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Training
Latest Blogs
Recovery, Physiology & Strength – Julia Casadio
In this episode of the Consummate Athlete Podcast, Molly Hurford chats with Julia Casadio, a high-performance sports expert who has worked with Olympians in canoe slalom and sailing. They dive into a range of topics, including Molly's ankle injury recovery, the...
How Realistic Are Your Expectations for Future You?
I’m a big ‘when things calm down’ person. But here’s problem: I am lying to myself. I have a post I wrote 2016 where my now sister-in-law made a joke about me saying that things would calm down, then proceeded to list out a travel schedule that suggested things would...
Washing Your Cycling Kit: Dos and Don’ts of Laundry Cycles
Laundry. Specifically, washing (and drying) your cycling kit. Seems ultra-simple, right? Wash, rinse, repeat. Umm... Turns out with cycling kit, it can be a little more complicated. In addition to skin irritation—more on that in a sec—I was out on a ride yesterday and...
Training
How Realistic Are Your Expectations for Future You?
I’m a big ‘when things calm down’ person. But here’s problem: I am lying to myself. I have a post I wrote 2016 where my now sister-in-law made a joke about me saying that things would calm down, then proceeded to list out a travel schedule that suggested things would...
Washing Your Cycling Kit: Dos and Don’ts of Laundry Cycles
Laundry. Specifically, washing (and drying) your cycling kit. Seems ultra-simple, right? Wash, rinse, repeat. Umm... Turns out with cycling kit, it can be a little more complicated. In addition to skin irritation—more on that in a sec—I was out on a ride yesterday and...
DIY Heat Adaptation Training Tips
We recently recorded a podcast episode with exercise physiologist Julia Casadio that went all over the place, but had a big chunk devoted to her specific field of study, heat adaptation and heat training. The pandemic forced her and the Olympic athletes she works with...
Racing
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...
Molly’s Leadville 100 Race Report—The A Goal That Wasn’t
This post includes the podcast we recorded as well as Molly's written race report below. The Leadville 100 Run Episodes and Adventure were presented by Payable! Use this Add-on to collect Payments in Your Google Forms! Check out Payable Apps in the Google Workspace...
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
Learn to Love Your Pre-Race Mindsets + Quirks
I have learned something new about myself this week: I am a pre-race future-focusing list-making extraordinaire. This isn't a new trait, but it is new that I've realized it. I don't mean that I do this after every 5K or weekly race. But heading into a major event like...
What Failure Taught Me About Goal-Setting
Most readers know by this point that my big scary goal that I’ve been talking about for years—a podium at the Leadville 100 trail race—didn’t happen this summer. It’s never about just the end goal. Hear me out. It sounds corny, but even before Leadville didn’t go my...
There Isn’t As Much Time As You Think (For Training)
Recently, Peter has been chatting with a few different coaching client about their goals, and how to prepare for them. This time of year, we tend to hear a lot of this sentiment that everyone "has plenty of time to train and prepare." But do they, really? When we did...
Nutrition
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...
Small Habits to Try to Improve Digestion
I recently wrote about dealing with gut distress during a race, and the ways to avoid that race day gut. But for most of us who deal with what I’ll call “gut issues” (of many different varieties), it’s not just a race day situation. We know that things like irritable...
Fueling, RED-S & Weight Management for Athletes with Lindsey Cortes RD
In this episode of the Consummate Athlete Podcast, Molly Hurford chats with sports dietitian Lindsey Cortes. We explore the staggering statistic that up to 45% of female athletes engage in some form of disordered eating. We discuss the reasons behind this, how it...
Lifestyle
“Running As Fast As We Can” by Molly Hurford is Out Now!
High school is an uphill battle… especially if you run cross-country. And on Tuesday, September 17, this new YA novel from Molly Hurford hits the shelves! It’s Molly’s 11th book and her first foray into young adult literature—if your kiddo grew up with the Shred Girls...
Streamline Your Registration and Payments: How Sports Clubs and Coaches Can Benefit from the Payable Addon for Google Forms
In this post, we wanted to share this great software with our readers because it has been so helpful for us, in so many areas of our lives and business. The Payable Addon for Google Forms is a fantastic option to solve the common problem of collecting information and...
How to Train When You’re on Vacation
So you're going on vacation, but you still want to train: How do you make time for training while you're sipping margaritas on the beach or herding your family through a waterpark? Plan ahead for vacation in your training schedule It's easy to forget to inform your...
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]
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
Washing Your Cycling Kit: Dos and Don’ts of Laundry Cycles
Laundry. Specifically, washing (and drying) your cycling kit. Seems ultra-simple, right? Wash, rinse, repeat. Umm... Turns out with cycling kit, it can be a little more complicated. In addition to skin irritation—more on that in a sec—I was out on a ride yesterday and...
What We’re Shopping on Prime Day
Prime Day is here, which means we’re shopping for some deals. I find that for athletic equipment, Prime Day isn’t really much to write home about. It can be a great time to buy your new cycling computer or watch, but I do recommend that you don’t just jump to whatever...
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...
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...