Blogs
Latest In Sport
Training
Latest Blogs
Why I Took a Break from Recording My Workouts
Coming back to training after an injury or illness is a difficult process. And sometimes, data, recording, and social media-ing the training can make it even harder. In the last three weeks, I’ve been learning a lot about my motivation and relationship to training...
Top 5 Cyclocross Strength Exercises
Cyclocross is a demanding sport because it requires a variety of full body movements off-the bike including lifting and rotation. There are several exercises that can be included to ensure you have movement skill and capacity to perform in each race this season. Don't...
End of Season Adventures: How, Why, and Why Not to Go Big This Fall
Join Peter and Molly as they dive into the appeal of taking on last-minute, end-of-season endurance adventures—whether it’s a big race, a challenging ride, or an epic endurance event. They share real-life examples from clients and explore how factors like sport,...
Training
Top 5 Cyclocross Strength Exercises
Cyclocross is a demanding sport because it requires a variety of full body movements off-the bike including lifting and rotation. There are several exercises that can be included to ensure you have movement skill and capacity to perform in each race this season. Don't...
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...
Dealing with Constant Razor Burn When Cycling or Running
This is a conversation I have CONSTANTLY with riding and running friends. Lady parts aren’t the only sensitive skin we deal with on the bike, and sunburn isn't the only issue we deal with on the run. Anyone else have some leg chafe/shaving issues? (Hand up!) I find...
Racing
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...
4 Things to Stop Doing in a Pre-Race Taper
My big race of the year (or more accurately, the past two years) is coming up in just under two weeks. I just finished my last two big runs ahead of it, and now, it’s time to start the taper. While I’ll still be running plenty in the next week, then eventually...
Cross-Training
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,...
Year-Round Intensity + Starting Strength in 60’s
Today Molly and Peter discuss a listener question about doing intensity and races year-round. They look at an interesting study about a person in their 60s starting to strength train and the benefits in muscle mass and strength they saw into their 70s! They also...
Mindset
Why I Took a Break from Recording My Workouts
Coming back to training after an injury or illness is a difficult process. And sometimes, data, recording, and social media-ing the training can make it even harder. In the last three weeks, I’ve been learning a lot about my motivation and relationship to training...
The Sneaky Lifestyle Creep of “Hard Things” and “Big Scary Goals”
This is a repost from 2021—but it’s as relevant today as it was back then as I think about what’s coming next for me! Do I return to Leadville? Look at 200 milers instead? Think UTMB? Or it is OK to go “shorter?” You may remember last week when we talked about our...
Handling the Ghosts of Goal Setting
When we checked out of our hotel at Leadville, the last thing I did was take down the BELIEVE sign I’d hung on the bathroom mirror. (A nod to Ted Lasso, if you haven’t watched it.) It felt… well, it felt crappy, to be honest. Obviously, regardless of the race outcome,...
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
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...
Commit to Yoga Every Day for a Month — Here’s Some Tips to Make It Work!
I love the idea of a challenge that can keep you feeling good through the holidays even when time/space to train is short, which is why December tends to be a favorite time of mine for challenges that include yoga. So, with that in mind, why not commit to SOME form of...
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)
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
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...
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up… Your Athletic Gear
When it comes to establishing strong training routines, one of the best ways to do it is to have your gear easier to access, in good working condition, and actually gear/clothing that you enjoy using. So, here's what you need to make the life-changing magic of tidying...
The Small Gear That Makes a Big Difference on Adventures + Long Races
It’s funny how a small piece of gear can be the difference between having a really enjoyable race day versus a total $hitshow of a race day. A couple years ago, we came up with this list as I was flying to Western States 100 to pace a friend and then heading to Quebec...
Videos
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...
Build Confidence on MTB Jumps – Video
If you find you are nervous about getting airborne on your bike or have the desire to learn to jump than this post and video is for you! You can learn how to jump your bike! Peter has made a series of mountain bike skills videos with Canadian Cycling Magazine, and...
