A few days ago, I was on the trail in the stunning, lush greenery of Mount Tabor in Portland, Oregon. We are here visiting Steve's family, who all live in this spectacular part of the country.

I intended it to be my longest hike yet, a goal of around three miles. I wanted to do once around on these trails I know well, as I loop and loop and loop around them on my regular runs here. I was also prepared to cut it short if my foot hurt.

As I hiked, I really enjoyed that this time my pace was slow enough to take in my surroundings more than I usually would. Without my slightly (or at times, very) labored breathing, I could hear the sounds of nature. I could hear the birds calling to one another; I could hear what sounded like a baby mammal of some kind; I could hear the sounds of my feet against the different terrain that each step brought.

I really enjoyed that while I needed to keep my eyes mostly on the ground, as a stumble could be much more dangerous at this point in my recovery, I was able to stop and admire nature whenever I wanted to.

I know, I know, that guilt shouldn't be there when I am running either, but even though I am forever working on letting go of my controlling tendencies, I still struggle to stop mid-run to admire the simplicity of nature.

On this walk, though, I could.

Then up ahead, I saw something glistening, a glisten that was absolutely not natural; I recognized it immediately. Plastic.

My initial reaction was this:

But then I thought back to moments I had reached for the trash I had put in my pocket, only to not find it there, to realize that I had, in fact, littered.

If we immediately jump to blaming, to getting mad at, expecting perfection from one another, then we are also normalizing those behaviors in others towards us, but more importantly, towards ourselves from ourselves.

If I wanted to give myself compassion and understanding not to be perfect, I also had to give others that permission.

Of course, that person could have dropped it intentionally, but I don't want to live my life expecting the worst of people, thinking that people are inherently "bad." I believe people are good at their core. I teach my girls not to say "bad guys," but instead to say, "people making a bad choice."

Yes, we all make bad choices sometimes, and yes, it feels like some people make nothing but bad choices, but that doesn't mean the next one can't be a good choice, a glimmer of light that they are trying to do better.

So I picked up the trash, put it in my bag, let my frustration towards that person go, and went back to enjoying my walk. I could have carried that frustration with me, let it ruin my walk, my day, but I chose to let it go, and that felt good.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

Many people attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon for years before they succeed, and many more never achieve that goal. Robert Jackson BQ’d with his first marathon, and this year he not only ran the iconic race for the third time, but was one of the panelists on a Black Unicorn live podcast at the Expo. Now he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympic Trials, but that’s not the only challenge he’s taking on; he’s also determined to overcome an eating disorder.

Here's the real deal:

Sally summed it up well above. It is one thing to show promise as a runner and take on the challenge of something that few can do (while also being a Black American man who carries the weight of being one of few), but when you are trying to overcome an eating disorder at the same time, it makes it ten times harder. By courageously putting it out there in public, Robert helps to encourage others to speak out about their own struggles too.

I do wanna give a trigger warning with this episode; if you are in recovery yourself, this might not be the episode for you.

I recently finished Think Indigenous: Native American Spirituality for a Modern World and I found it a beautiful and powerful read. I learned a lot from this book, and I think I will be purchasing myself a copy soon, to read again in years to come (I borrowed it from the library).

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Our team are building something BIG, more soon, but in the meantime, if you have any race photos of yourself with waste (cups on the ground, gel packets, etc.) in the background, or anything that helps to show the waste at races, can you send them over to me, please? It doesn't have to be just the waste, it can be you as the center, with the trash in the background. Thanks!

I'll just leave this here....Nike and its carbon pledge​

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See this image:

Quick question:

Thank you :)

This is from the book I mentioned above; it is one of many powerful quotes from it that sum up the way I feel about what I do.

Thanks to our partner, Tracksmith

I rave about the Tracksmith Brighton Base longsleeve in the winter, but the Brighton Base layer tank is my favorite tank in the summer. I wear it for 3-4 days in a row as my daily shirt, and then it can still handle 2-3 workouts/rides/runs. That is the beautiful thing about merino wool, it can handle a lot of sweat, it dries quickly, and yes, is more environmentally conscious.

There is also a Brighton Base layer tee if that suits you better :)

Get yourself $15 off $75 as a new customer with code TINANEW or use code TINAGIVE if you are a previous customer (it wil give you free shipping and make a donation to TrackGirlz)

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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