The Outdoor Edit: Snow Storms, Fleecy Tights + The Power of Teammates
Hey everyone—
I'm mid-drive from Vermont to Ontario as I write this and have driven through a SNOW STORM for the last four hours. I'm feeling a little frazzled, and perplexed as to where the hell fall has gone. I'm writing a sternly worded letter to the weather people. I also was out riding in sleet and snow yesterday in Vermont at Bittersweet, Rasputitsa's day for rad women to come together and talk all things bikes... and then go out and ride. It was SO cold, but SO incredibly inspiring to see so many awesome women out. I gave a talk about finding your identity as an athlete (ahem, may have quoted The Breakfast Club) and had an amazing time meeting so many cool women (hopefully a few of them are reading this!). If you haven't considered a gravel race... might I recommend Rasputitsa? I've never met more caring organizers, and never ridden on more scenic roads.
OK, 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 FIND YOUR TEAM
"One of the best parts about having friends on the mountain bike team is that they are also your teammates. Teammates see you at your best and your worst, and you know each other inside and out. There is something really very special about that type of bond." -Real Life Shred Girl Isabella Macarelli talking racing mountain bikes and the value of finding the right team. Read the rest of her excellent interview here!
2 COZY RUN TIGHTS
It's freaking COLD lately. And that means I am reluctantly starting to transition from shorts to leggings for running. I have a few pairs that are my go-tos: lululemon's Align tights are my favorites for yoga and running, while Rapha's leggings are pretty solid for running thanks to their rubberized piece on the waistband. But I'm super picky, so while I've tried probably 20 other brands in the last couple years, I hadn't found ones that I loved. SO. I just picked up a pair of Run Janji's W's Bolivia Deviation Crop in Pacha Green and I wasn't sure how I would feel about them. Turns out, I am a HUGE fan. They're relatively high waisted, they stay in place even on annoyingly long hills, and they have a BACK ZIP POCKET! I am weirdly super stoked on this, because all of my shorts have pockets for my car keys and until now, none of my leggings did. They also have an almost fleecy brushing on just the top part of the leggings, so the chilly air wasn't an issue on my run, unlike when I run in my super-thin lulu tights. They're definitely my new go-to for these shoulder-season runs.
(Run Janji is also awesome because 5% of their profits go towards funding clean water projects around the world.)
A post shared by Molly Hurford (@mollyjhurford) on Oct 24, 2018 at 8:11am PDT
Get a pair here
($88)
3 EASY AT-HOME STRENGTH
It's COLD AF right now, and I had some travel in the last few days that took me away from the gym. Combined with some knee issues, I needed a day off of running, but didn't have a way to lift weights and didn't have time to find a gym. Then I remembered that we have a set of exercises for just such an occasion! If you're finding yourself in the same spot, pop over and check out this video for our anywhere-strength routine. It's quick, simple + no-nonsense.
4 YOUR ATHLETIC IDENTITY
Over the years, I've changed as an athlete. (OK, first I had to *become* an athlete. Then I started changing.) From triathlete to cyclocrosser to runner to MTBer... It's a constant evolution. But I realized recently, as I tried to revisit my cyclocross days, that I have this idea in my head that even though I go away from a certain sport for a few years, I still believe that I can and should pick up right where I left off, despite missing years of that specific type of training. I wrote about one facet of this over on The Outdoor Edit, but if you're struggling with figuring out who you are as an athlete, my two recommendations are:
1) Read THE BRAVE ATHLETE. It's brilliant.
2) Understand that you can BE an athlete at any level... and that being an athlete isn't all-or-nothing. You can be an athlete and a bookworm (ahem, a jock and a nerd, to borrow from The Breakfast Club).
5 RIDE BIKES GET RAD
I’m super stoked that when Pip of Rune Creative was designing the awesome limited run Shred Girls caps, she also made a great design for Shred Girls tshirts, tank tops and cell phone cases — and they’re available now in the Shred Girls store!
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That's it for this week—if you found anything inspiring in here, do me a solid and forward to a friend!