Week1

January 02, 2024

Ole’ Fashioned Scrambled Rocks.

Scramblin’. Rock scrambling, that is. It’s the sport you’ve probably never heard of, but if you love jumping from rock to rock, and are always the one climbing sh*t you shouldn’t be, this is for you. It’s a cross between rock climbing/bouldering, and hiking. You don’t use specialized tether equipment, so you’re not exactly scaling El Capitan (if you read our edition a few weeks ago, you get it) free-solo. BUT, you’re not really “just” hiking along a switchback/clear path either. We’ve been rock scrambling in the Smoky Mountains, and didn’t even know it had a name. TBH, we had a hell of a time but couldn’t figure out if we were the most unathletic people and looked like timid bears climbing across a boulder field, or if we were the most adventuresome gals in the woods and looked like Bear Grylls. Our insta followers only saw the Bear Grylls photos, not the one of us trying to figure out if the rock were were about to grab onto had a snake underneath it.

In this week’s email:

  • Sramblin’: Rock scrambling is the sport you’ve probably never heard of, but will absolutely love.

  • Some TX love: Texas doesn’t get the love for the amount of epic endurance races that call it home. In 2024; find your bucket list race in the great Lone Star State.

  • Outdoors Lottery: This isn’t the Mega Millions, although not sure how much better your odds are at scoring a permit to hike Half Dome in Yosemite.

👇Watch a Cadence suggested vid: Meditation is not just for the people that are looking for a zen moment at the end of their yoga session. Meditation can be a powerful tool for athletes that want to chase their dreams, become more mentally resilient and achieve goal after goal.

Tweet of the Week:

Sasha Fierce is the real Queen. We’d like to see her run an ultra, but we’d settle for watching her perform live again.

Tidbits

✅National Parks are IN: Mother Nature has really popped off with the National Parks; and now, thanks to Insta and TikTok, being an outdoors girly is IN. Many famous national park spots are reservation/advanced permit only. If you have your eyes set on a summer 2024 hike/camp, make sure you check this list and mark your calendar for any lottery/advanced registration dates.

✅What a (F)Pro Triathlete Makes: Ruth Astle is a common name if you’re a triathlete geek and follow the pros. Many (myself included) ponder how much a professional athlete in a niche, almost never-televised sport, can really make. Ruth is among the first to be fiercely transparent with her finances; revealing the good and bad of being a paid triathlete.

✅The Tipping Point: Habits are said to be cemented after 20 days of pursuing them. Endurance sports are nothing if you don’t make it habitual; injury, weight gain, lack of preparedness for a race, and just downright discomfort are all things that make it suck more when you pick it back up. This Reddit thread is a great jumping point for those of us that are lost on how to become “That Person” that runs, cycles, or swims, every day, no matter what (kind of like a postal worker’s oath).

✅The Holiday SZN is OVER: I swear, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years is essentially a lost month. 1/12 or 8% of our year is a blur of Christmas cookies, holiday get-togethers and shitty corporate pizza parties. Believe In The Run has one of our fav running podcasts; relatable, funny, and makes us feel like we aren’t the only ones riding the struggle bus.

🏃Bucket List Recs

Big training week behind ya and want to add something to your bucket list? Need something to kick your butt into high gear? Check out our endurance bucket list recs below and sign up for something you’ll probably regret when you’re doing a 20 mile training run in August in the Midwest.

  • Washington’s Top Peaks: We’ve got a random challenge for you, again. Climb 100 of Washington’s highest peaks, under ONLY human power, in a single season. These crazies took the challenge on with touring bikes, and bikepacked, which admittedly, is probably the only way to actually get it done considering how short the WA season is for outdoor activities.

  • Brazos Bend 100: Yah, sure, the Ultras in the western states are ‘tough.’ But haven’t you heard the saying about Texas? Everything is bigger (and IMO, better, there). The Brazos Bend has it all, and is one of those homegrown events that you’ll feel like family as soon as you put your bib on.

  • Rock Scrambles: If you want to non-stop giggle, put a little fear into your heart, and feel like a badass, pick yourself a rock scramble from this list and plan a weekend getaway.

Performance Of The Week(end): YOU, in 2024.

Yah, New Year New Me is cliche AF. But, we just have a feeling that 2024 is going to be a great year. Whatever your goals are, whatever you call them, wherever you write them down; be like Nemo. Just. Keep. Swimming.

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