PBR: Podcast, Book, Race

In honor of Josh’s new favorite American beer I’ve decided to subject you to my current PBR; Podcast, Book, and Race.

The majority of the time, you can pick where my brain is at based on these three things. However, last week I would’ve had a really hard time filling in the “race” category.

As you may have seen, based on my limited posting, I’ve been off my game since St. George. Thankfully , I cut myself a break and have deemed these last couple months as a time of hibernation. My last name is Berryman after all so, I’m concluding it’s in my nature.

Moving along, I’m continuing to evolve into who I want to be at this point in life. In yoga class over the past weekend, my lovely instructor read a quote by Emily McDowell.

“Finding yourself is not really how it works. You aren’t a ten-dollar bill in last winter’s coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. Finding yourself is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you,” McDowell said.

I’m thankful that I’ve given myself space to re-invent myself time and time again, to find new forms of joy, and follow curiosities. Of course there can be set backs, but through this I continue to find new communities of people, new ways to test myself, and new forms of sport (you knew we were heading there).

With that being said, I’d like to share with you a few of my favorite PBR’s. Here we go.

Podcast: Girls Gone Gravel

This podcast is led by Kristi Mohn and Katheryn Taylor. They dive into topics like “Next Level Performance” and “Follow Your Passion” with professionals and everyday athletes, and recap races and events that happen around the U.S. Mohn and Taylor started the podcast in April 2020 and have over 125 episodes logged. Each episode is just under an hour which is perfect to slot in during your run, training ride, or lunch break.

More info: Girls Gone Gravel

Book: Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman

Obsessed. Throughout the book, my younger self was dreaming while my current self was crying. Fleshman has a way of describing what many of us females in sport have been through. She’s beautifully blended the history of sport with her, very personal, examples of growing up through a system that consciously suppresses women. Fleshman highlights staggering facts such as, 40% of athlete in the U.S. are women yet only receive 4% of sports coverage. She goes on to write, “Less than 1% of endorsement investment in professional sport goes to women.” Good for a Girl is 100% worth the read for everybody. Period.

More info: Lauren Fleshman

Race: Sea Otter Classic, Fuego XL MTB

Guess who’s back in the saddle? After binge watching “Call of a Lifetime” on YouTube and countless other multisport series, I’m once again motivated and addicted. Now that I’m back living in the U.S. I might as well utilize all of the racing that’s around right? My brain began cranking away over upcoming possibilities until coming to the conclusion, in classic Sam fashion, to hop into the deep end. Enter, Sea Otter Classic. The 65 mile mountain bike race has 7,800ft. of elevation change and is held out of Monterey, CA. It kickstarts the Life Time Grand Prix series and is also a qualifier for the iconic Race Across the Sky: the 2023 Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Dreaming.

More info — Sea Otter Classic

I’m not sure how much I’ll post on social but I’ll continue to write on my website as an outlet.

Let me know if you have any PBR’s to share via comment, DM, or however you usually get ahold of me.

Cheers my friends!