The Outdoor Edit: Running Snacks + Pants, Big Scary Goal Motivation + Raising Strong Girls
Hey everyone—
Honestly, this is a weird one for me to send out because usually, I'm not home for this many days in a row, and there aren't any crazy travels or races to discuss or relive. Instead, I've just been enjoying the start to fall in a way I haven't been able to in years, with plenty of hikes, runs and moments appreciating the leaves changing color. I've been missing cyclocross, of course, which is why I'll head to Gloucester, MA next weekend, but for the moment, I'm SO content being up in Ontario and working at home! I admit, that fact almost makes writing pieces like this harder because I've had such a normal week, but it also means I get a chance to go a lot deeper, read more articles, think more intently about how I'm writing and what I'm working on... And it's been really fun! So, what have I been thinking about this week? Eating on the run, fall clothing (why am I pants-obsessed lately?!) and some upcoming events. Let's get to it!
XO, Molly
PS: Respond to this email or hit me up on Instagram... I 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 EATING ON THE RUN
Over on Outside magazine's website, I put together an article talking to the elite racers who raced in the Chicago marathon this weekend, and got their pre-race dinners + breakfasts, in-run plans, and post-run reservations. The coolest part? Seeing how many of them planned to eat pizza and pasta — not overdoing it — the night before, and had really similar in-run plans for around 800 calories taken in over the course of the 26.2 miles. And I LOVE that all of them had really fun answers for what they wanted to eat after the marathon. (You can read the whole article here.)
Meanwhile, I'm SUPER happy with the new running hydration vest I got from Osprey—the Dyna 6—in size XS. It's been SO MUCH BETTER than my one-size-fits-all run vest from Camelbak (which wasn't terrible and actually, Peter likes a lot). I found with the Camelbak, it was just too big and the straps loosened too much, whereas the Dyna has the same reservoir size but is a lot smoother and fitted, plus has better space and pockets in the back for carrying extra food, clothing or even another bottle. I haven't had it out for any really long runs yet (13 miles was the max) but I've been wearing it every time I run to get used to it and I love it.
2 ON RUNNING PANTS
Obsessed. I am officially a huge fan of the small On Running brand, and I have to say, their running pants are my favorite things in the entire universe at the moment. They're super comfortable, and for coaching XC or chilly + chill morning runs, they're THE BEST. (I'm also a fan because unlike regular running sweats, these have mesh knee inserts so you don't get that 'baggy in the knee' effect, and they unzip a bit wider at the ankles so you can slide them off over shoes if you have shorts underneath, or you can unzip and squish them up so that they're capri-length.) Couldn't be more stoked on them, and it's nice to have a non-legging option to switch up my running wardrobe occasionally.
3 RAISING CONFIDENT GIRLS
If you're a mom to a preteen girl (or more than one!), I salute you. As I work on the next Shred Girls book and interview more and more real life Shred Girls and coach high school cross-country, I realize and remember just how hard it was being a teenage girl! And I think it's even harder being one who plays sports, or one who wants to play but isn't confident enough to head to the starting line. I was somewhere between that — I wasn't a sporty kid, but I'm not sure if it was a lack of confidence or a genuine lack of interest. It's hard to look back and really gauge that! But anyway, the New York Times did a fantastic piece on The Confidence Gap for Girls: 5 Tips for Parents of Tween and Teen Girls that is absolutely a must-read for active parents.
4 VERMONT LADIES: COME HANG AT BITTERSWEET
I'll be speaking, riding, leading a yoga session + hanging out at the 1-day Bittersweet Women's Event on October 27, 2018 in Burke, Vermont at the Hub Trailside. This is for all levels and really a day about inspiring and empowering. You can participate in all the activities or come and go at your leisure.
Register Here: https://www.bikereg.com/bittersweet (only $25 - doesn't include beer or dinner)
PS: If you're in Ontario, I'll be hanging out the Sunday before this — the 21st — at the Howling Coyote Gravel Grinder riding the 80km course and Shred Girls will be providing a few of the prizes!
5 BIG SCARY GOALS
I've written about Big Scary Goals A TON in the last couple of years, and Peter recently sent me this article "How To Fully Commit To Goals That Terrify You." Not going to sugar-coat it, this article is HELLA cheesy. But at the same time, it is a bit of a kick in the pants if you know you need one. I'm working on a couple of things that scare the crap out of me right now: Shred Girls being in the hands of a big publishing company, and the uncertainty that comes with any book launch, but especially something like this where it's had my heart and soul just poured into it for the last couple years. And then, there are a couple of new writing projects I'm working on in parallel with that, that are terrifying for different reasons. All of it comes back to having big goals around my writing, and working towards them fearlessly and relentlessly, when TBH I'd rather curl up and read a cheesy mystery novel sometimes. So if you're looking for a little extra motivation on a big project you've been putting off or putzing on, I'd give that article a read — or check out some of the stuff we've done around Big Scary Goals, including a podcast with a rad woman who set a huge goal of 40 marathons before she hit 40 and how she made it to that goal with years to spare... and needed to figure out her next steps.