The Outdoor Edit: Fall Athletic Reads, Comfy Jeans for Cyclist Calves + More!
Hey everyone—
Umm, I'm a little freaked that I'm sending this in October. I know it's super cliche to say, but it really does feel like time is absolutely flying by. Temps are dropping, and I admit, while I prefer that for sleeping, the rest of my life — read: running and cycling — are getting hit hard with 'I don't wanna go outside.' It's been a little gray, I've had a bit of a cold, and staying inside and catching up on reading seems a lot nicer than being out in chilly temps. But once I get going, it's not so bad. But in the spirit of fall and coziness, let's talk books, pants, and other fun stuff!
XO, Molly
PS: Some of you might be surprised by the title change of this newsletter — it's a shift from my previous SaddleSoreWomen.com style, but the content will be similar. I'll be doing all of my women's cycling content going forward on TheOutdoorEdit.com and in this newsletter (though of course, the Saddle, Sore book is still available and the website will remain online).
PPS: Would love to hear from you all, what you're into, what you want to see more of, etc., so feel free to respond to this and let me know!
1 ATHLETIC BOOKWORMS
September's Athletic Bookworm picks are just about done (but I definitely still have a little reading left to do!)... I know we're going to be announcing the October pick later this week, but these books were all really great reads so I wanted to remind everyone that there will be recaps for each on The Outdoor Edit in the next week or two, and if you haven't read any of the back-to-school picks, I *highly* recommend picking your favorite 'class' and diving into one of these books! Personally, I really enjoyed The Happiness Project (and I think October's pick is going to be Rubin's latest book(!), and Ready to Run is a really great resource for those of you considering testing the running waters this fall.
For Psychology… Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation by Gabriele Oettingen Get it here
For English… Staying with It by John Jerome Get it here
For Home Ec… The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin Get it here
For Bio… Ready to Run: Unlocking Your Potential to Run Naturally by Kelly Starrett & TJ Murphy Get it here
2 CYCLOCROSS IS SO GOOD RIGHT NOW
If you haven't watched the last two rounds of World Cup racing — particularly the women's races — you are seriously missing out. I was in Waterloo, WI, for the first race and watching from home for the second, and both were phenomenal. It's awesome seeing Marianne Vos back, as well as Sophie de Boer, and watching the US women really coming into their own, with Ellen Noble taking second to Vos last week and Kaitie Keough winning the World Cup yesterday, it's been so fun to watch!
You can listen to our interview with Kaitie Keough on The Consummate Athlete Podcast here
Read and watch my interviews with Ellen Noble on Shred-Girls.com here
Check out our interview with Katerina Nash, who was 3rd in Waterloo, here
Watch the Waterloo race replay here, and Jingle Cross here
Want to get better at your own CX remounts and dismounts? We have a course for that, so if you feel so inclined, check it out here!
A post shared by Molly Hurford (@mollyjhurford) on Sep 23, 2018 at 1:31pm PDT
3 COMFY JEANS
If you've ever met/seen me, you know I am generally a leggings and yoga pants person. Sometimes, I'll dress it up with a minidress over leggings and call it good, and in the summer, cut-offs are my jam. But as an athletic type with a sensitive stomach, me + jeans DO NOT get along. If I find a pair that fits in the waist, my cyclist calves can't fit in the skinny legs. Boyfriend jeans make me look shorter than usual, and that's saying something. And as someone who has a really touchy stomach, especially when out and in social situations, I find I have a hard time with any waistband that feels constricting at all. So generally, I avoid jeans. But I recently stumbled on Old Navy's Mid-Rise Rockstar 24/7 Jeans and now I'm obsessed. They're super soft and stretchy, but unlike most 'jeggings' (ugh), these have a normal waistband, zipper, button, and FRONT AND BACK POCKETS. If you look closely, obviously, these don't pass muster as serious denim. But I can sprint and climb in them, and do long drives/flights in them, and they actually look pretty freaking good. (The black and gray are my favorites but I also have the dark wash denim now.) Get them here, for under $45.
4 DEEP THOUGHTS
Over on Breakfast Criminals, Ksenia’s article about the 30 things she's learned in 30 years really got to me. I'm not normally much for manifesting/visualizing/etc., but it was a really fun piece to read, and it made me think a bunch about the million projects I have going on, and what I'm enjoying versus what's feeling like it's holding me back/down. I've always had the 'more is better' approach to... well, everything. Jobs, sports that I do, things that I want to write/read/wear, and I want to start being a little more choosy and methodical with where I focus time and energy. (Reading that article sort of made me feel the same way I felt writing my most recent 'back-to-school' piece earlier in September, TBH. Which is a feeling I really enjoy.)
5 FUEL YOUR RIDE
I've been coaching cross-country running for a few weeks now, and was just at my first race this week. I had a pretty big lightbulb moment while I was there chatting with the girls and with the other coaches: Sports nutrition might be something I've come to understand after a lot of years of researching and writing, but it's still a fairly new concept for most recreational (and even elite) athletes. I'm reminded of that when I do talks and I worry I'm saying really dull stuff (smart nutrition = not that sexy), but when I'm chatting with people after, I realize that it is new info for a lot of people. I've just gotten used to nerding out on this stuff because I've been (seriously) reading nutrition books since I was in second grade (don't ask me why). So, if you fall into the "I want to learn a little more about nutrition basics and how to optimize for my training" camp, I'm going to give myself a plug for my book, Fuel Your Ride (which is applicable to any endurance sport, not just cycling). If you've had the idea that you want to pay more attention to nutrition in the back of your mind for a while, I promise this book is a non-painful way to get some solid science-backed intel without getting too into the weeds!
