Racing Season, Daily Training Environment + More | The Outdoor Edit Newsletter
THE OUTDOOR EDIT NEWSLETTER
Hellooooooo!
Three weeks in one place, and I admit, I waffle between being incredibly grateful, a little antsy, and a little freaked about what's coming up—when I'm not moving around a lot, I tend to start panicking that it's going to creep up on me all at once. Which, it kind of is in three weeks when I head to NJ for the first 50k of the season and have the first Shred Girls book launch just days after—and will be doing a few events there before busting back to Ontario to have the launch party!
But for now, I'm home and it turns out, being here means getting ahead with writing and doing all of my training well, plus doing solid recovery in terms of food, foam rolling and sleep. It's genuinely a weird feeling, being able to get into a routine and groove. I'm digging it.
Let's talk about what's new and exciting!
XO,
Molly
OBSESSED WITH FEET
Yeah, I have no idea how this happened... but I was about to start a post around my favorite things this month, and all I could think of was foot-related gear. I think it's because I've been in a bit of a struggle to find new racing shoes—the ones I relied on last year aren't made the same way anymore, and while I still swear by VivoBarefoot for sub-15 mile runs, there's a limit to how much my feet can handle. So, I rounded up a few things that have been working—including the barefoot sneakers that, at the moment, might be what I race the 50K in! Check it: A Few of My Favorite Things—All About Feet
HAVE A RACING QUESTION?
We're on the lookout for more questions for our training and nutrition Q&A episodes of The Consummate Athlete Podcast! Respond here with any questions: there's no question too general OR too specific! I want to focus this week on racing, with my and Peter's first races of the season coming up in just 3 weeks (eek!), so race-day/post-race Qs are especially welcome.
ROUTINE VS OPTIMIZED DAILY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT
Instead of feeling jealous that the pros are all going to warmer climates to prep for the season, it might be time to start considering how you can make the most gains at home. Do you need to set up your workout/trainer/yoga area and make it a permanent fixture so it gets used? Do more meal prep for healthier lunches or post-ride snacks? Optimize your bedroom so it’s peaceful, cool and dark so you can get to sleep faster? I feel like we get pretty bored, or—ahem—routinized with our daily routines, forgetting just how damn helpful they can be. Make being stuck at home work for you!
INVESTING VERSUS SACRIFICING
I think sometimes, especially as amateur athletes, we get really in our heads about this idea that we ‘have to’ train, we ‘have to’ race. But honestly? We don’t ‘have to’ do $hit. We’re choosing to. When we’re making decisions like skipping a party to get more sleep, or picking the salad over the pizza (or the salad and a single slice of pizza), or getting up early for that training run, we often see these as sacrifices we’re making for our sport. But what if we reframed these sacrifices as investments, as money in the bank?
3 WEEKS UNTIL SHRED GIRLS IS OUT—AND FREE BONUS ZINE!
As a child of the 90s and a punk rock teen of the early 2000s, I had a zine before I had a blog. It was my way of putting my (really bad) poetry and (just OK) photography into the world, and it helped me find myself as a writer. So, I revisited that genre and created a fun Shred Girls zine to showcase the series, the real life Shred Girls I've talked to, and some fun illustrations and sneak peeks at the book. You can get your copy free by singing up for the Shred Girls newsletter here, or by coming to one of my events (like our launch party at Joyride150 next month) to get a copy IRL. And you can also still Pre-order Lindsay's Joyride (out May 7!), email me the receipt and I'll send you a signed Shred Girls postcard + Shred Girls bike frame stickers... and if you share it with a friend, let me know and I'll send you even more stickers!!
"Shred Girls: Lindsay's Joyride" is an empowering new series from the cyclist who runs Shred-Girls.com is guaranteed to give readers an adrenaline rush--and the confidence girls gain from participating in sports. It's time to ride and save the day!
Lindsay can't wait to spend her summer break reading comics and watching superhero movies--until she finds out she'll be moving in with her weird older cousin Phoebe instead. And Phoebe has big plans for Lindsay: a BMX class at her bike park with cool-girl Jen and perfectionist Ali. Lindsay's summer of learning awesome BMX tricks with new friends and a new bike turns out to be more epic than any comic book--and it's all leading up to a jumping competition. But some of the biker boys don't think girls should be allowed to compete in BMX. Now it's up to Lindsay, Jen, and Ali to win the competition and prove that anyone can be great at BMX.
Preorder here: