I stood there and a familiar feeling washed over me, a feeling I experienced the first time I stood along the route of this very race in 2010, and again several years later when friends were training for the Cape Town marathon, in Lagos, Nigeria, in less than ideal circumstances. There were few places to run long distances safely and those badasses were running for hours and hours, round and round, a gated community. I wanted to run too. I wanted to do this hard thing. As I had done before, I quickly dismissed the idea. After all, 26.2 miles is a long way, I am not a runner, I would be too slow, I don't have the time, I've never run very far, I am too old, I could get injured, and so on, and so on...
The runners started coming in and I looked on in awe. There, among the fit and fast runners, runners and hand cyclists with various disabilities were crushing this 26.2 mile goal. I choked back tears and scolded myself for creating obstacles where there were none. I saw my excuses for what they were. People with no legs were doing this "hard thing". Some of these people risked their lives and sacrificed their limbs so I could stand here on the side of the street and make excuses about hard things. I needed to change my chatter and do the thing.
I began training, and it was tough, finding motivation daily was an incredible struggle. I was training myself, by myself. I was never sure if I had trained enough. I was in pain sometimes and I was always afraid of injury. It was grueling. I finished the MCM 2019, after running 18 or so miles and then walking the remainder to the finish. I had a decent finish time because I ran well until I didn't. I was proud to have finished, but sorely disappointed that I did not run the entire race. I felt I had unfinished business so I signed up for the MCM 2020 even though coronavirus was already in the news, and I had reservations about running with tens of thousands of people.
The live event was eventually cancelled and runners could choose to run the race virtually. I reluctantly made the choice to do the virtual race knowing that it would be a long way to run alone, carrying all my hydration and nutrition. There would be no crowd, no pomp and ceremony at the start, and it seemed like a very lonely endeavor. I also had major concerns about training in a pandemic. I could not use the gym in our building and I was not sure how comfortable I would feel running on the crowded Arlington trails.
We made the decision to purchase a Peloton bike shortly after the mid-March coronavirus shutdown. We invested our CARES Act stimulus check in our health - physical and mental. We were caught in the rush on bikes and did not receive ours until early June. I awaited delivery with great anticipation as I followed the Peloton journeys of friends and family, and saw them crush goals and celebrate milestones. I was eager to start my own journey.
I started riding just about the time I started training in earnest for the marathon. I wore neck gaiters and ran when the trails were least crowded. Early morning runs gave me to opportunity to enjoy many glorious sunrises, and I quite enjoyed being done with my workouts earlier in the day. In an effort to marry my spinning to my marathon training, I did a lot of endurance and low impact rides. I found that my runs were a lot less painful than the previous year when I wasn't doing any sort of cross training. I was feeling fitter and more confident about the virtual marathon.
But it wasn't just the training that was boosting my confidence, something else was happening, something unexpected. I had found myself enveloped in a community like no other.
When I got the bike, I received an invitation to join a small WhatsApp group of Pelo Mamas, and reconnect with old friends. "Come join us, we lift each other up" they said, and they did! That regular dose of kindness, positivity, and encouragement gave me the motivation to keep going on the trails, and in the saddle.
In addition, Peloton offers so much more than a workout because every instructor is motivational speaker. I am able to pick and choose my classes based on my mood and my particular need for the day. Some days, I need to fangirl over Denis and his fabulous taste in music; other days, I need Robin to tell me to put on my crown; or Cody to tell me to get my shit together; or maybe I need Ally to take me back to my youth and Caribbean roots with her sweet Soca sessions; or for Matt to remind me that the numbers are important; or I need Christine to tell me to change my chatter and remember that I am bigger than a smaller pair of pants.
On September 27, 2020, I ran 26.47 miles and earned my MCM 2020 medal, and on October 8, 2020, I rode my 300th Peloton ride. As I celebrate these accomplishments, I can't help reflecting on how much of an impact the purchase of this bike has had on my quality of life and I am so grateful.
The culture of motivation and support that is a byproduct of being a part of the Peloton community is so powerful that those who receive, reciprocate. I am so proud that most of the members of our little Pelo Mamas group have been inspired to take on a new challenge and have signed up to participate in the Marine Corps Marathon 10K race this year. I am honored to be in the company of strong women who do hard things.
Since this blog is intended to be about living in a small space and staying out of debt, it would be remiss of me not to explain why I am endorsing a $2000+ piece of equipment that takes up space. First, it doesn't take that much space. Our bike sits comfortably on a 2'x4' mat in a corner of our living room. I deliberately put it where I could workout while keeping an eye on the kids. The bike could easily fit in a bedroom if the bike-in-the-livingroom aesthetic doesn't appeal to you.
It is a splurge but we decided that it was a worthwhile investment in our health, particularly during a pandemic, when we couldn't access our building gym. We did't previously pay for a gym membership so the monthly Peloton membership was an additional expenditure. However, the mental and physical gains are so worth the $39/month fee that I could easily sacrifice a few lattes a month, if necessary. If you are still unable to get over the sticker shock, Peloton also offers a lower cost membership for app users who are not using Peloton equipment. You can have access to all the workouts for only $12.99/month.
This bike really is worth every penny!
This is not a paid endorsement.
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