Blogs
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Training
Latest Blogs
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...
What’s Your Training ‘Minimum Viable Product’?
On the podcast this week, we talked about three important topics: Handling training during a stressful life situation (whether it’s chronic work/life overload or a more acute thing like a death in the family), strength training for masters athletes and starting to run...
Can You Train Year-Round for Cycling?
One question we get a lot is, "how do people train in the winter for cycling?" This is interesting because we also frequently get the inverse question of "how you train for cycling in the summer?" If you are already and avid cyclist the answers may seem obvious to you...
Training
What Experts Can Help Me Get Faster?
It takes a village to build an optimized athlete—and today, we're looking at the laundry list of experts who can all play a part in making you faster and stronger on the bike or run, or whatever your sport may be. You may want to enlist the help of all of these...
Cyclocross Race Day Planner – Free Download!
Get ready to have the best season ever with our free Cyclocross Race Day Planner that helps you schedule out your day, pack the right clothing and gear for the weather, and have the most optimal warm up, cool down and recovery so that you can get back to it for Day 2!...
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...
Racing
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...
Why Complicated Post-Race Feelings Are OK
Picture this: You hurtle towards the finish line of a race feeling triumphant, ready to celebrate your victory. You know you’ve won and you’re grinning ear to ear. The announcer calls your name—and says congratulations on your second place finish. The grin drops. This...
Stage Race Packing: Essentials, Extras and Extraneous
This post and list has been honed over many different stage races we have done since 2005 and is meant to help you on any multi-day stage race or training camp as a racer/participant/spectator. Including TransRockies, Transylvania Stage race, Crank The Shield and...
Cross-Training
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...
Shaking Things Up in Your Training Routine… Without Breaking It
I'm an incredibly routine person. If you've been reading this blog or listening to the podcast for a while now, you probably know that. I have a strict yoga/core morning routine, we eat the exact same breakfast most days, my workday and training are pretty routinized...
The Importance of Time Outside (Even During Trainer Season)
We've been lucky enough to be in a sunny, warm spot to work and train for this past week, living out of our van and spending all but our sleeping hours outside, and the difference in mood, overall health, digestion, skin—you name it!—has been pretty astonishing. It...
Mindset
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,...
What Burdens Are You Placing On Your Future Self
I was reading a fairly cheesy productivity book the other day, and listening to a similarly cheesy podcast, and by happenstance, both brought up the same topic: the burdens that we place on our future self. Both were talking about procrastination and the basic concept...
Struggling to Make Time to Train? 5 Tips from a Productivity Expert
We talk a lot about being motivated to train, but the reality is that most of us are likely motivated, but time-starved. We have massive to-do lists in all areas of life (work, training, life, family, friends, side hustles, other hobbies, etc.) and that can make...
Nutrition
Stomach Gurgling During a Race? A Few Causes + Solutions
A churning stomach, gurgling tummy, hiccups or a bit of a heartburn-y tight feeling during a running or cycling event is normal—and incredibly annoying and stressful! Dealing with race day gut issues Normalize a bit of gut distress That sounds like a weird first tip,...
Our Favorite Kitchen Gadgets for Healthy Eating… And the One We Don’t Use
The Kitchen Gadgets We Use for Healthy (Easy) Cooking I am a lazy cook/baker. (See: The Lazy Guide to Sourdough.) But I also am cheap, meaning I don’t like to do a lot of takeout (and our healthy takeout options here aren’t amazing). So, I cook. But I do it in the...
Sourdough Pizza on the Grill: The Perfect Pre-Race Meal!
How to Grill a Pizza I posted about making a sourdough pizza on our new electric grill last week ahead of doing a fun race—the ELEVATE challenge at Blue Mountain with City Shred—and the number of comments I got about it were ridiculous. So, I thought I’d share a quick...
Lifestyle
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...
Easy Travel Tips for an Active, Happy (Almost Low-Stress) Holiday Season
Heading home for the holidays, but want to make sure you stay somewhat healthy (and sane) while you're there? I got you. Pack for Your Activity Goals My main tip is always to pack for the trip you're actually going on, not the one you're hoping to have (i.e if you're...
How to Hygge (as an Athlete)
As athletes, it can be tough to walk between enjoying the holidays, hygge and the season while still being and feeling.... fast and in shape. The two vibes seem completely at odds with each other: Hustling versus Hygging. Getting your morning miles in versus cozying...
Women Specific
Molly’s 10 Pieces of Outdoor Gear That Have Lasted 10+ Years
There are some pieces of gear that are great for a couple of seasons... and then, there are pieces of cycling kit, running apparel and outdoor gear that have stood up to over 10+ years of hard, hard use. We wanted to pay homage to a few of the pieces that we've used...
Our Best Athletic Gear Organization Tools
Here at Consummate Athlete HQ, one of our major tenets of the Consummate Athlete lifestyle is to be able to ride, run, hike, climb, camp, whatever at a moment's notice. That means having our gear organized and easy to access. Not only does it make packing for trips a...
Red-S and Women’s Performance – Traci Carson
Traci Carson PhD. is a researcher, scientist, professor and (still sometimes) athlete. She is passionate about helping active women fuel their bodies and optimize their menstrual cycles for health, performance, and fertility. This episode is brought to you by 3 Month...
Gear
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...
Struggling with Heart Rate Monitors or Breathing on the Bike? Check Your Sports Bra
If you're riding and struggling with either a) your heart rate monitor not reading right or being incredibly uncomfortable, or b) you're struggling to catch your breath on hard parts of your ride, one thing to check is your sports bra. Think about it: Often, we're...
Stage Race Packing: Essentials, Extras and Extraneous
This post and list has been honed over many different stage races we have done since 2005 and is meant to help you on any multi-day stage race or training camp as a racer/participant/spectator. Including TransRockies, Transylvania Stage race, Crank The Shield and...
Videos
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...
Climb and Descend Switchbacks on your Mountain Bike
2 Videos thanks to Canadian Cycling Magazine for capturing these thoughts and drills. Descending Switchbacks CLIMBING SWITCHBACKS
Setting Up a Charging Station for Athletes
One of my favorite things to talk about is, obviously, keeping your gear organized as an athlete. And the number one time-waster we hear about from coaching clients and people who follow along with the podcast is Stuff Not Being Charged. And it happens! With so many...
