboken, and runs to decompress from work and life. "Running is a big mental outlet for me," she says. "I also think it's important to have goals to work towards that are just for myself and unrelated to my career."
She's running Paris for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in honor of her cousin who passed away from the disease. She's also hosted teams for their annual stair climb in Philly every year since she was twelve.
This is her next challenge with them.
From crutches in August to 26.2 miles in Paris.
That's real VTLZR energy.
Good luck this Sunday, Christine! We'll be watching. 🇫🇷
📅 VTLZR Events
It's a stacked couple of weeks. Races, shakeout runs, and the retreat that everyone's been asking about. Here's what's on deck:
📍 Sunday, April 12 • VTLZR x Adidas Raceweek Kickoff • Hoboken
Final call for this Sunday's run with Adidas. Easy conversational miles, coffee after, and a chance to kick off race week the right way. All paces welcome.
📍 Saturday, April 18 • Jersey City Marathon Shakeout Run • Pier A
Powered by Lululemon, RoadRunner Sports, Celsius, and Apollo Bagels.
This weekend of the JC Marathon and Boston Marathon, we're running together. Powered by Lululemon, RoadRunner Sports, Celsius, and Apollo Bagels, because great people deserve a great shakeout.
📍 Friday, April 25 • UCC x VTLZR HYROX Workout
We're back for another epic HYROX workout with VTLZR and UCC. All levels welcome.
👉 RSVP coming soon
📍 June 12–14 • VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat #3 • Long Beach, NY
Matt Long is confirmed. Yes, that Matt Long, FDNY firefighter, hit by a bus, told he'd never walk again, ran the NYC Marathon 18 months later.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to come back from the impossible, this is your weekend.
🔥 Fitness Tip of the Week: How to Handle Race Day Nerves (Without Letting Them Ruin Your Race)
You've done the work. You've logged the miles. You've hit your workouts. You've tapered smart.
Then race morning hits, and your stomach is in knots. Race day nerves are normal. Even elite athletes get them.
The difference is they know how to channel that energy instead of letting it spiral into panic.
Here's how to manage the pre-race jitters and show up ready.
The Science
Pre-race anxiety triggers your sympathetic nervous system: heart rate spikes, breathing gets shallow, muscles tense up.
That's your body preparing for a threat. The problem? Your body doesn't know the difference between "race start line" and "actual danger."
You need to tell it to calm down.
A Simple Strategy
Box Breathing (5 minutes before the start):
- Inhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Exhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Repeat 5-10 times
This activates your parasympathetic nervous system and lowers your heart rate. Use this in the corral while you're waiting for the gun.
Reframe the Nerves
Nervousness and excitement are physiologically identical. Same elevated heart rate. Same adrenaline. The only difference is how you interpret it.
Instead of "I'm so nervous," try "I'm ready for this." Your brain will follow.
Pro Tip: Have a 3-word mantra ready. Something simple you can repeat when doubt creeps in.
Examples: "Trust the work." "Stay the course." "I've done this." Say it out loud if you need to. Lock in before mile 1.
Bottom line
Nerves mean you care. Channel them. Don't fight them.
The best performances come when you're a little on edge, not relaxed, not panicked. Right in the middle.
🎧 This Week's Must-Listen: Best Tapering Routine for a Race with Olympic Marathoner
Stephen Scullion is a 2:09 marathoner and Olympic athlete, and one of the best at explaining the psychological struggle of the final two weeks before a race.
In this video, he shares his exact taper strategies, recovery tips, and mental prep tactics to help you show up on race day feeling sharp, not stale.
If you're in taper mode right now and your mind and legs feel heavy, this is for you.
Key Takeaways:
- The "Heavy Leg" Myth: Feeling stiff and heavy 4 days out is a sign the taper is working, not a sign you've lost fitness.
- The 1% Gains: The final two weeks are about recovery and psychological work that allow you to "extract every inch of performance" when the race gets hard at mile 20.
- Keep the CNS Snappy: Don't just sit on the couch. Keep your central nervous system sharp with short, easy efforts.
Bottom Line: Taper anxiety is real. This episode will help you trust the process and show up ready.
📰 In Other News (this week in fitness)
🔹 HYROX Miami Recap
Over 20 VTLZR athletes raced in Miami earlier this month, including a top-3 overall finish and multiple age-group podiums.
👉 Check out the VTLZR photo drop here
🔹 US Gym Memberships Hit All-Time High
The Health & Fitness Association released its 2026 Consumer Report this week: 81 million Americans belong to a gym or studio (an all-time record), with 100 million total users, including day passes. AND only 4.6% of members didn't use their membership last year, down from 10%. Fitness is now an essential expense.
👉 Read the full report
HYROX DC Registration Opens Next Week
HYROX Washington, D.C. (September 3-7) early access registration opens Tuesday, April 14 at 10 AM EDT and runs through Thursday, April 16 at 10 AM EDT. VTLZR+ members can find the early access link and code in Skool.
👉 Join VTLZR+ for registration access
🔹 Wodify Partners with HYROX to Scale Global Growth
Wodify, the gym management software platform, teamed up with HYROX this week to help scale one of the fastest-growing fitness formats in the world. The partnership will streamline event registration, athlete tracking, and gym integrations as HYROX expands to 50+ events globally in 2026.
👉 Read more about the partnership
🔔 What's Happening in VTLZR+
Last Call Recap: We just wrapped a session on Race Week Execution, covering taper mindset, pre-race nerves, nutrition strategy, and how to show up confident.
Next Up: We're diving into post-race recovery and fighting post-race blues: the mental and physical side of what comes after you cross the finish line.
We'll chat about how to recover smart, navigate the emotional comedown, and set yourself up for what's next without losing momentum.
VTLZR+ members save $50–75/month on gear, fuel, and recovery tools from our brand partners. Biweekly expert calls. Full recordings. Real coaching.
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.
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