Life started to get busy for corporate lawyer, entrepreneur, mom and Peloton Member Rachel Johnson. “There was a point when my health was coming in last place in my life and I knew I needed the strength of the women around me to help me get back on track,” says Rachel. She quickly realized that Peloton was empowering the women in her life to take control of their health and fitness, and an idea was born. Rachel was inspired by her friends’ stories of their workouts and how motivational she found them in keeping up her workout routine, and it set her on the road to making her first half marathon a celebration of the women in her life.
“Some of us were friends of friends, some of us have known each other since kindergarten, and some of us have just met within the last year, but between friends and friends, the whole group got together,” Rachel says. They’re spread as far apart as Florida, California, New York, New Jersey and Missouri, but the thing the women all had in common? Peloton. Some Members have Bikes and Treads, while others use the app, but they all committed to training for the Malibu Half Marathon with the help of Peloton, and a lively text thread sharing their workouts, meals, training tips and jokes along the way.
As the group began training, they discovered how much progress they were able to make by valuing consistency over quantity. “I thought a workout had to be “go to a class” or “get in an hour run,” and what I learned by using the Peloton App was that idea of getting in that 20 minute run just as opposed to trying to run six miles. That really changed my thought process,” says Rachel. “It's a matter of finding that 20 minutes and doing whatever I can. That’s a huge win because otherwise, I wouldn't do anything. It’s been really cool seeing that work for this race in particular but also just throughout our community of women.” Robyn, Rachel’s colleague and another member of the group found the training process to be a meaningful part of building up their friendships as well. “I’ve run two half marathons before, and before it you’re nervous, you're about to do this big thing, but we found that bonding foundation.”
When it came time for race day, the excitement was high, but the energy was laid-back and warm. “It was kind of nice and refreshing to get together for a weekend--it wasn't a wedding or a bachelorette party,” says Rachel. “It was just fun committing to something together.” Similarly, Robin remembers feeling how special the bond was: “I think having that shared goal really helped us connect because you're getting to know people on a different level” says Robyn. “By doing the race for ourselves, we were also supporting this greater group of women and helping us feel that success of doing something we've never done before, which was so cool.” They chose Malibu both for the beauty of the course and the chance to enjoy some serious self-care, building in time for cooking together, doing yoga on the lawn, and spending quality time together before heading back to their busy lives across the country.
As their community continues to grow, Rachel and Robin are excited to experience the groundswell of power that they’ve started to witness in women who have joined them on their journey. “I like the power of seeing women just going for it,” says Rachel. “It’s about women coming together and lifting each other up and supporting each other whether in work personal life, getting healthy--it doesn't matter.” Building something that is helping to propel other women toward the goals they set out for themselves is what it comes down to for Rachel at the end of the day. “Our mission is to inspire all women to live healthier, happier lives by motivating each other every step of the way.”
