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Latest Blogs
The Lazy Baker’s Guide to Easy Sourdough Bread – Video + Recipe
I got into baking sourdough in earnest two years ago when we got home from my 100-miler because, well, I was hungry and had a couple weeks off. And what I realized after a lot of trial and error was that most recipes were far too complicated (even the ones that...
How Can You Make Healthy Choices Easier?
As many people do, we often start reassessing habits we have around this time of year, revamping some and adding/subtracting others. Ultimately, we’re always looking for ways to make healthy choices easier in the new year, based on where we are in life at the moment…...
How to, Why to, When to Set Max Heart Rate for Cycling
In this episode of the Consummate Athlete Podcast, we answer a listener question about setting your max heart rate so that you can train by zones set by maximal heart rate. We also discuss variations on setting zones for those who do not have past data from hard...
Training
What is a VO2 Max Lab Test Really Like?
Do you really need a VO2 Max test? That was a question I was asking myself as I nervously walked into the Human Powered Health Lab in Boston, MA, back in October. I was there to spend time with the women on the Human Powered Health Cycling Team, a team that I have a...
Can You Prepare for The Goal You Have Set?
When you're setting a goal, it's incredibly important to not just set it, but to set it thoughtfully, considering both the finish line (point B) and where you are right now (point A), as well as what it will take to get you from point to point. It's critical to ask...
5 Healthy Holiday Habits for Masters Cyclists
We talk about it a lot on the consummate athlete podcast (check it out and subscribe!), but wanted to drop in here to wish everyone a healthy, safe holiday, and to remind you that no matter how your healthy habits fare this holiday season, it's only a small part of...
Racing
Choosing Your Values – And Applying Them to Training + Racing
As we head into the new year and goal setting season, we’ve been reflecting a lot on our values, and then using that lens to figure out our race schedule and work/life goals for this coming year. One of our favorite podcast guests, Dr. Josie Perry, shared a few...
Category Upgrades & Should You Keep Racing as You Get Older?
In this episode of the Consummate Athlete Podcast, we tackle two important questions for masters cyclists about racing, category upgrades, and the evolution of athletic goals as we get older. Coach Peter Glassford and Author Molly Hurford dive into the nuances of...
Pacing For Endurance Mountain Bike Racing
Pacing for endurance events, such as Leadville 100, is a common stumbling block for many athletes. Get it right and you can maximize results you get for the fitness you have. However, if you get it wrong you can have a disastrous result that doesn't reflect your true...
Cross-Training
New 8-Minute Yoga for Anytime
Looking for a quick mid-day reset, an easy morning wakeup, or a post- or pre-ride flow to feel nice and limber? We’ve got you covered with this quick 8-minute yoga flow with Molly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiBJyC6PfwU
A Training Plan Matters—Even If You’re Not Racing
I know the idea of having a training plan when you don't have a race on the calendar might seem a little weird—but as a cyclist (or any endurance athlete!) there are so many benefits to having structured training, and a specific-to-cycling training plan. Trust me, as...
Short Strength + Stretch Routine – Video
Since we were talking marginal gains on the podcast this week and mentioned my morning routine (still going strong after 9 years… longer than our marriage!), I wanted to make a new video walking you through a 10-minute version. You may need to modify it at first,...
Mindset
How Can You Make Healthy Choices Easier?
As many people do, we often start reassessing habits we have around this time of year, revamping some and adding/subtracting others. Ultimately, we’re always looking for ways to make healthy choices easier in the new year, based on where we are in life at the moment…...
Can You Prepare for The Goal You Have Set?
When you're setting a goal, it's incredibly important to not just set it, but to set it thoughtfully, considering both the finish line (point B) and where you are right now (point A), as well as what it will take to get you from point to point. It's critical to ask...
The Reminder About Health vs. Fitness for Athletes
One of our favorite ”coach moments of wisdom" comes from strength coach Dan John. It isn’t about how to do a great goblet squat (though he also has tips for that). No, his biggest nugget of wisdom is about how if we're not proactive about everything else in life, it's...
Nutrition
The Lazy Baker’s Guide to Easy Sourdough Bread – Video + Recipe
I got into baking sourdough in earnest two years ago when we got home from my 100-miler because, well, I was hungry and had a couple weeks off. And what I realized after a lot of trial and error was that most recipes were far too complicated (even the ones that...
The BS of Athlete Food Diaries – And What to Think About Instead
Thanks to social media, it's not just the top level athletes who are sharing their 'food diaries' or 'what I eat in a day' posts. Now, everyone is sharing them. And while some of them are impressively calorie-laden and actually fuel the work the athletes are doing,...
Organizing Your In-Ride Food and Hydration—Kitchen Cleanout
If you're anything like us, you probably have a random drawer or two or three that houses your in-run or in-ride food and hydration mix. Maybe it's scattered throughout your kitchen and garage and dresser with all your other cycling gear. Because being able to eat and...
Lifestyle
5 Off- and On-Bike Things I Learned on Our inGamba Bike Tour
This fall, we were lucky enough to spend a few days in Italy, riding some of the best roads that Tuscany had to offer, sipping some of the best wines from the region, and eating food prepared by a master chef every night for dinner. Did I mention the daily massages?...
Healthy Holiday Travel Tips and Hacks
Everyone writes about being healthy for the holidays. Heck, I did it about healthy travel over Thanksgiving! But with holiday season upon us, it's never a bad thing to refresh your memory on how to stay active, healthy and happy over the course of the next two weeks....
Apps to Organize Your Life as A Sponsored Athlete, Club Coordinator or Team Captain
In “The Athlete’s Guide to Sponsorship: An Athlete Entrepreneur’s Guide to Dreaming Big, Racing Smart & Creating a Reliable Brand for a Long, Successful Career,” I talk a lot about the importance of treating sponsorship like a job, and to me, a big part of that...
Women Specific
Are You Buying Gear or Buying Time?
I had to laugh a few months ago. I was riding with a time-strapped friend and we were chatting about the latest pair wheelset that promised to give you an extra 10 watts (or rather, save you 10 watts). She had a big race on the schedule in a few months, and she was...
Why You Need a Post-Race Ritual—Even 20 Minutes!
I wrote this thinking about the women in my life that I know. I've seen my friends cross the finish line, and before they've even caught their breath, they're back into real life, making sure the kids have snacks and are ready to get home, all while still...
![Dr. Stacy Sims – Weight Lifting, Protein, Menopause [Rebroadcast]](https://consummateathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/podcast-cover-photo-1-2-400x250.jpg?x57402)
Dr. Stacy Sims – Weight Lifting, Protein, Menopause [Rebroadcast]
This is our most popular episode in 2023 so we are rebroadcasting this important interview with Dr. Stacy Sims. Her mission is to help women better understand their bodies and elevate them in research, science, sport, and ultimately, in life. The ideas that that...
Gear
Last Minute Gifts for Athletes in Your Life
So it’s almost time for the gift exchange and you completely lost track of time and forgot to get a gift for the cyclist/runner/athlete in your life. It happens. First of all, DO NOT PANIC… or panic shop. In fact, if you don’t see anything on this gift guide you want...
What We Wear: Molly’s Cold Weather Run Gear in 2024
We talked on the podcast about how we layer for winter training—our top cold weather running and cold weather cycling clothes—and I wanted to do a deeper dive into a few of the pieces that I've been really enjoying this season. Some of them are tried-and-true and have...
Our Favorite Athletic Books to Gift This Holiday Season
Books are obviously something we love gifting to people, between the books that we’ve written, books by authors at Strong Girl Publishing, and books that are written by favorite podcast guests we’ve had on, and of course, books written by people we would love to have...
Videos
New 8-Minute Yoga for Anytime
Looking for a quick mid-day reset, an easy morning wakeup, or a post- or pre-ride flow to feel nice and limber? We’ve got you covered with this quick 8-minute yoga flow with Molly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiBJyC6PfwU
Short Strength + Stretch Routine – Video
Since we were talking marginal gains on the podcast this week and mentioned my morning routine (still going strong after 9 years… longer than our marriage!), I wanted to make a new video walking you through a 10-minute version. You may need to modify it at first,...
How to Ride Down Steep Hills and Drop-offs
Peter did a series of mountain bike skills videos with Canadian Cycling Magazine. This video is on one of the most commonly coached skills, roll downs. Riding down rollins, steep rollable drops or down steps is a super important one for any mountain biker because it...
