Ohh I know that purple drink. For me it came in the form of an apple, stolen from an orchard in a hot summer night. I forced myself out of bed to run maybe 2-3km but ended up feeling so good, I ran my second ever half marathon instead.
While I don't hit the distances he does running, I do some good miles biking, but both running and biking for me fulfill the same reasons he has. Not to regain my weight, and to off set my... feeding. This was a wonderful read, and it was great to see I'm not alone in these reasons!