It was HOT… like 95-degrees-feels-like-105-degrees hot, surrounded by heat-absorbing-and-reflection asphalt. It was the kind of hot that you burn yourself if you have leather seats and just hop in. Hot enough that actually seeking the shelter of a NYC air-conditioned car is something you seek out.
Most people who know me know I joke about going to Brooklyn: I call it “going abroad” and, for the most part, will tell people I can’t make it because I can’t find my passport. It’s not that there is actually anything wrong with Brooklyn; it’s probably more in part to how right Brooklyn is at providing you with just about everything you need, and if you are not careful, you may find yourself in the sixth and seventh decade of your life having never left. Oh, you want more space? Brooklyn. You need a yard? Brooklyn. You want a garage and car? Brooklyn. You want a nightlife and good food at your fingertips with big-city flair but small-town familiarity? Brooklyn. You want to get back to Manhattan…… that’s a whole different story. Getting there has never been an issue—getting out is for a whole other blog post.
Right… so it was HOT, and the PHD Big Hugger crew lead by Lauren McKinnon had just organized a bunch of people to also agree to step out into the Sahara-hot and to make their way to Brooklyn to take a spin class for charity. For those of you who are not living in proximity of NYC, SoulCycle is basically a spin class with great music and a crazed-out cardio junkie who leads you down a path that can only be described as, “Stuff your parents would probably have yelled at you for doing had this been at their house and their exercise equipment”: Don’t try to bunny hop the stationary bike! Why are you jumping all over this thing? That’s not what it was made for! Are those weights under the seat? Will you put those down? You know what, out! No more stationary bike for you, go play with your mother’s aerobics trampoline…
Where were we? Oh that’s right… so the Big Hug team decides a SoulCycle event would be the ideal way the team could get together and raise some money for the foundation in support of their Big Hug initiative. Now, there are 63 bikes in each one of these studios. So in my mind, I am thinking, “How many people are really going to go to Brooklyn midday in the scorching heat to sweat unlike you have ever sweated in your life? Okay, so we’ll get like 15-20 bikes have this nice little session.”
When I walked into the room, what did I find? 62 bikes with people in them. In roughly 72 hours, 63 people read about the initiative, and 63 people shuffled into a room after raising an astonishing $12,000+.
I was besides myself as I am in these things. What was even more amazing? Only one or two people actually knew David, so these were people who clearly had been impacted by depression and suicide and had the wherewithal to do something about it. As I was talking about the Foundation, I looked at every person on every bike, a bunch of new faces who got what we are trying to do and were willing to step and help. I stepped down with new resolve, stepped onto my bike, and proceeded to find out just how much a person can sweat in 45 minutes. I also found out that, for the most part, women are able to multitask way better than men.
It goes something like this: Start pedaling, good music comes up… oh yeah, I’ll bounce to the beat while I pedal, this is great! Wait, what? A push-up on the handle bars? Why would you do that? I am already sweating… wait, a push-up to a push-back to a jump-up? Yeah, maybe if the bike had a freewheel. You want me to do curls while my heart is blasting out of my rib cage and topping 177bpm? Well, this is what a heart attack feels like.
Did I mention the sweat? I already drank my little bottle of provided water. I look to the bike on the right, and when I think Marissa isn’t looking, I steal her water. I look left and right, and everybody seems to have figured out how to do these complicated dance moves on a bike while their legs are moving at a billion revolutions a minute. Me? I am channeling everything inside of me to not stop pedaling, let alone jump around on this thing. Also, I have never found an activity that makes curling a five-pound weight an epic task.
SIDE NOTE: The last time I did a SoulCycle class, I fell off the bike… I know that doesn’t seem possible, but I actually fell off my bike mid-session while the instructor was trying to swap out my all-too-heavy 5-pound weight for a 3-pound one. You have no idea how emasculating that is… LOL.
I lost about 15 pounds of water weight. I don’t even get this wet when I shower… and then as quickly as it started, it was over. The whole crew was invigorated, and I, too, felt this amazing release of energy. It felt even better knowing all these people experienced this with me and for the Foundation. As I tried to personally thank everybody who contributed and made this possible, I learned of people who lost their sisters, brothers, and cousins. I was able to share stories about battling depression and was reaffirmed that we are, in fact, making a difference and having open discussions in public places.
It was a HOT day.
