What Our Editors Loved in February

Each month one of our editors, staff, or writers will share the gear they’re using and loving right now—and some of their favorite stories, routes, workouts, and tips. Get to know the team behind the magazine and members have a chance to win some of the featured favorites.

This month editor-in-chief Kelly O’Mara shares what she’s using right now. And members could win a pair of her favorite trail shoes and a set of her go-to cycling bit tights. Enter here.

Job: Editor-in-chief
Location: Boulder, CO

What I’m running in: The Hoka Torrent are the only trail shoes I like—I hate bulky shoes. And they’re perfect for the snow and ice right now.

What I’m riding in: I’m spending a lot of time these days on my (very old) Cannondale CAAD 9. I stuck some knobby tires on it and have been riding it through all the mud and dirt and snow. It’s just right for when I don’t want to mess up my nice TT bike—which is always.

What I’m swimming in: Ever since a high school girl complimented my Jolyn swimsuit in the locker room one summer, I’ve been convinced I look super cool. The Perry onesie is my go-to. And if you’re worried about the cut being too high or showing too much skin, I’ll tell you what I’ve told all my friends: Once you lean into it, you just accept it’s everyone else’s problem and not your’s.

What tech I’m using: My Garmin Fenix 5s (s is for small) needs an upgrade, but I don’t want to.

What I’m reading: I just finished Ali Wong’s Dear Girls. The light comedic essays were completely the other direction from the last good book I read, the mind-blowingly sad (but so so good) The Nickel Boys. Just in case you’re looking for both ends of the spectrum.

Favorite story we’ve published recently: Our new ‘Who Ya Got?’ series argues over fantasy match-ups. Chrissie v. Daniela, Lionel v. Stadler, Taylor Swift v. Selena Gomez. It’s exactly the kind of thing that cracks me up. Now we just have to argue: Michael Phelps v. Usain Bolt…

Favorite workout: A good repeat run workout—many many intervals at a hard sustained effort—is the one thing that always makes me feel like I know I’m ready. 15 x 3’ (with 1’ jog in between) at half-marathon pace is so hard, but so good. Pro tip: Pick a non-windy flat bike path

Favorite route: Alpine Dam in Marin County is just a classic cycling loop. There are other better routes, but there’s a reason they shoot so many car commercials on this road.

Favorite race: Escape from Alcatraz is just the right amount of crazy.

The best non-triathlon workout: This winter, I’ve been doing more cross-country skiing—I even did a race (and beat a few people!). I still can only do one kind of pole technique and my husband is much (much) better than me, but it’s still pretty fun—once you learn at least one technique.

RELATED: A Triathlete’s Guide to Get Started Cross-Country Skiing

The little piece of gear that gets me out the door: When Velocio sent me a bunch of stuff to test (you should also check out their thermal bib tights, which I almost always put on incorrectly on the first try), they threw in this fuzzy gaiter too. It’s made out of the leftover fabric from their fuzzy long-sleeve jersey, and it’s so soft. Soft and warm.

The piece of gear I’ve had the longest: I actually bought my Cannondale bike from money I won playing Bingo in college (true story). I’m not sure I have anything that’s outlasted that piece of equipment. It’ll probably still be working long after I stop riding bikes.

I wish someone would make: A cute sports bra with a built-in heart rate monitor that doesn’t chafe. As so many women have experienced, I had to give up wearing a heart rate monitor while running because of the scars and chafing. While wrist-based heart rate has come a long way in recent years, it still feels like there should be a solution for our half of the serious athlete population—a cuter solution than the few heart rate sports bras that are currently on the market. (Lululemon briefly made one, but it’s no longer in production.)

My go-to nutrition: For years, I’ve had a chocolate mint Clif bar every morning. More recently, I’ve been using the Scratch hot apple cider mix (warmed up in the microwave) to get unchilled post-run or ride.

—

Now for a quick round of either-or:

Music or no music? Suffer in silence
Indoors or outdoors? (Almost) always outdoors
Coffee or beer? Beer
Cookies or cake? Cookies
Cats or dogs? Cats
Netflix or Hulu? Ooooh, Netflix
Evening or morning? I was evening, then morning. Now, lunch workouts.
Beach or mountains? Never beach
Speed workout or hill repeats? Speed
Sprint or Ironman? Ironman
Swim, bike, or run? Run, always run

**MEMBERS: Enter here to win a pair of the Hoka Torrent trail shoes & a pair of Velocio thermal bib tights.