How Equinox Helped Me Become an IRONMAN
It’s 6am, still dark, freezing cold and it just started snowing. It seems to me like the perfect time to go for a swim and later in the day I think I’ll go for a run. But wait now its freezing rain and a term I’ve now become familiar with since moving to NYC, “Wintry Mix” which in my opinion is the worst conditions you can be in when stuck outside in this crazy, hectic and overly crowded city. So I guess I’ll do my run inside today as well. Then tomorrow I have a 3hr bike ride and a yoga session to round out a 16hr-training week. This is an average amount of time dedicated to training each week when preparing for a Full Distance Ironman Triathlon, that I signed up for 1 year in advance. Just so you know, an Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, then a marathon run, 26.2 miles for a grand total of 140.6 miles. As a result I’ll need to maximize my time in order to get all this training done along with proper body recovery. Oh yeah, I also work full-time, live bi-coastal and try to fit a personal life somewhere in there. This is going to be challenging and I love it!
In a city that has everything, there’s one thing that is very hard to come by and that is a good pool. There are several tiny rooftop pools that are for lounging and partying. Then if you’re lucky, you live in an apartment building that offers one as part of the amenities. These are very nice but you pay a premium to live there. Next, you have the local community pools like the YMCA, JCC and City Pools. The membership to these is usually very affordable but they are not the cleanest and well-kept pools, let's just say I’ve seen mold forming all around the pool. On top of this, I already have a gym membership, a yoga membership and pay for weekly messages and other recovery treatments in order to maintain this crazy Ironman training pace.
I decided to find a single place that I could consolidate everything at one place. That’s what got me to check out Equinox. Equinox is dubbed a club rather than a gym which I think is a great marketing angle but it’s also a true statement. They truly separate themselves from any other gym in NYC or LA. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan so I went to the Equinox Sports Club on West 67th. Equinox has several different types of clubs that offer a variety of different amenities. The “Sports Clubs” typically have the most features. For example, they can include a restaurant, lounge, cryotherapy, sauna, steam room, yoga, spin classes, running track and a salt water pool to boot! This particular one in my neighborhood has everything I need to train at my best and maximize my results. So I went on a 3-day trial with a buddy to experience it for myself. I knew going into this that this club was more expensive than most but with all these options and features it may worth it? I figured I can eliminate all my other memberships and consolidate them into one at Equinox…lets see if it’s worth it!
Wow! This place is awesome! It’s clean, stylish and offers much more than I expected. First, let’s take a look at the pool. It’s big and clean, Check!, the locker room is roomy and not overly crowded, Check!, the equipment is well kept and current, offering a full Crossfit room, Check!, the spin classes are legit, Check!, the Yoga classes are great (LA has the best classes), Check!, the sauna is big and hot!, Check!, the showers have everything you need, including high-end products from Kiehl’s, Check!, a lounge where I can work before or after my workouts, Check!, a spa where I can get a message as needed, Check! and the staff are all great and I can visit any club around the US and world (with an all club destination membership), Check! The last feature is great because I travel often for work. Ok, everything looks good, where do I sign up! Oh wait, it’s close to $300 a month…damn! So I do the math, I factor in the value of my time which is huge because I can save a lot of it with the all conveniences the clubs offer. Then I figured if I cancel all my other memberships and just go with Equinox it’s not that much of a difference, plus I’ll be training every day, twice a day, so I’ll definitely get my money's worth. Can you put a price tag on your health? Someone once said that “sooner or later your health will become your number one concern.” I truly believe this and would rather be proactive instead of reactive! You can easily spend $300 on one night of cocktails and dinner in the city, only to feel like shit the next day. I do drink and enjoy a great meal but in moderation. If I’m not healthy then none of that matters anyways…
As a member I got to be one of the first to experience and train on the new Vessel Run at Hudson Yards in Manhattan! Some of the top Equinox trainers there with me at 6am on a cold winter morning!
So I went for it, and boy did I get my money's worth! I checked in twice a day almost every day, averaging 22.5 check-ins per month. That’s over 200 times (between Jan-Sep 2019), I visited an Equinox to either train and or recover as I prepared for my big day. I’m not going to lie, this is a lot more than your average club member but I had a big goal ahead of me and could not afford to slack off at any time during these 9 months.
This was becoming my Vision Quest and I was bound and determined to complete it. I spent countless hours in the weight room, treadmills and pool. Followed by daily sauna sessions and freezing cold showers to help manage inflammation which is very helpful considering the volume I was putting out. I even did a few cryotherapy sessions. Here is a summary of my training from Jan-Sep 2019:
-Swim: 162,796 yds (appx 92 miles, equal to swimming around Manhattan island 3.5x’s)
-Bike: 2,615.23 miles (equal to riding my bike from Los Angeles, CA to Manhattan, NY)
-Run: 692.72 miles (equal to running from California to Utah)
Not to mention, I also completed 4 triathlons and ran the LA Marathon during the same time period. Needless to say, joining Equinox helped get me to where I needed to be in order to accomplish these goals, all at the age of 40 years old! What’s up!? I’m not only talking about the physical but mentally I was stronger than ever. I truly believe that the physical and mental well being are directly linked together. If one is out of alignment the other one will be too.
All of the swimming was done indoors, a good chunk of the running was too but most of the biking was outside because it was summer and I had good weather.
So was joining Equinox worth it? See the pic below, that’s me crossing the finishing line at my first Full Ironman triathlon in September, 2019. I’m in tears because I had just accomplished the biggest goal of my life to date. I got to experience something I have never felt before, pure Happiness!
Now as we head into the new year many people are going to start planning their resolutions for 2020. That means for about 2 weeks the gyms and clubs will be crowded AF! But wait about two weeks and things will all go back to normal because in a recent study it was found that on Jan 17, most people gave up on their resolutions! I think the reason is that people are not making real-life changes but rather temporary ones that sound good at the moment but they are not willing to change every aspect of their lives to help make their new goal successful. So right out of the gate on Jan,1st you're hungover and skip day 1, then say, “well, I’ll start on Monday”. Now a few more days are gone and before you know it you never start or you fail a week later. So here is my advice. Use these Dont’s and Do’s (yes, don’ts are first because I feel the things you stop doing are more important!) as your new starting point for your resolutions:
-Don’t gain any more weight
-Don’t go into more debt
-Don’t buy any more junk food
-Don’t hate on yourself
-Don’t compare yourself to others
-Don’t be negative
-Do be positive
-Do fail (but don’t give up)
-Do set goals
-Do take risk
-Do love yourself
-Do your best
Thank you Equinox, Good Luck to you all in 2020! I hope to see you in my club or competing side-by-side with me on your own Vision Quest!
Greg S. Pawlisa
