Hey folks, I'm not so good at this blogging thing. I love to write, but spend a lot of time doing it on my instagram captions. If you blog, I'm sure you know that it is very time consuming. It can be discouraging writing up posts that no one seems to read. I haven't set a goal for myself this year to write more, but my goal is to write more on what I'm passionate about. So passionate in fact, that words should flow easily and this post should be written quickly. So for my first post in 2020, I'm talking PELOTON.
How my Peloton obsession started:
About 18 months ago, I was talking to my old boss about wanting to cross train. Indoor cycling is always something I had wanted to try. She had tried various cycle studios in the area and recommended it, but also cautioned me about how expensive they are. They truly are VERY pricy. In the Orlando market, most studios offer a 10 class package for $200 or each class being around $20-$30 depending. Not to mention, having to be on their class time schedule. I quickly forgot about it and never even went to do a trial class.
Fast forward to Christmas 2019. I had already given my "Christmas list" to my family. However, I went to NYC in early December and kept overhearing women on my city tour talk about wanting to find the Peloton studio. They kept saying the "controversial ad" was amazing and they were obsessed with their bikes. When I got home to Florida, I watched a lot of YouTube reviews about the Peloton bike and found a lot of reviews on Instagram. I could not find a single negative thing being said. Everyone loved it. One week before Christmas, I asked my family for a Peloton bike and they laughed. I am not ignorant. I realize it is a huge ask. I explained why I wanted it, all the research I'd done, and the 0% APR payment options. They still didn't buy into it. Long story short, Christmas Day came and went and I did not get a bike. I was pretty disappointed just because I thought it would be an easy sell. My family is always on me to get healthier. December 26th, I went to the Peloton showroom in Charlotte. My family's biggest (valid) argument was that I had never tried spin before, so how could I know if I would like it?
Unfortunately, my showroom experience was a nightmare. Their private rooms were taken so I had to take my test class on the bike in the center of the showroom. No one told me what "tabata" was or recommended a class type for me to take. I tried to take a 15 min Tabata ride with Alex Toussaint. If you are reading this and don't ride, tabata is literally the hardest class you can possibly take. Needlesss to say, I stopped 5 minutes in and wasn't even doing it right because they didn't show me how to control resistance or read cadence on the screen. I was humiliated. The sales people saw me not even last 5 minutes, but looking back... I realize it's all their fault. They missed a LOT of key points to tell someone who has never ridden before. I got home and my mom asked me if I actually liked it and still wanted one. I lied through my teeth and said I loved it and lasted the whole 15 minutes. Yep, I'm going to hell. Fortunately, I trusted that I'd love it if I just knew what I was doing, could do it in the privacy of my home, and could slowly build up my fitness with the right classes.
After a couple more days of begging and making my case, my family had me return some of my other Christmas gifts, gave me $1500 to put towards the bike, and then I would pay the rest monthly. My bike was finally delivered January 8th. The delivery men were in my home for about 20 minutes and did an awesome, thorough job explaining everything about bike adjustments and the resistance knob. I took my first ever class on January 9th.
I love my bike so much that I have way too much to say and I'm developing a mini-blog series. The next post will focus on my actual experience with class types and consistency. The following post will discuss my favorite instructors, as well as how spin can really help runners with their cross training.
Rise Together, Shine Together.
Ashley xx
That's what I like about you the most- when you find a huge mountain in front of you, you find a way over it! You will always succeed!!! And I think you're blog is great! You will find your audience!!!!