Becs Gentry: Peloton Instructor, Elite Runner, and World Class Motivator

When Becs Gentry crossed the Tokyo Marathon finish line, she claimed more than just a medal; she completed the coveted Abbott World Majors, a testament to her unstoppable spirit post-baby. Our conversation with this Peloton powerhouse goes beyond her strides on the pavement, delving into her compelling story of motherhood, body acceptance, and finding the exuberance in personal transformation. As she candidly shares the emotional growth tied to her journey, we're reminded that every mile has its own story.

Marathons are microcosms of life's broader challenges, a sequence of steps filled with resilience and community spirit. As we share tales from the vibrant streets of Tokyo to the solidarity of the New York City Marathon, we touch on the strategies that keep us running: from the importance of race nutrition to breaking daunting distances into manageable segments. Join us as we explore the unseen mental mantras and the communal bonds that transform a solitary run into a shared triumph.

Transcript

John Pelkey: 0:04

Welcome to 3, 2, 1, Go the Podcast. I'm John Pelkey.

Carissa Galloway: 0:08

And I'm Carissa Galloway and we're bringing you stories from start to finish to keep the everyday athlete motivated to keep moving towards the next finish.

John Pelkey: 0:17

All right, carissa. Today we're very, very excited to have a woman who motivates countless athletes and weekend warriors every single day. She's a mom, an amazing runner, finished fourth at the British Olympic Marathon trials for the 2020 Olympic team. But you probably know her best as an inspiring Peloton instructor it's Bex Gentry.

Carissa Galloway: 0:39

I mean, john, how excited are we to have Bex join us? Because we inspire people like four to six times a year, but she does it every single day. She's an amazing human. I met her at the Olympic trials here in February and she just was so warm, so kind and to everybody, being an announcer, somebody on the street, always taking time to give love for her fans. She recently got her sixth star from the Abbott World Majors by running the Tokyo Marathon, and that's a big deal. To get all six of those stars Takes a lot of dedication Six marathons all over the world.

Carissa Galloway: 1:13

So we chat with her about her race in Tokyo, her, as she calls it, grow back after having baby tea. And of course, we talk about Peloton In Healthier you. We talk about getting sugar in on your run and we answer a listener question about nerves. Thank you guys, so much for listening. Hit that subscribe button or add us to your library. That's truly the kindest thing you can do. Thank you for all the kind words after springtime surprise. We love seeing you at the finish line too. If you really want to keep 3-2-1-GO going, then become a supporter and shout out to our newest supporter it is Anne-Marie. Woo-woo, anne-marie, you can become a supporter following the link in the show notes.

John Pelkey: 1:54

Let's do this 3, 2, 1, go. 3, 2, 1, go. All right, carissa, you're just back from Ironman Texas where apparently you had quite the busy weekend. I know you wrote out the stuff you did, but I've been following you. Press conference welcoming ceremony. Announce the race reporting for the broadcast. I mean, I'm sure you made out fairly well financially, but money per hour spent was probably not that great. How was it out there?

Carissa Galloway: 2:34

That's funny. We actually had three announcers. Usually we only have two, so having three was like a dream. And so shout out to Tony and Tom because they actually did. I would call it the harder work. They got to transition first. It's just that, talking, talking, talking, like you, when you get to the start of a race, that's not Disney, it's just that hour. Two hours of the bathrooms are here. The race starts here. So I actually got to do the fun stuff which you would like to like. I got to call in the pros for the swim start, wearing bib number one. You're 2023 champion. We like that kind of stuff. So I actually did. I think I made out better because I got to do the fun stuff. I got to Skype in on the live broadcast, which was fun. We haven't done that before. So that kind of broke up my day a little bit and allowed me to kind of put on a different hat, if you will, but the pros were fun.

Carissa Galloway: 3:22

The Ironman Pro Series is new this year, so they're putting a lot of focus on coverage for that and trying to tell some of the stories of the pros, which I think is important. The woman who won her name is Kat Matthews she won last year as well, but prior to last year's win she had a horrific bike accident where, when she hit the ground, people training with her thought she was dead. There was so much blood coming out of her head, essentially. So her comeback was fantastic. A lot of other great pro stories there.

Carissa Galloway: 3:50

Patrick Lange he's from Germany so it looks like Lange, but we're supposed to say Lange. You know he is a two-time Ironman world champion. He came in second and I had not gotten to know him before. But such a good human like great sportsmanship with all the other athletes. After the race they were waiting to do our live broadcast interviews and he was just sitting in a chair, looked genuinely like he was going to vomit, but people kept coming up to him and asking for pictures so he would sit up, engage with them and then go right back down to feeling terrible and I was like what a nice guy, right. Imagine you finishing the race and people being like John.

Carissa Galloway: 4:24

John, what a nice guy right, Like imagine you finishing the race and people being like John, John, John, and you'd be like no, and you just did Go away. You did 6.2 miles and he did 140.6 and ran a 235 marathon at the end of an Ironman which was not the fastest marathon of the day.

John Pelkey: 4:43

They're just a different breed, the people who do that on that level. They're just a different breed, the people who can do that on that level. But I love the fact that you know he also realizes he's an ambassador and promoting a sport that, while gaining in popularity, still needs more viewers, more eyes on it, more people interested in it. And I think two things from what you said the storytelling, the back. Storytelling is imperative for something like that, because Wide World of Sports, which I grew up with, told us that who cares about ice skating, barrel jumping? Well, you do when you find out. You know the guy who finished second last year, adopted nine kids and you know, flies his own plane.

John Pelkey: 5:19

And the other thing is, you know, just recognizing that as a stellar athlete in that that you kind of have to be there. You can't be the aloof wide receiver who doesn't want to talk to the press.

Carissa Galloway: 5:28

You're not getting millions of dollars. Part of that is just sort of that quality. And then we had another athlete that I'm a huge fan of. His name is Matthew Marquardt.

Carissa Galloway: 5:36

He is a full-time medical student and a pro triathlete and he's just a really smart, focused guy.

Carissa Galloway: 5:42

He was leading the whole race it was going to be his first win and then on the run he just hit a wall and he starts walking. And then he runs a little bit and you see him, see his girlfriend and his mom, and I think he's like maybe crying, he's like hugging them, and then he's just walking and so the coverage there's only we've talked about this before there's only one camera, so the camera is on Tomas, the guy who went on to be the first Mexican to win an Ironman, and so I don't know where Matthew is and I just assumed he'd quit or whatever. This guy came in fourth. He hit a wall of walls. I don't know how he kept going, but it was strong enough to finish fourth. And so he's just a super inspiring athlete. He wants to work in cancer research and be a cancer surgeon, you know, of course, like a cancer neurosurgeon. That's like a totally like not ridiculously hard job to do while you're training for Ironman, but anyway, I'm sure he just kept going.

John Pelkey: 6:32

Quires a couple hours of the day.

Carissa Galloway: 6:33

Right, and so those stories there.

Carissa Galloway: 6:36

And the other thing I want to say about the race itself is the bike course is essentially an out and back 112 miles on a toll road, so one not very scenic, but the wind was, john, awful, like 30 to 35 mile an hour gust.

Carissa Galloway: 6:50

So half the way they had this headwind that they just said was horrific. And what I heard from a lot of the pros that I think it's important to pass on to our athletes is that everyone I talked to said they had to find a mantra and just repeat it over and over, and over and over. So one of them was like the wind won't beat me, the wind won't beat me, the and over and over and over. So one of them was like the wind won't beat me, the wind won't beat me, the wind won't beat me. Like strong and fluid, strong and fluid. So take that, you guys, into your next sort of long run or your long race when you do hit that wall of walls. It's really just a bunch of words. You know whatever that needs to be, but have those mantras in your back pocket, because they work.

John Pelkey: 7:25

Yeah, and that had to hurt too, because a lot of times what helps at least that people have talked to me who know a lot more about it than me but it's something I do as well is looking at a signpost down the line, whatever it is that tree that let me get there. And then you get there and you go. Okay, I was able to get here, so let me get to the next thing. But you're on a toll road in Texas. Oh, when I get to that next, I don't know. Turnaround for official cars only.

Carissa Galloway: 7:49

Yeah, which the turnaround is like. There's like one of those, yeah, yeah, and I know the race that's tough. Yeah, it was a really tough. It seems like an easy bike, right, like flat. Sometimes flat races are harder because when you go up and down you use different muscles. You get the up and then you get the down when it's flat.

John Pelkey: 8:04

You'll coast. Yeah, you definitely want to have that little down save the legs. No coasting Again. Different breed of people who do that and that is very inspiring. You know nothing to take, nothing away from anybody who finished first, second or third. That fourth place finish may be the story of the race.

Carissa Galloway: 8:19

It is, and he'll get that first win and I hope I'll be there to see it.

John Pelkey: 9:40

Great stuff, all right, great stuff, all right. You asked. You want me to ask you this question and I'm a little frightened because I don't know the answer to it.

Carissa Galloway: 9:50

Any animal encounters out there in Texas? Um, yes, john, yes, so I did. The pro put the pros in the water. Uh, when the cannon went off the first time, this beautiful crane like took off. It was real cute, but that's not the animal I'm talking about.

Carissa Galloway: 10:02

So I walked to the swim exit and we're there probably 20 minutes before the pros are going to get there and I see the volunteers. So they swim in a canal that's rather shallow Because it's a canal, and it's concrete. When the ducks or such use the restroom, it's just chill in there. So that's one thing to talk about. But we're waiting. And the guy goes yeah, I just just, the volunteers are in the stairs, so it's a staircase. They're going to come out and I get there and the volunteers are in the stairs and this guy goes Wait, sir, let me get that snake off the stair for you.

Carissa Galloway: 10:38

So takes the snake, grabs it, throws it, grabs about five others, throws them out back into the canal. Well, what do you think they do? They come back. So I'm standing there and these snakes are just coming back towards where these people are standing in the water, where they are going to be for the next probably three hours to help the athletes out, and so they're kind of like hitting it with the water. Well, that just makes the snakes mad. Then they're coming like they're gonna bite. We don't pay volunteers. There's not enough money in the world to pay me to stand in stairs where there are snakes for hours. Nope, nope, so sorry event comes to end.

John Pelkey: 11:15

That's the next morning in the paper if I'm running it. Event ends not just prematurely, but before it even begins at that point.

Carissa Galloway: 11:24

Announcer refuses to announce, so I even I was like I don't like spiders, I'm okay. It's something about the way snakes move that just does not.

John Pelkey: 11:32

Yeah, I'm not like I don't have an inordinate fear of snakes, but if one, if you're surprised by a snake, it's a.

Carissa Galloway: 11:39

That's kind of a difficult thing to deal with because, again to your point, the way they move, I didn didn't know, because it's just a concrete wall and the water level is like two inches down and I'm like right here on the water, like are they going to come out? Because they could get out.

John Pelkey: 11:52

Well, I did watch, spend an inordinate amount of time on TikTok watching an alligator climb out of a about a six foot iron fence in South Florida, so I'm not putting anything past the snakes.

Carissa Galloway: 12:03

You know, honestly, I'd take the alligator off land.

John Pelkey: 12:06

Event does not happen. That's the headline.

Carissa Galloway: 12:08

So people are like Carissa, why don't you do Ironman Step one snakes? Oh, otherwise great event. Happy to be back, though, heading to Indianapolis tomorrow when you guys hear this, for the Festival 500 Indy Mini Going to be a great race there. I already know there's a lot of run Disney friends that are going to be in the crowd, so excited for them. But you, John, you're excited. You have your Stones shirt on, I have my Keith Richards.

John Pelkey: 12:34

It's a photograph of Keith Richards from the 1975 tour. I believe it's a very attractive shirt. That fits me poorly but I love it because, as you know, huge Rolling Stones fan I've actually had people talk to me about that at races. Huge Rolling Stones fan. First saw them in 1981. Have gone to almost every tour since then, I think every tour since then here in Florida and tickets came around this time and you know Carissa concert tickets have. The price has increased as you know.

Carissa Galloway: 13:03

Yeah, I mean it, you know and I get it.

John Pelkey: 13:05

Artists don't make as much money selling albums. I completely understand. I'm pro-artist making money though the fees and stuff on Ticketmaster another story for another time. But my very good friend, david Lowe, who is an orthodontist in the Central Florida area and a friend of mine from theater, a talented actor and singer as well, he had four tickets for the floor for himself, his lovely wife and their two children. Now when he got those tickets he was actually in line. He had the two-computer thing going and was in line for another ticket and said hey, I don't know if you're in the lobby yet, but I'm almost there. Would you want me to get you four tickets? And then he told me what they cost and I didn't really have $3,000 to drop or whatever it was around that.

John Pelkey: 13:46

So I said no, you know what, not my year. And at the time he said well, my daughter may choose not to come back, or his son and daughter go to college in Colorado. She may be staying out there for the summer. You know she's not that excited about seeing the stones. You know who are these 105 year old guys she's asking. So there's a possibility you could get a seat. And I'm like oh wow, that's great. Don't never ask again, it would be rude. Just, you know, fingers crossed, marley decides to stay out at Colorado College. Subsequently, I am exchanging some information with David online I don't even remember what we were talking about and he goes. Oh, by the way, somebody offered my wife tickets to see James Taylor at Red Rocks the same weekend as the Stones and she's like I don't think I'm going to feel like going to the concert, so you can give my ticket away. And guess who gets that phenomenal seat for the Stones Hackney Diamonds Tour here in Orlando, keeping my streak alive of every tour since Tattoo, you, that's exciting for you.

John Pelkey: 14:45

I know it's very exciting for me, because now when you buy concert tickets because I have concert tickets to see Aerosmith in Orlando, but it's next February when you buy tickets now, it's usually like an eight-month wait. I'm going to be there in like a month and two days. It's June 3rd.

Carissa Galloway: 15:03

So very excited All stones. Thank you, David.

John Pelkey: 15:05

Lowe Lowe Orthodontics. If you're over there on the coast, please, please.

Carissa Galloway: 15:10

Well, you'll have to. We are holding our breath, waiting for a recap. And you finished your 10K to Tumbling Dice. That's a stone song.

John Pelkey: 15:17

Yeah, see, there it is. So people know Big deal, Big deal. Far too many people, by the way, sharing that video online.

Carissa Galloway: 15:24

I see lots of Pelky Run Club hats. I saw a race, maybe out in Ohio. If I see one in Indianapolis, I'm going to lose it.

John Pelkey: 15:30

I'm going to be like I've seen them all over the place. The hat travels much better than I do.

Carissa Galloway: 15:36

I'm going to be really excited to see one out in the wild for real. A quick sidebar I can finally speak today because after Ironman I did a healthier you chat and it was like like springtime and then Ironman, so hopefully it holds up.

John Pelkey: 15:52

But in a way it lets people know think our job is just nothing but giggles and fun and pixie dust. There is a at a point you do get to be like okay, I've announced for five, seven days out of eight.

Carissa Galloway: 16:04

I can't talk now. It takes a toll. Now that Stones concert for you is going to come up quickly because you are a traveling man. That's not a Stones song, I don't think.

John Pelkey: 16:13

No, traveling band is a Creedence Clearwater revival song. Not the same. All right, yes, I am this weekend very excited. My wife and I are traveling to New Hampshire and we are officiating the wedding of our niece. I love weddings, our niece Crystal and her husband-to-be, fernando, are getting married. Beautiful area up in the mountains of New Hampshire, it's going to be in the low 60s, going to be the 40s at night. So I'm going to get a little cool weather prior to the dog days and we're going to perform their Star Wars, avengers-themed wedding.

Carissa Galloway: 16:45

That's right. This is how we got to Jabba the Hutt on race day. But I didn't know there was an Avengers crossover and I got to say I think that's too much, you can't have it every day.

John Pelkey: 16:54

I had to write the wedding ceremony because I'm the official officiant, I'm the one who can legally perform wedding ceremonies, but Joe and I are both going to do the thing, and so I had to kind of write the script for it. Um, so, I, I, uh, we didn't make it overly May the 4th, because they're getting married on May the 4th people. May the 4th be with you, you know my mom and guy's wedding anniversary too. Uh-huh, yep. So uh, probably guy and your mom not doing it for that reason.

Becs Gentry: 17:21

but they did.

John Pelkey: 17:23

Well, well, possible. Okay, fair enough, a discussion for another day. But so I didn't put too many references in there. I found some really lovely quotes, surprisingly most from Yoda that could pop in there and some other things. But yeah, I kept it at a little bit of a minimum, but it is indeed a Star Wars themed wedding, with yours truly as a officiant.

Carissa Galloway: 17:46

I love that no One and Jodi's 1A. No costumes.

John Pelkey: 17:51

No costumes, though there was a color palette.

Carissa Galloway: 17:53

We were presented with a color palette. I'm not mad at that.

John Pelkey: 17:56

No, and part of one of the colors was black. Obviously for men's stuff and I do actually I possess an all black suit, a really nice one that I got from doing a spectrum commercial and they gave me the wardrobe afterwards so I picked up a new shirt and tie, which is always very exciting for a bit of a dandy like me. Got to go tie and shirt shopping. You don't really have to do that a lot in Florida people.

Carissa Galloway: 18:16

I don't know if you don't live here. What color did you go with? A pattern or a color?

John Pelkey: 18:19

I've got a very small windowpane pattern because it's an all black suit and I wanted to break that up a little bit and then a very colorful muted tie that picks up some of the colors in the shirt and really sets off and it's got kind of a cosmic look to it. It's kind of a. It would be like you took a striped tie, a medium striped tie, and then you kind of blurred it out a little bit, so the colors sort of run into each other.

John Pelkey: 18:45

Anyway, the sartorial explanations are not as good as they should be, but I think it's a good look. I'll get a picture and we can put it on with the, where people download the podcast and they can vote on whether or not they like my shirt and tie combination.

Carissa Galloway: 18:59

Sounds good. I will say for Weston and I's wedding. We had a small wedding in St Croix. I asked that everyone wear solid colors because I'd seen pictures of like beach weddings and then the one person in like I. Just I wanted everybody to just be solid. I didn't want any crazy patterns.

John Pelkey: 19:14

Weston thought that was a little diva-ish, but no no, no, and I think that that does make sense because you can get a lot to going on with patterns, but I just thought in an all-black suit and it had the colors that I needed, with the just white shirt it just feels too funerally to me. Yeah, so I wanted something that broke it up a little, and you're just showing the V, so I think it'll be fine.

Carissa Galloway: 19:33

I agree.

John Pelkey: 19:33

I don't think I will be a pariah at the wedding. All right, you and I have cruises, but I we will talk before my DVC members, Mediterranean cruise which comes up. You might go before I go, I think, and then I go after you, I will be going yeah, I think we're back from New Hampshire, and then we leave 10 days later.

Carissa Galloway: 19:51

So we'll talk about that next week, john. There's just one more thing I want to say before we dive into Bex, and it's about Taylor Swift.

John Pelkey: 19:59

Good, good, I'm excited.

Carissa Galloway: 20:01

So excited have you been listening to the Tortured Poets Department?

John Pelkey: 20:05

Yeah, I've been through everything a couple of times.

Carissa Galloway: 20:07

Lyrically it's not upbeat, but lyrically you've got to get into some of it.

John Pelkey: 20:11

No, it's good storytelling.

Carissa Galloway: 20:12

There's a conspiracy theory floating around, and the only reason I'm saying it because, if it's true, I want to get credit for saying it on the podcast that she is dropping another album on 5-3.

John Pelkey: 20:22

Wow.

Carissa Galloway: 20:22

Okay Now, base of the conspiracy theory. I mean these people, John, go deep, like way too deep. But that Fortnite was the first song of her album and if you go a Fortnite where to May 3rd, which is a Friday, and then if you look at the Tortured Poets Department logo, it's a three in Roman numerals logo, it's a three in Roman numerals. So there is a rumor that there is another part coming out on Friday, If it's right. I just want a little bit of credit, but there's a lot of Easter. I mean, these people go deep. They're like, and then when she posted the picture, there were three cats in it and on the next picture she was in a frame and there were five sides to it. Like it's too much, I'm going to say that, but I do.

John Pelkey: 21:02

It's not new. Can I just say it's not new, and I have everybody Google. Is Paul McCartney dead? Okay, and that's from 1966. Paul McCartney Supposedly there's a whole substructure of conspiracies about Paul McCartney died and was replaced by a lookalike and all these clues in the Beatles music and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and it's endlessly entertainment.

Carissa Galloway: 21:25

But he's not dead and it's a whole lot of bullpucky.

John Pelkey: 21:27

But he's not dead.

Carissa Galloway: 21:27

Right, Paul McCartney's not dead. What's that?

John Pelkey: 21:29

Is Paul McCartney dead? Well, there was a conspiracy that he died in 1966 in a car crash.

Carissa Galloway: 21:32

He's alive, but not to my knowledge and the person either. The say, though they claim this is how deep, as you mentioned, the theories go that Beatles' anthology is three, right? So then she's going to do three because she wore a Beatles shirt while recording.

John Pelkey: 21:54

These are so honestly Google, it Is Paul McCartney dead.

Carissa Galloway: 21:57

Same thing. You're not new, Taylor. You're not new.

John Pelkey: 22:00

And this is pre-internet the Paul McCartney dead thing. If there were an internet would just be exploding. But good for Taylor. Yeah, release another album. As I said, they don't make as much money on these album releases. You have to stay up front in people's minds so that they're buying your other merchandise or doing whatever. Just keep yourself out there, go Taylor. I'm a Swifty now, everyone knows it.

Carissa Galloway: 22:20

Yes, I know All right, well before we dive into Beck's. We've sounded so longer than we intended, but it just happens we're catching up.

John Pelkey: 22:26

Yeah, we are.

Carissa Galloway: 22:26

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John Pelkey: 23:10

I have. I started having some leg cramps a week or so, a little bit after, a couple days after starting back running after my 10k, and I've been taking the the pillar and my leg cramps have gone away and I haven't really done anything else different. So, yeah, give it a try, folks. It's very important. But we also want to thank Sarah Akers with Runs on Magic. Now. Sarah, a lover of Run Disney herself, always loves helping you plan those magical Run Disney weekends. But the world is your oyster with Sarah's help. Whether you're looking to book a honeymoon getaway, all-inclusive girls trip, guys trip to Vegas, family cruise or international adventure, she is there and she is at your service.

Carissa Galloway: 23:47

Yeah, I mean say I want to go here. She will help you with complimentary travel planning services, personalized itineraries, run Disney Universal Cruise. Again, like John said, the world is your oyster when you connect with her. Use the promo code 321GO. Find her on Instagram on RunsOnMagic, where she shares special offers and more. Or email her at instagram on runs on magic, where she shares special offers and more. Or email her at runs on magic travel at gmailcom okay, civilians, it's time for the goods.

Becs Gentry: 24:13

Let's get on to the interview.

John Pelkey: 24:17

Carissa, we are super excited to have uh, this is one of those long resumes here, so we'll try to edit it down as best we can. Running coach, sports personality, peloton instructor, mom, world marathon major six-star finisher. Deep breath for the old guy Bex Gentry joining us on 321. Go, bex. Thank you so much for spending some time with us. First of all, how are you and let everyone know where are you?

Becs Gentry: 24:46

Oh, John, thank you so much for spending some time with us. First of all, how are you and let everyone know where are you. Oh, John, thank you, I am good. I am in big wow for that intro. That is just making my cheeks go higher and higher and higher as you keep going there. Hugely grateful to be here. Thank you both for having me. I am in a gray and cold New York right now.

Carissa Galloway: 25:08

John is obsessed with New York. I think I put a question in there for you, John, just about New York. I know, I know, I know.

John Pelkey: 25:15

I grew up in Washington DC Bex, just to give you some background and I spent time going, as I was a theater actor, I spent time going to New York. So I have a love affair with New York and the only regret I have really in my entire life is that I never got to live there. But you know, I didn't have the earning potential. So there you have it.

Carissa Galloway: 25:33

You're still alive.

Becs Gentry: 25:34

John, he was sensible. Maybe I think we could go with that one.

John Pelkey: 25:39

All right. Well, back to-. I didn't have my time in a 200-square-foot apartment and damn it, I'm so upset by that.

Becs Gentry: 25:45

You know what? Just turn around, open those closet doors behind you, go in there for the next 24 hours. You've got your experience.

Carissa Galloway: 25:52

I think his wife would like him to do that sometimes.

John Pelkey: 25:55

No, I'm just kidding. This is in my ear. She can't hear it.

Carissa Galloway: 25:58

Oh my gosh, All right. Well, bex, you're a woman who I just respect so much because you do it all and you keep reaching for new goals, new opportunities and as a fellow mom and I know all the moms out there just love seeing that. But if Bex runs into somebody, you're on an airplane, you're at a party and they don't know you. How do you describe Bex? What do you say you do.

Becs Gentry: 26:21

I, oh my gosh, I'm such a goofball. I just always just probably lead with that I'm, I'm Bex, I'm a runner. I always say that first, um, I'm a running coach. I, um, you know my, my Peloton family probably be like why do you never lead with your Peloton instructor? Because I never think anyone knows who I am. I never presume everybody knows Peloton, or a lot of people obviously do, millions and millions and millions of members out there. Bike is like first. So I get really shy about having to explain myself sometimes. So I'm just like I'm a runner, I love running, I'm a complete goofball. And then people are like, oh, you're that girl from Peloton, you're the runner.

Carissa Galloway: 27:05

Oh, yeah, yeah, I know you. I ask that because I feel the same way. You're almost like I have an identity crisis, Like I don't, what do you do. I feel like I have to like downplay. Well, I do a lot of things and da, da, da Like why do we do that as women? Why aren't we just like this is who I am?

Becs Gentry: 27:19

Like ah, partner is always the one who will stop and interrupt. And if anyone's asking me like oh cool, what do you run, and I'm still the humility is there. I'm like, oh, marathons, half marathons, how many have you done? A few. And he will jump in and just be like she was an olympic trials qualifier, her pr is 232. Like blast out all of my stats for me. And then I'm just sitting there like hi, so awkward. But yeah, why do we do that? Why do I not ever lead with like boom, this is who I am, I know maybe we'll make that like a goal for for Q2.

Carissa Galloway: 27:56

it's it's owning who we are, but I love that Austin does that for you, because we do need to have those, those men who support those strong women out there. All right, let's start with your recent accomplishments on the road. You mentioned some of your marathon accolades, but you just recently finished the Tokyo Marathon, your final star in your Abbott World Majors and I think, I'm pretty sure, your first marathon as a mom. So what was that race like?

Becs Gentry: 28:19

Difficult, well, it's a marathon, but yes, it was really tough, honestly, um, it was so. My final star in the world marathon major series. Um, I've been chasing it since 2016 and I'm so honored to have been able to do this journey. I know, know it comes from a very privileged position to go around the world running marathons, so I don't take that for granted at all. My first marathon as a mom to Tallulah. I've done my Haas, I've done my 10Ks and this was my first fully fledged 26.2 miles. I ran every step of the way for my baby girl and it was really difficult.

Becs Gentry: 29:07

I will, I will go so far as to say my 232.01 at the GB Olympic trials was easier than that last marathon. And I'm going to give you the coach's advice here, because I was so well trained for the Olympic trials and I was so under trained for Tokyo. That was the difference, and I know a lot of people will be like what is she talking about? She is a personal instructor. She runs five days a week. You have to remember that everyone is different and everyone's personal levels of their own training is vastly different. So for me that is what I'm saying I was very under trained for my personal level going into that race.

Becs Gentry: 29:55

So I will admit I found it really difficult. I hit a hard wall. I wanted to stop. I was like, can I just turn around and go back to the 13.1 and, uh, get half the medal here and you know, figure it out? Um, and I honestly thought it was the first time.

Becs Gentry: 30:14

I thought I was going to have full body cramps I've never experienced cramping in any marathon and I thought this was the first time. I was like, oh no, I'm, this is happening and I'm gonna, I'm gonna get through it because I'm running this for for tea. But boy, yeah, it taught me that I I need to work a little harder when it comes to training for things. And looking at the parents, the caregivers who do this regularly, I am in awe of you all because I know I didn't put the time in because I did other things or I changed my direction at that point, but, oh my gosh, it's just yeah. I look around at this running community of people who are moving their bodies and doing all of these races and they are full time in probably two minimum other roles in their life. And you got you. You all floor me.

Carissa Galloway: 31:07

You're incredible yeah, it does change a little bit your why of like putting these, these big races on on the map, because you know you've learned that experience of like I have to put 100% of me here and 100% of me there. When you got to the start line, did you have an awareness? You were under trained or did you have that winner? You know that mentality like I can race, I'm gonna do this. And then, like halfway through, you were like, oh yeah, it caught up with me a bit of both.

Becs Gentry: 31:30

I went into it with the probably the most bravado I've ever had when people would ask me about it. I'm like I'm Bex Gentry, I can run this. I can run, I'm a runner and I knew I could finish it. But I did say when anyone asked or I spoke about it in my Peloton classes I did say this is going to be different, I am going to finish it because I'm an Aries, I'm stubborn, I'm a mom, I am my mom's daughter. There's all of these things coming together. I'm going to finish this race. How I do it, I'm not too sure right now. I'm not going to be able to go with a time or a feeling.

Becs Gentry: 32:06

And then on the start line I'd run my 20 miles, I had done my long run, but I hadn't done the speed work, I hadn't done the cumulative miles in the builder. The training is the hard work for a marathon. The race day is a celebration. This is what we forget. Like people who don't actually race on race day, they still should get the medal because the hard work is all those weeks before. So it was the. It was all of the fluff around those long runs I hadn't done and that's what I think, got me on race day and I just take very quickly, what actually helped me on the start line was the kind of chaos that was Tokyo Marathon.

Becs Gentry: 32:41

It was a very strange start, I will say. It was just like all of a sudden nothing was happening. Then all of a sudden, we were going and it was off and this confetti cannon of fully recyclable and biodegradable paper came fluttering down and this white heart just floated down right in front of me. I grabbed it and I was like that's my baby girl. That is a sign from a higher power telling me that your baby girl is with you and she's going to get you through this race.

Becs Gentry: 33:12

And I tucked it into my sports bra like, carefully laid it on my chest flat and I have. I have it in the. I had it in the back of my phone forever after that race and now it's being framed to go on the wall with my medal. And just so one day I can tell her like I carry that tiny tissue paper heart with me for 26.2 miles to remind me that, no matter how tough it is, you're here with me, even though she was all the way in New York and I was all the way in Tokyo and she, she got me through. So that was, that was how it helped on the day.

John Pelkey: 33:42

Well, you kind of led me into my question, bex, too, because as somebody who's not a marathoner and let's just say it right here, carissa knows it never going to do a marathon doing my first 10K in a couple of weeks and I'm absolutely terrified, and if I could have a child to get out of it I would do that. But I do love to travel, and internationally as well, and you mentioned how odd it was Culturally. How different was the Tokyo Marathon from marathons you've run specifically, say, here in the US?

Becs Gentry: 34:11

Yeah, they were really organized, really really organized. They were very kind to the runners and I'm not saying any other race, I mean New York City is the best marathon, I think, in the world and, um, anyone who's part of the New York Roadrunners teams and other best people in the world, um, and the kindness but I mean like when you pick up your bib, then that subway underground system partner with them, and they gave them a lovely, it gave us all like 24 hour passes so we could get the subway there instead of a ton of cars going there. So it's all good for the world. Um, in the environment, I mean by the world, um, and though the energy was completely other end of the spectrum and it was louder than I thought it was going to be, people prepped me for it to be quite quiet.

Becs Gentry: 35:07

Um, I think Asian culture itself is a lot quieter. Um, they're not a big clapping, uh, people. It's a lot like there's more like yeas and, but there's not a lot of clapping that happens in Asian culture and I was like I haven't actually dug into the why's, but I think there is a why behind that um, so I kind of was ready for there almost to be nobody on the course and having done the race some of the races I've done that's kind of fine. I've run a lot of races that are quiet in my in my career but there was more people around the course itself. I did not like. Sorry, tokyo Foundation.

Carissa Galloway: 35:44

I heard you talk about this and your recap run, which I and I told my husband about it because we want to go run, and I was like listen, bex swore that if someone denied that it was flat, she would call them a liar liar and I understand, okay, all of my my race people out there, my race directors are like Bex quiet, but I understand, on a course elevation it has to be.

Becs Gentry: 36:06

There has to be a significant gain for a course to be called hilly, an elevation gain. There is not a significant elevation gain point in Tokyo at all. It is undulating. So, like the first half of New York City Marathon is similar, it's very undulating all the way and and and that was Tokyo. There was not a flat moment. I swear to you, I promise it wasn't a flat moment.

Becs Gentry: 36:31

So all of my running, like my running geeks and my Matt Wilpers, is out there like it's flat. It's technically, yes, okay, fine, by the textbook it's flat, but you still need to train hills to get up and down this, um. But the course was three out and backs, essentially. So fantastic if you're up front, because you get to see the elites a few times doing their arm backs, which is great, um. But then I think even better if you're a bit further back, because then you get to see all the other runners, like you get to see the big packs of people coming through, and that, I think, would have been much more thrilling than where I was, because I kind of saw the elites once, and then the rest of the time it was no man's land. There was just no one around. So I think that's why I found it a little bit more of a challenge, because I didn't get much.

Carissa Galloway: 37:20

Distraction is the nicest word Distraction is helpful when you're out there. You talked about the culture and quick sidebar stories. Wes and I have been to Tokyo several times. He worked for ASIC, so he spent about half of his life in Japan, and so we were going to run at Shibuya Crossing one morning and we're in our very like loud American neon stuff and we get on the subway and everybody's, you know, in there all black and they're very quiet, and we're standing in the subway and my husband is in a tank top so he's holding on which, you know, men in tank tops. You get a little bit of the armpit hair and I look around and we're in the all woman's car.

Carissa Galloway: 37:55

So not only are we these. We weren't loud but like loud, colored tank topped bright Americans Like I'm like, babe, we have to get out, get out. Oh, it's so embarrassing and they're all so lovely and they're so wonderful and they're so respectful and they're just silent. But I was like, oh, it was mortified culturally for us, but it is an amazing place, it's an amazing culture. I know you guys got to do some great sightseeing. What was your favorite thing that you did there outside of the?

Becs Gentry: 38:23

run. Taking the bullet train was something I was so excited about. I don't know why I hate eels, but I think it looks like an eel. So I'm still thinking to like why was I excited by the bullet train when I really do not like eels? But I think they're similar.

Becs Gentry: 38:40

And then getting out in Kyoto was really beautiful, it was calm, it was very relaxing out there. And then I think Austin and I just spent a really nice day where we didn't do any pointed sightseeing, we just walked around Tokyo. We didn't like get the map out and plan to go to this shrine, this park, this area, and we just found our way. Like we walked from Shibuya, we walked all the way up to Shinjuku, to Harajuku. Then we did find ourselves in a park and saw some great things, but we did and we ate our way around. So yeah, but I think the culture out there as well. Everybody is, as you said, carissa, so kind and respectful to one another. Everybody is, as you said, chris is, so kind and respectful to one another. And it was a real stark wake up when I got back to New York of how rude we actually are to one another and I know for everyone else in.

Becs Gentry: 39:33

New York. You're like no shocking there. You are all renowned for being really rude in New York, but it was really like everybody follows one another on the arrowed pathway to walk to the subway or stands on the sides to politely let people come off, so it's easy and flowing for the other people to get on, and it's just as though everybody there is like I do not consider myself more important than the next person. We're all on an equal level here and if we function well together, it's the better for society. It just felt really good doing that and calmer, get out my way, I'm coming. Yeah, everyone's loud. Oh my god. The minute I got off the plane there were these like gen z's just squeaking about like how tired they were, like doing their tiktoks. I was like, oh, shut up, I have not missed that for 10 days.

Carissa Galloway: 40:25

Yeah, I had the exact same. We went from Tokyo, japan, and then I took my daughter to Disney World the next day and I was like on the ferry with the exact same realization, like, oh yep, welcome, welcome back. But it's so lucky that we do get to travel and see all these different culturals and worlds and get to run them. I want to ask you we touched a little bit about, you know, being a mom and the training being harder Physically for you how was that comeback for you and just to have other moms here who might be on that sort of journey back from that postpartum into running?

Becs Gentry: 40:58

Absolutely. I like to pivot the comeback to a grow forward. I really love. I know come back is an easy saying that we have been historically just been saying and we say it without really much meaning of like, oh, what you were before, um, the growth that you know so well, um, as a mom yourself, is huge. When you become a parent, you start, as you say, giving a hundred percent of yourself to something else and their survival is inherent to your survival. For those at least first few months, yeah, when you are hanging on by a thread anyway, and it is.

Becs Gentry: 41:42

I took so much time to love my body and for somebody who has gone through eating disorders, who's gone through body dysmorphia, who's gone through a decade of being a runner and just understanding how, as a female, hormonally your body changes um month by month. And then physically, like aesthetically, your body changes when you're. And then physically, like aesthetically, your body changes when you're running, like whether you're lifting weights, whether you're not, whether you're running more. And just figuring that all out, you know, from my mid-20s to my mid-30s, is such a pivotal point in a woman's life of change and then also doing that in the public eye as being like whoa, there's a lot going on here. So I never loved my body more than when I was pregnant. I had pregnancy loss before we conceived Tallulah and I hated my body for that time.

Becs Gentry: 42:38

I just you know times I blame running. I was like, well, if I hadn't pushed myself so hard, maybe this wouldn't have happened. And then you get pregnant and you're suddenly like, oh wow, oh, my gosh, I have to love this body way more all of a sudden. And I could still run. And the longer I went through my pregnancy and my doctors and my midwife kept telling me I was okay to run, okay, this is great.

Becs Gentry: 43:04

I love this body again, these levels up. I loved how I looked when I was pregnant. I love the glow and I loved that my true happiness was radiating through me and that taught me a lot in understanding what truly makes me happy to my core and then just being a mom at the start it it was. I mean, there's no book and everyone says that you just get this baby and they're like, okay, bye, you're like, what Right? Every other thing I've ever had to do successfully in my life I have learned and studied and had to pass tests and do all of this the most important thing in my life comes my way no test, no nothing.

Carissa Galloway: 43:49

You're sitting in a chair in the middle of the night going what do I do?

Becs Gentry: 43:53

it doesn't talk my language. Oh, um, I've done the three things that everyone tells me to check. Yeah, no, can't call my mom. It's the middle of the night in the uk. Um, I mean, and you can?

Becs Gentry: 44:03

but you can call your mom, but you know you probably did at any point, but it was just having that and it still is the same. Nothing is more important to me than spending time with Tallulah and it was very weird for somebody who nothing was more important than going for my run switching that and that was a huge part in why I wasn't as trained for Tokyo, because there were days when I should have gone and done a training session. But I looked at my baby girl and I was like you know what, it's gonna be way more fun hanging out with you for a couple of hours off work instead. And I did, and I am not ashamed of that at all because I'm never going to get that time back with her. There's going to be plenty of time, when she is a teenager and she wants nothing to do with me, that I can go for those long runs.

Carissa Galloway: 44:57

Reel those Masters records, get after.

Becs Gentry: 45:03

So, yeah, the comeback was my, it was. It was a lot of learning. My first run outside I don't know whether you felt this the first like half a mile, I felt like I was in a movie. I was running along Flushing Avenue here in Brooklyn like, oh, I barely lost any fitness. Look at me go, this is amazing. I feel great.

Becs Gentry: 45:25

Half a mile, oh, my god, could barely breathe, had to stop, which I don't think I've ever stopped after half a mile, unless it was like at a sprint pace or something. You know there's a due recovery. I could not breathe, I was puse. My face was so red. Every blood vessel I felt was like trying to come out of my pores. It was just so humbling to be like, okay, yeah, that whole growing a human and birthing a human was a lot on the body, um, so I reeled it. I really reeled it back in and and this is gonna sound like a plug, but it is honestly not having my Peloton tread and my Peloton app was like having my best friends, cause a lot of them are.

Carissa Galloway: 46:11

Yeah, and we all think that they all are just just for you everybody. We all think you're all of our best friends. Okay.

Becs Gentry: 46:18

So, but you know what it's like. You're just like. I trust those people. I'm going to go on. We have these classes called extra tens, extra fives. I was part of creating those and bringing them onto the tread. I'd forgotten about them Honestly, god's on the street forgotten about them. And then when I started getting back onto the tread and doing my walk plus runs, and then these little like suggested classes would pop up of like, oh, extra five, like, yeah, okay. Today I feel like I've got that energy and I built it up with that of having my best friends in my Peloton community just nudge me every now and again of like, can you do an extra 10 minutes today? You feeling strong, okay, do it. And that's how. That's how it happened. But it was boy, it was that. That was like the pregnancy, growing the child, the birth and then the wake up of what this iteration of your body is. That was like the fourth massive lesson.

John Pelkey: 47:17

Before I jump on to the next question, it just reminded me our mutual friend, chris, and my Joe Candelora, explained when he had his first child. He said I have no memory of anything that ever happened days before or days after, except at some point someone handed me this little baby and said keep this alive for the next 21 years, and walked away and he said that's all I can remember was like this is what they've now presented to me. So how about it? There's no handbook. Not being a parent, I defer to all of you with that. But let's switch gears for a little bit. And as opposed to talking about your athletic career and what you do athletically, you've also morphed into a commentator role. In March, the New York City half, you joined the broadcast team with our good friend Carrie Tollefson. What was that like? How was that experience for you?

Becs Gentry: 48:07

Oh, that was a dream come true, john. Honestly, I, since I was a little girl, I used to stand in front of Ski Sunday, which was a TV show, obviously on a Sunday in the UK, and it would bring all of the ski races from around Europe and it had the best theme team, which I can't even think of of right now and I would stand in front of it with whatever was around and I would commentate it to my parents, and being there that day with Carrie and Ryan was making that little girl so proud of oh my gosh, you're doing this. You're doing broadcast commentary on a sport that is in your blood, and doing it next to Carrie, who I admire in your blood, and doing it next to Carrie, who I admire so much. I love her to bits. Um, her knowledge, her expertise, her experience is huge. So I'm just I'm like a sponge when I'm next to her, just learning as much as I can.

Becs Gentry: 48:58

Um, and it was a great change. I did the New York city marathon, um, as well, I was with, uh, with the team there just doing like finish line commentary and, and so this was a great next level to be in the booth next to those two legends and my cheeks hurt for three days after that. I mean just that we were right. We were stationed, obviously, at the finish line, so I got to see my incredible colleagues who were running the race, as well as a lot of Bex Beast runners, a lot, lot of Peloton members, friends coming through. Honestly, I, like days after I was like this has got to stop.

Carissa Galloway: 49:31

It is funny because, as a hold on John, I just want to elaborate for people. When you're the finish line person or you're the sideline reporter you know which I've done it's not as much pressure, right, you know they're coming to you, you have your little bubble, you know what you're doing and you get out. But when you're on the stage, when you've got the headphone on, you don't get to miss a beat. It is 100% focus. But I know that Carrie is such a good supporter of other women and I'm sure I mean I know you nailed it. But do you have a moment that you were like, yes, yeah, that was, I was good she'll hate me for saying no, she won't, because she's so proud of this.

Becs Gentry: 50:08

She has these documents that she makes I'm sure you've seen them at the races that you've used done together with her these multi-page spreadsheet documents that she prints out onto a3 size like they're huge, and it has everyone's information, all of the elite athlete information their races, their past races, their prs, their husband, wife, kids I don't know everything on there and there was just one or two moments where it would be they throw it to me and I was doing predominantly the men's race and she was doing predominantly the women's race and there was just points where she would like write down the phonetical pronunciation of a few people's names as a reminder, because she could see my brain somehow being like oh no, oh no, I've forgotten how to say that and like or this person's PR.

Becs Gentry: 50:59

She just like push the thing in front of me and point to it and she just, she's so calm to be around as well. She's incredibly fun but very calm. That balance is phenomenal to me and just knowing she was there, I think we've spent time together now. We've run a lot together and I think we're learning to like, pick up off one another. Her experience experience she's definitely picking up more off of me of okay when she needs a little bit of a rescue out of a moment and, yeah, forever grateful to her for her, her camaraderie, that's for sure well, obviously you you have to have prep time for your peloton classes and everything, but I know what it's like when you're presented with a new challenge like that.

John Pelkey: 51:41

your preparation time is is is crucial. What was that like for you? And did you find, like a lot of people do, that you were wonderfully overprepared? Because that's what most of us have a tendency to do?

Becs Gentry: 51:54

Oh my gosh, yeah, you should have seen me the nights before just with my notebook writing essays on each of these athletes. And then the day comes and you have seconds to talk about these people in hot hits. You know it's like, but in my brain beforehand I was like, well, we have nearly two hours on air. So, oh my gosh, I know all the stuff I have to talk about in a one hour peloton class is a lot. So, yeah, I was fully fledged diving into people's like way back when. So, and so was doing cross country when they were 10 years old.

Becs Gentry: 52:30

No one needs to know that, no one wants to hear about that. They want to hear about the recent cross country or the recent races that they've done. But it it feels good, right To be that prepared, because then you know if you are a brain that absorbs that information. I knew I had backup If I froze. I knew it was going to be that prepared, because then you know if you are a brain that absorbs that information. I knew I had backup. If I froze, I knew it was going to be there yeah, that's the key.

John Pelkey: 52:50

The other side of is it? Here we are and now I'm under, prepared for what happens. And here's the curveball, and that's the, the terrified feeling. It's the actors, uh, the, the horrible actor's nightmare of walking on stage and wait. I didn't learn the lines to this play. I I learned it to something else, so I'm fully there with you. Well, let's talk about Peloton. Finally, how far in are we? 29 minutes in.

Carissa Galloway: 53:13

I know People listening are like you haven't asked her about Peloton yet it's been 29 minutes. What's going on?

John Pelkey: 53:18

All right. So you are incredibly popular. You're inspiration to runners, walkers, rowers, athletes on Peloton. But my background is musical theater. Carissa is a performer. What we want to know is what was the audition process like for that gig? Did you have to do like 30 miles on a Peloton bike while just doing improvisational comedy? What happened? I need to know.

Becs Gentry: 53:44

I wish that might be more Hannah Corbin, because she is our Broadway, our Broadway cyclist, um, over there. No, uh, okay. So I I would say it's coming up on seven years that I got a very, very cryptic message from my friend at the time, rebecca Kennedy. Um, and I don't mean we're not friends now, I just mean we were just friends, love her to bits now sisters now, um, but we had previously worked together as Nike trainers, um, as part of the global Nike team, and it was summer 2018, I think, or 2017. Oh gosh, I can't even remember. So six years, anyway, and yeah, so 2017.

Becs Gentry: 54:33

She messaged me she's like so if you ever had the chance to coach fitness but move to another country, but another big city, would you explore it? So I was like is this what? What's happening? I don't understand. Is this a lead up to something we're doing at the next Nike Summit? I don't know. And then she basically we had a quick chat on the phone. A very, very tight NDA came over on email and then she explained what she was doing. So she'd been brought in by Robin Arsene early on in um the iteration of the tread coming out to create the tread team, and she had said, okay, yeah, I know exactly who I want on the team from the people that she knew around her and I was one of those lucky people. And you know, she, she said to the part on C C suite team at the time one problem, she lives in London, so we need to get her over here. So, essentially, to start the ball rolling, I had to record an audition tape on a tread but it was bootcamp, so we had to do a bootcamp class because that's efficient. That's kind of how we thought we were going to. Sort of is how we started, really on tread and it was hilarious.

Becs Gentry: 55:59

I know what you used to have treads in London. Unless you were very, very rich and had the space and because the houses are so old and creaky, they'd probably fall through um. So one of my um I was a private personal training. I had my own personal training business in London. One of my lovely, lovely clients at the time allowed me to use her gym and just bring a tripod in. She was like, yeah, just go for it, do whatever you need to do.

Becs Gentry: 56:25

And I recorded this, this video, and I still have it on my phone. It's never gonna. I saved it in so many different places, because one day I know our Peloton comms team is gonna ask for our audition tapes for something or someone will somewhere. And I look back on it quite often. Honestly, john now you've said that now I'm thinking about how often I look back on. It is quite scary and you can see the like brightness in my eyes of nerves and like what am I doing? And I'd done stuff on camera with nike, we'd done events, but it was never just me and the camera doing this one class and, oh my gosh, it hilarious. And so everyone else had obviously done that audition in person, because they were in the US, if not New York, I think, at that point. So this was very strange, you know, just recording it, clicking send and being like, oh no, this could be the start of my future or there's just a bunch of strangers laughing their butts off.

John Pelkey: 57:23

Yeah, no, they'll play it at the Christmas party.

Becs Gentry: 57:25

That's it.

John Pelkey: 57:26

Here's the people we didn't hire. Take a look and roll it. I'm convinced they do that with all of our bad auditions. We record.

Carissa Galloway: 57:32

Which is all John does.

Becs Gentry: 57:35

But that's how it went. And then the next audition. I was lucky enough to come to New York Three auditions in Wow. They offered me the job and that that's how it went. But every every time we came to New York it was another audition, but we were in the studio. It was about, you know, looking at all the lights and seeing sorry, looking at all the cameras, seeing all the lights and getting used to the production element of what we do at Peloton which I think a lot of people still to this day completely forget that it is a huge production as well as very authentic fitness programming as well.

Carissa Galloway: 58:10

I don't ever forget. So when I, because of my background, I'm like camera, camera. Okay, this is a question I didn't say I was going to ask this. I hope it's okay to ask because I'm always thinking it Are you you have notes? Are you seeing your notes when you're doing the class? Okay, cause I wonder that all the time. So now I feel better that I know that you're seeing your notes, but can you walk us through your creation process for palestines? I know you just did an awesome 75 minute run. So when they say beck, she's got a 75 minute run, like what's the time from when you know what you're creating to craft in the class and the music to working with your producer, like, how does that process work?

Becs Gentry: 58:50

Well, we have our schedules like quite far in advance. For sure, like months in advance, we'll have our schedule for the classes that are on there, and this is just totally speaking from my personal opinion. I don't plan too far ahead, um, because I just I like to see how I'm feeling near the time, definitely when it comes to playlists. It's a mood thing. Music is definitely a mood thing. You might be going through something personally where you want to just jam out to some hard rock and punk and let it go in those classes, or you're having a chill time unless, unless it is a music-specific class, like if I have a classical run, obviously I have to play classical music which, john, you might really like, the you could get the app.

Carissa Galloway: 59:32

It's just classical runs, it's beautiful.

John Pelkey: 59:36

I have a misspent punk rock youth, so that's actually appealing to me right now Punk rock run.

Becs Gentry: 59:41

20-minute punk rock run from the other day.

John Pelkey: 59:44

I just want nothing but the Clash. The Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks, just all of that. Play it, play it Loud in my ear. That's what I need.

Becs Gentry: 59:50

Traditional is what is going to be my next pop punk? Yeah for sure, punk rock. But yeah, from iteration to delivering gosh, it really differs, because we do everything from five minutes to 75 or 90. Matt Wilpers did a two hour ride the other month, so our classes are all such different lengths and the notes that we put in again differs on person and the type of the class.

Becs Gentry: 1:00:21

So, my 75 minute pop run, I just wanted to go through a lot of running principles because, as much as it was a pop music focused run, I'm a coach to my core and I couldn't just go on the music for the whole 75 minutes.

Becs Gentry: 1:00:39

It had to be something that was going to be useful to people for 75 minutes. I'm not just gonna get you to go up and down on the chorus and the bridge and all of that for that time, so I wanted to take you through the disciplines of running so you could understand endurance, running, tempo, pace. Then we did some random stuff on the choruses, and the music, though, has to go on the journey with you, and that's where, oh wow, you can go down holes upon holes of okay, this is great here, this, no, this doesn't work here. Okay, reset, delete, delete and like I don't know, some days it's terrible. I did a run the other week that had everything from CCR John Mayer to Diplo Bad Bunny. It was just all over the place, but you never know what's going to stick for some people on the day, like there are some days where my brain is like that, where I'm just like squirrel, squirrel, squirrel and that's how that music was.

John Pelkey: 1:01:35

It's like radio when I was a kid is the pop station would go, would play soul music, and then there'd be hard rock, and then you'd get country, and now everything's so boutiqued. It's like I listen to New Wave between 1987, february of 1987 and August of 1989 and nothing else. That's all I listen to. There's a whole station for it. Well, you mentioned the different types. Do you have a favorite type of class to teach?

Becs Gentry: 1:02:06

a 60 minute intervals run. That is one of my favorites. I do love my classical runs because I'm a big believer that we get lost in other people's narratives. Today we're very uh over stimulated by what other people are doing and we kind of forget our own journey. So when classical music is presented to me, I I say 80% of the time I will choose stuff without lyrics. If I choose stuff with lyrics, it's probably opera, and so if you happen to speak the language of the opera, you might understand it.

Becs Gentry: 1:02:34

But I would say for most of our audience, the larger part of the audience, aren't going to be able to understand as they're running, and so I like to allow people the time to just get into their own narrative as they are cruising along in these runs or walks and reset their brains. And so the intervals runs I like to do that too. I'm a big like ambient music person of letting it, letting it go. But I will say I am. I do like a bit of funky disco, like remix of the 90s, remix into like a deep house kind of track. That's going to get me really running fast.

Carissa Galloway: 1:03:11

I love all of your runs, I love your storytelling, but what I think you guys do so well as Peloton instructors and as race announcers we wear this hat too is you have to motivate people, and sometimes you're motivating people that you don't see or you, like, don't know what they're going through. And I thought it was interesting in one of your runs you were talking about it might've been the one about Tokyo that you had to become to yourself, bex the Peloton instructor. Like is it hard when you say these things to people and I stand there on stage and I say I'm too like you get to do this, and then I go on my own run and I'm negative in my head and you have to switch that Like, what is that like now for you when you see, maybe you're seeing yourself in your mind like motivating Bex. What would Bex tell somebody else?

Becs Gentry: 1:03:52

Yeah, it's so weird, isn't it? Yeah, when you're like how can I motivate all these people to get over these finish lines? And then you're by yourself on a run going. I'm just going to stop right now, like no, no, I can't. But you dig deep, you get into those mindsets and mine is a funny. It's a funny one because I like to try and make people laugh and distract them from the potential discomfort that they're feeling whilst they're running. But this is, I think, the one you're talking about. In the moment of Tokyo, when I started to look down at the floor and I say this to all of my runners, I say to my classes a lot, do not look down, there's only defeat. Ha ha ha ha ha, bad joke.

Becs Gentry: 1:04:34

Bad joke, but also fact, yes. So the minute you sort of it gives you time to process the humor and then just go oh, okay, good, now I feel better. Now I'm not so defeated, I've seen defeat and I'm smiling and I can get through this, at least next minute or two, because I've had a moment of humor and I fully. I mean my, my Tokyo Marathon pictures are terrible also. The photographers need to level up a little bit on that race, for sure, but I'll be posting them because I'm not shy.

Becs Gentry: 1:05:08

Running ain't a pretty sport, um, and there are a lot of photos where I look down and then you just see the gradual where I must have thought of my own stupid joke and gone funny because, like two shots later I'm just smiling like to the cameraman. So it does. Yeah, it is getting into the things you say, but it helps. It does help when, like I talk about breaking runs down into digestible chunks. And for me, way back I used to when, when I was a broke trainer living in London and I couldn't afford the underground, I would run to my clients around London and there were days where, gosh, I didn't want to do it, it was pouring, it was cold, whatever, but I would break it down. And there would always be this one client who was first thing in the morning. Her session started at 5am so I'd be out the door at four with my backpack for like the whole day with, you know, personal training stuff in, not just, you know, I don't know marshmallows or whatever it was.

Carissa Galloway: 1:06:08

That's the personal trainer John's going to hire. Go on.

Becs Gentry: 1:06:14

I'll sign up now. And her home was eight kilometers away from mine in London. So what? Five miles? And I still, to this day, I will see eight kilometers or five miles from somewhere, especially in a marathon, from the finish line, and I will be like there's no way. You're not doing this because you remember how many mornings you got up and you did that run and did the whole rest of your day and then ran home those 8k. You're doing this right now because that was a digestible chunk of work that I managed to bite off and chew so many times, so many times that I knew it was achievable, even on the dark days that's awesome.

Carissa Galloway: 1:07:02

I just you guys, I, you know this, but the Peloton instructors and I hope at Race Announcers we do it too is like you give these people these nuggets that they don't know they're in there, but then when they need them, they come out and you help people get over whatever their obstacles are and help them achieve things that they didn't think was possible. There's been plenty of times when I'm pulling a Christine, I am, I can, I will. I Pulling up Christine, I am, I can, I will, I do Just over and over. And you know, thank you to all of you instructors for all the great motivation that you give, because you guys are all supremely talented.

Becs Gentry: 1:07:30

And we do it. I say it in all my classes. I say my other instructors' taglines in the classes. This is tough, but you are tougher.

Carissa Galloway: 1:07:41

Like, oh yeah, you didn't sign up for a 42-minute workout.

Becs Gentry: 1:07:44

That's how it is. We love it.

John Pelkey: 1:07:46

All right, I have to ask this and I know we're pressed for time, but Carissa knows I'm obsessed with the New York City Marathon Because for almost 35 years I've been part of large events and the logistics knowing New York, the logistics of that just blow me away. And you brought it up earlier Best marathon in the world. What about that race is so different? And are you, like me, simply amazed that they can get together and do this through all the boroughs? Because it still blows me away. Ferries, buses, taxi cabs, everything they have to take into account to get people to that starting line and then the finish line.

Becs Gentry: 1:08:27

Yeah, it's magical. Everything from being a spectator to the day I ran, it was, and I think always will be, the best run of my life. Run of my life. I just can't help but have this reaffirmation every year that the race happens, the day of the race, that we can unite, we can stand together. This big city, this big lion growling, angry, rude city, can come together as one on that day and cheer for everyone who is out there. And it doesn't matter Like it doesn't matter who you are, like.

Becs Gentry: 1:09:21

That's one of the things I love about running. You can be a surgeon who's just come out of operating theater, scrubbed yourself down, put on your running shoes, running next to a first year student, you know, and no one cares. It's not about what you do, it's just about moving, and I think that is such a beautiful thing. In this city of competition, of really not supporting each other the other 364 days of the year, that day is a wow moment to see these strangers shouting and really going for, rooting for all these other strangers, these 50,000 people running past them and compelling them to finish this awesome achievement. They don't know who they are, they're never going to see them again, probably, but for in that split second of life, if you lock eyes with somebody either way you're a runner or a spectator there's a connection and that's so beautiful and I think it's just, especially in a city like this. We don't see it that often and it's a huge shout out to New York Road Runners who put this on year after year, to all of the services in New York that help support, keep everyone safe and happy from being at the finish line this past year, just understanding the level of work that goes into it over the weekend after the race. It's phenomenal. So you know more of it. We need more of it. We need more of these like these cuddles, these big loving moments.

Becs Gentry: 1:11:02

And I think everybody comes out that day. There isn't a person in New York that day that goes, oh, the marathon's happening. Oh, I had no idea. It's just not a thing. But you can go to Tokyo, which is one of the world marathon majors series. It is one of six global events. You could be in Tokyo and people are like the what? What's that? What is a marathon? That doesn't happen here and it's just yeah. Well, I could talk for hours about how much I love the New York City marathon, and I will. I will be here cheering and supporting forever, uh, anyone and anyone who wants to do it should do it. You know you can. You can walk it, jog it, run it, race it, whatever you want, but it will be there for you.

Carissa Galloway: 1:11:50

It's just a beautiful way to put it, and I, we, I'm going to get there one day. We have a Disney race the same weekend, so it has been a challenge to get there. But I always liken the finish line of a marathon to love. Actually, when he talks about the people getting off the planes and they're not saying angry words at each other, there's so much love and that's kind of what I feel like you encapsulated there. All right, I know you have to go, so I'm going to skip to the one question we ask everybody here on 3, 2, 1, go, and that is and it's a hard question what is the most inspiring thing that you've seen at a race?

Becs Gentry: 1:12:23

London marathon finish finish line area. Uh, I'm going to forget what year it was, but it was. I can't remember what year?

Becs Gentry: 1:12:36

I was there, so I'm guessing it was pre 2018. Um, and seeing a guy coming in, he was literally ready to get his sub three I think it might have been his first sub three hour marathon and another runner was starting to wobble and starting to wobble, getting lower, and he stopped, like on the mile more or less, or maybe on the other side, but meters, hundreds of meters from the finish line. He stopped and he grabbed this guy so he didn't go down and they walked in together and he didn't get his sub three, but they both finished and I know that happens a lot at races. But actually being there, seeing it and like screaming for this guy to like he was like yeah, it's like coming in and he just put everything aside for humanity in that moment and, oh my god, I, I could cry right now just even remembering it just I just was bawling and I don't know who he was. I just I just wanted to hug him and hold him and he stayed with the guy.

Becs Gentry: 1:13:47

And I saw it again at the New York City half a few weeks ago. A girl was literally unable to stand up by herself, but two or three other runners and this, I promise you, was 20 meters from the finish line, stopped on their run and they, 20 meters from the finish line, stopped on their run and they got her over the finish line together and stayed with her until medical attention came. And I just love seeing that complete and utter disregard for the self in the moment, making sure that your fellow human, your fellow runner, can achieve because they're that close and it was. It's so beautiful, it's scary, but it's beautiful.

Carissa Galloway: 1:14:30

It's a beautiful sport. I think running makes us better humans, it makes us healthier, it makes our you know it's a quality in our life, but it does help us appreciate everyone who gets out there and can get that movement in, and that's what you do, bec. So thank you for your coaching, your inspiration, your love of the sport and everything you do across all the platforms of Peloton, and thank you for spending this time with us today on 321GO. It was an honor. We cannot watch to see all the exciting things that I know you have coming up. We'll be sharing everything with you on Instagram and on the tread and on the rower. So thank you so much, bex.

John Pelkey: 1:15:03

Thanks, Bex.

Becs Gentry: 1:15:05

Thank you. All right, athletes, here's the drill.

Carissa Galloway: 1:15:09

Time to shape up your diet, harissa. Give them the goods. All right, john, when you're out there on the course and I think this is going to come to play for you in the 10K you're going to make it a healthier you, which this will be airing after you've done your 10K. But you need some fuel. You're going to need some sugar.

John Pelkey: 1:15:25

You know what, Prior to our recording today, I've actually been checking out for like runner's equipment and thinking I need a belt or something. I'm going to need something and some shorts, something where I can keep at least a power bar or something for myself.

Carissa Galloway: 1:15:37

The sport beans which we have on course at Disney. Those could be great for you. They have a caffeine and non-caffeine, but the point of that is that the sugar is going to provide quick energy because the faster absorbed sugars the things we usually tell you to avoid because they spike blood sugar that's what you need because it's rapidly absorbed and utilized by your body to fuel performance. So we're thinking about glucose. That's the primary energy source for body cells. Sports drink, gels, energy bars, like you mentioned. If you find yourself out there and you haven't had anything, john, the sport drink is the place to go because that has the sugar. But I would recommend you trying sports drink on one of your longer runs first. Always, we want to see how we tolerate these things. So this would be something you want to try. Or even when you're doing yard work and you're finding yourself exerting, drink a little. Keep going and see how your body tolerates that.

Carissa Galloway: 1:16:30

But all of the sports drinks, those are good because they're designed for performance. Fruits is a big thing Europeans take, but they have fructose which is absorbed slower. So I say for beginners start with just things that are glucose-based. Honey stinger gels are great, the Cliff Chews those are all great, but I say for new runners, sport beans or the Chew gummy blocks, those are the best place to start with a Powerade. And you want to practice it, john? I want you to practice your nutrition. So the next time you're doing a run, it's going to take you over 30 minutes.

Carissa Galloway: 1:17:01

I want you to eat something at minute 15 to see how that feels, because that's something you do have to train as well. You're training your distance, you have to train your nutrition Because, as you've heard on the podcast, the only thing you can control on race day is your nutrition, right? So make sure you don't forget that. But remember the sugar is important. It keeps your brain engaged too. So when those negative thoughts come in, that fatigue starts to come in. That's going to help you.

Carissa Galloway: 1:17:28

Lots of different options out there Hammer gel, noon sport, cliff, energy shots, as we mentioned. Honey stinger is a good one. Gatorade has some options. They're usually readily available at the expo. So that would be a good place for you to kind of walk around find something. Or if you want to visit your local running store, they're going to have those as well. Or if you want to just learn a ton about race nutrition and be the expert, then join me in Healthier you, because that's part of what we do in our seminars every month is we answer a lot of running related questions. Someone will say I don't tolerate this. What should I try? What do I need to do differently? We troubleshoot that. So if you want a dietician like me to help you troubleshoot your race nutrition, then join us at Healthier you Go to gallowaycoursecom to sign up and use the code podcast.

Becs Gentry: 1:18:11

Athletes, listen up. It's mail call time. Announcer free present.

John Pelkey: 1:18:17

All right, sarge, this is one for both of us. Carissa comes from Chiquita19722. And Chiquita19722. And Chiquita asks do you ever get nervous announcing? You make it look so easy. I'll throw that to you first. Do you ever, carissa, get nervous when we're announcing?

Carissa Galloway: 1:18:36

I feel like there's like if I say no then I sound like a little bit uppity. But I think at Disney we're so comfortable in what we do that I don't necessarily, at Disney, get nervous. Maybe sometimes if they're throwing in, like when we had Sonya Richards-Ross up on stage with us. It wasn't necessarily nervous, but I was excited and I wanted to make sure that we kind of nailed that I don't get nervous but I get more focused as we get closer to the start, making sure that we're getting that first initial start Right. Um, I think. And what we talked about with Bex in this podcast when she did you know when she does her commentating if you've prepared properly, I think that for me fins off nerves in like a race announcing situation, because I'm comfortable that I know what to do now. Running a race that's a different story, but announcing, I think, not so much nervous anymore. What about you, john?

John Pelkey: 1:19:30

Well, I think we need to shout out to our old director, john Phelan, our director, mark Ferreira, now, in that they actually put together. We have a structure now that maybe in the beginning we didn't have. I mean, you and I go back 20 years with this, but with that structure you're right seem really really well prepared. There's always a bit of like nervous energy when we're going to go on stage. I wouldn't say I'm getting nervous, but it's that energy. It's like you're ramping yourself up and then the weirdness of the fact that we've been up since you know 1245 at night. And it changes it a little from being nervous if you're doing a play or something. But and there are those moments to your point when they throw something at us that we weren't expecting. Often you know we have the breaks built in that it's like we don't have time for that break. This has gone long, or we're getting something in our IFB. We need to throw it down here or go to this video. So I mean, I just think it keeps you having some level. It's not anxiety, it's not necessarily nervousness, but an energy that's driven by an uncertainty. I think is not a bad thing to have because it keeps you focused If you get too comfortable. And I said this many years ago.

John Pelkey: 1:20:38

I've done the horror makeup show at the Universal Studios since 1990. And the show's changed over a couple of years so that you know you kind of have to pay a little more attention. But for six or seven years it was essentially the same show. And I'm midway through the show balancing my checkbook in my head because I get so comfortable. But then that's a bad feeling because you get to a certain point and you go did we do all the things we're supposed to do? And where are we right now? So so yeah, little bit of nervous energy, but it's not. It's not a negative thing at all.

Carissa Galloway: 1:21:09

No, you're talking about the balancing check. But I think at Disney we're always having to be very fully engaged and I think what also prevents the nerves is that if one of us quote, unquote makes a mistake, we're not going to let the other person. You know what I mean. There's the other person is going to pick it up, and then you and I've worked together for so long that, like we've said before the podcast why are you staring at me? And then I realize, you realize there's a reason that I'm intently bored into your eyes because I'm trying to will you to know what I'm, that there's something. There's also.

John Pelkey: 1:21:36

There's also an old and I'll clean up the language, but there's an old theater adage when you F up, feature it. That if something and you and I have done it I always make the mistake, and I'll admit it right here. On 5K day at Marathon, I start bringing up the Mylar, I get it, it's an untimed race. I always forget about that and you always bring it up. Well, that's a great job, but it's an untimed race. So you just can't be afraid in that situation. You're going to say silly things, things are going to go wrong, and I'm not really nervous to your point that that'll cause a problem. It comes down to more with other logistics, because there are a lot of other moving pieces that have nothing to do with our mics, our cameras that go on during a race. So it does keep you a little bit on your toes and we have, to your point, enough of a team now that we can throw it to somebody to cover if we're dealing with something that's a little bit difficult. Yeah, I mean, and just don't get nervous.

Carissa Galloway: 1:22:33

Don't want people to think that we're saying we don't get nervous because we don't care and we do. But if I do the math and let's just say we've done 12 races, four events I'm not even going to count Marathon as four, I'm going to count them as three. Let's just say there's 12 races a year and let's say there's been 12 races a year for 12 years, that's 144 races that you and I have done on a stage at Disney, and that's a low, low bar when I add in. So it's our job and so we take it seriously. Our brains are always engaged and I will say to that point in the trailer, I always feel like I have to apologize. Like when Matt Pablo joined I had to apologize to him because I am not very chatty in the trailer. In the morning I am kind of just getting my energy ready. I am preparing my energy to give it out there to not not that I don't want to get to know you, but, like in this moment, I'm not the chatty person. And so our trailer picture and RV.

John Pelkey: 1:23:28

You didn't speak for me for the first four years we did the race. I don't think we ever had we ever spoke.

Carissa Galloway: 1:23:30

So you know, other than on stage, no, but our trailer has. If you walk into the front of the trailer, there's the sitting area with the kitchen table and then you go farther back, there's another bathroom. There I'm conserving my energy, I'm thinking through what we're going to do, so I think for me that prevents the nerves. If I was chatting and it was like, oh, it's time to go, I would be oh, I haven't, I'm not ready. But because I'm ready, that helps me. And so again I apologize to people in the trailer that I didn't ask you like your dog's name or like what you like to do at 345.

John Pelkey: 1:24:02

And let's be honest, somebody who's too chatty in the trailer at 1.30 in the morning and I don't need to say the names it gets a little annoying.

Carissa Galloway: 1:24:12

I mean, Tracy Wu is getting to the chatty side some mornings and I'll tell her that. So we had a DJ that used to be extremely chatty and he's not a DJ with us anymore.

John Pelkey: 1:24:23

So, if this goes to show Just kidding- Just got to kind of slide into it a little bit. Folks, we have to slide into it a little bit, yeah. So I hope that answers your question. Yeah, that's a long rambling.

Carissa Galloway: 1:24:34

I'm trying. It really is I do remember this is not Disney related when I used to do HSN the first and I would like be shaking doing it because I was nervous, and then now I don't. So I think that's just with anything when it's brand new, you have those nervous energy and then you manage it with preparation and with experience.

John Pelkey: 1:24:49

The first time I did a Raptors game, it was a preseason game when they were in Tampa and I was doing the public address announcer. They did not give me a roster, so I had to literally look up a roster on my phone for the two teams and I'm trying to manage that. My level of nervousness of that is as high as it's ever been. But I will tell you, because that was sort of a train wreck, after that I kind of eased into the rest of the season. So you know, sometimes the nervousness there's a positive Because it's really about just like a race. You're working through a hard space, that's the difficult space. You're really really nervous. Race, you're working through a hard space, that's the difficult space. You're really really nervous. But you have to go and do this. So you've got to get through that nervousness and it's, you know again. But 20 years down the line we've got it down. There are never any problems never any, never any mistakes.

Carissa Galloway: 1:25:37

I've doomed us for spring, oh gosh. Well, this comes out after springtime, so you guys let us know. But but thank you for the question. This one came from Instagram to our 321GO podcast IG account from Chiquita19722. If you have a question about race announcing, about anything, we'd love to answer it. Or if you want to share your personal story, we would love to share that as well. Or if it's a charity that you're running for and you're supporting and you want to maybe bring awareness to, we're happy to do that in this section too. Email us 321gopodcast at gmailcom. And that's all we got for today. But a huge thank you to Bex. What an amazing woman. I could have talked to her for hours. We had so much more to say. She does so many great things. So thank you to Bex and thank you guys for listening. See you later.