Now, she works at Peloton, the world’s leading connected fitness platform, is a Nike athlete, and is an Abbott Team Running ambassador. “It’s crazy to me to try every sport and then lead people to exercise and lead people to exercise,” she told Well+Good.
In her latest endeavor, Oyeneyin decided to try something she’d never done before: She ran the 2024 Chicago Marathon with Team Abbott. While Oyenyin was very comfortable in the saddle of her spin bike, she wasn’t as confident when running. In fact, she considers herself not a runner simply because she doesn’t enjoy running. “I don’t know that I would say I like it now, but I do like the feeling afterwards,” she said.
The importance of getting out of your comfort zone
Not only has Oyenyin taken on the challenge of running a marathon, she recently jumped into the water to try swimming. What inspires and inspires her to try new and scary things?
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“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I like to push myself. I like to test my limits. I’m someone who doesn’t like to get complacent – I like when things are different. So both of these physical activities pushed me A space where I feel comfortable. I’m used to exercising my body every day, but running is not my lifestyle and neither is swimming.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I like to push myself. I like to test my limits. —Tunde Oyeneyin, Peloton Instructor
Outside of her comfort zone, both physically and mentally, is where she thrives. Whether it’s meeting new interesting people or learning things you didn’t know, there’s a payoff. “There is always victory in the end,” she said. “To me, finishing anything and trying is victory, but beyond that there’s always some reward that I couldn’t have predicted.”
One of the many things Oyenyin learned while training and running for the Chicago Marathon was that there was really nothing she couldn’t do and nothing she wasn’t willing to explore. She attributes this to curiosity – when you dare to be curious, she says, there’s a world of opportunity ahead. “The beauty of uncertainty is the endless possibilities. You don’t know what’s ahead until you get in the car and start driving. What if you were curious enough to try? What you’ll get on the other side What victory?
Oyenyin explained that for her, running is about meditation and healing. “It tears you in two, but somehow it lifts you and heals you and glues you back together.” She hopes more people can experience what it feels like to be broken and rebuilt in the same minute, and hopes More people are venturing out of their comfort zones.
Run the Chicago Marathon
She also discovered that running is a more inclusive sport than she initially thought. “I learned that runners don’t look in the same direction. To train, to have these out-of-body moments, seeing myself doing things that I said I couldn’t do or wouldn’t do, I realized that runners There’s not just one look,” she said.
Running with Team Abbott also helped take her mind off runners. Created by global healthcare company Abbott, Team Abbott is a team of runners from around the world who use their running journeys to inspire others and show that with the right support and determination, every finish line is achievable . “I wanted to work with the Abbott team this year because I wanted to let people know that marathon running doesn’t exist in any specific package. I wanted to align myself with a team that had a similar mission to show people they can do it,” she explain.
Oyenyin asked a friend for advice before running a marathon, and he told her to “run your own race.” She found that helped when she played against Chicago. “When you’re out there and people twice your age are running by you, you start to think, ‘Why can’t I? But you don’t know that person’s story. This is a very personal undertaking. sports.
“Now that I’ve done it, there’s nothing I can’t do. Be curious enough to try. —Tunde Oyeneyin, Peloton Coach
What helps her when training is remembering that there will be highs and lows. When there are bad days, you have to let them go; when there are good days, you have to acknowledge them, appreciate them, and let them go. If you compare yourself, and if one day doesn’t feel as good as another, you’ll start to wonder what you’re doing wrong.
Oyeni would sometimes stand up and run three miles, and those three miles felt daunting, heavy, scary, slow, breathless. Sometimes she would wake up, run 10 miles, and be eager to run more.
“If I allowed the feeling I had from those three miles the day before to carry over to the next day, I wouldn’t enjoy those 10 miles,” she says. “Running is really a mile-by-mile sport. You can only think about the miles you’ve done because when you think about the total workload, it feels so daunting. When you compare a mile to what’s coming or When you compare a mile behind, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Now she rides a bicycle while running and swimming. Is triathlon next? It’s not impossible, she said. “Now that I’ve done it, there’s nothing I can’t do. But I don’t know if that belief would have come if I hadn’t started this journey here first, or if I would have been curious enough to ask myself this question. So. , again, be curious enough to try.
