People around me tend to tense up when I speak about potential hard moments. When I said I expected January to be a hard month, what has happened wasn't what I had in mind (although we are only on day 15, there is still time for that!).

The LA wildfires have been hard to turn away from, especially when dozens of my friends have been evacuated, and a few have lost or had severe damage to their homes (more on that below). I felt like I was that person craning their neck to look at a car accident as I slowly drove by, unable to do anything to help, and knowing full well that I didn't want to see the harm it was causing, not really.

And yet this speaks to one of the most important parts of what I do. In these climate disaster moments (which yes, are occuring more and more often), I experience a whiplash of sorts.

Some moments there is exhaustion. This problem feels too big, too much for one person's actions ever to matter, and too....well, already here (is it too late?). In those moments, I want to hide away from the world. Telling people to reuse a plastic bag feels so inadequate, like telling people to stick a single piece of duct tape on a sinking ship.

And yet, as my favorite climate scientists, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and Dr. Deb Chachra, reminded me this week:

which speaks directly to why I do what I do. Why every single decision you make that lessens your impact on the planet does matter.

Don't get me wrong; I am not saying we should take our eyes off those who are responsible for the climate crisis; there are a small number of people who have put greed and shareholders' profit ahead of the planet and human lives.

I have shared numerous times that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of emissions.

The biggest polluters of them all are, of course, Big Oil: ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron, who account for 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions(!). Those companies, along with the other oil-related companies (which yes, include plastic) do need to be the ones paying for the damages caused.

​In 2023, California filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, and the American Petroleum Institute to make them pay for lying to the public for decades about their fossil fuel products’ central role in the climate crisis.

However:

While these corporations are huge and some of those at the top have lost the most human elements of who they are, choosing profits over everything else, there are also a lot of loving, kind, caring people who work at these corporations and are simply doing a job to take care of their families. They shouldn't be shamed; it is truly not their fault either.

Which is why we keep our eyes firmly on those responsible, and keep talking about how they are putting profits ahead of human lives (read about their mind boggling (and record) profits in 2023 here). Where we have our impact is by coming together to all do our part.

As I have said before, every plastic bag you say "No" to is another plastic bag that stays out of the ocean.

Every time you ask for your coffee in a mug at a coffee shop is one less plastic-lined cup leaching chemicals into our land as it breaks down.

Every time you share a vegetarian meal with a friend, that means one less meat-based meal creating more emissions.

Sure, you could look at the situation as overwhelming, and sometimes it is, but every decision you make matters...

let me free you up right there. You are gonna mess up; you are gonna make a less-than-ideal choice; you are going to contribute to global emissions.

But you can also see it as every time you make a decision, you have an opportunity to make a choice. Sometimes you won't be able to make the one that is best for the planet, but sometimes you will, and every time you do, you strengthen your ability to get out of your comfort zone and show others how to do the same; you never know whom you are inspiring.

This is a lot; this topic is a lot. While we live in a world that tells us there is a quick fix to everything, there isn't, not with this topic, and not really with anything else either.

Every morning, as Bailey walks into school, the last thing I say to her is, "Today is a chance to be the best Bailey you can be; that's all you can do."

That is all any of us can do, so go ahead and be the best you you can be.

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This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

As you’ll hear, as of recording, Tina is under the weather. So she’s following the advice that she gives others and being gentle with herself. We’ll be back with a full episode next week!

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If you have been feeling like you can't do enough for those out in LA, one of the best things you can do is provide financial support to help rebuild. Two of my friends, Jinghuan Liu and Natalie Mitchell, could both use your support. These two women give so much to the running community.

Listen to Natalie (and Jinghuan) on the podcast here. Natalie has her own podcast that she hosts with her husband Jerold, SuiteRun, that gives runners places to eat, explore, and of course, run in many cities around the world (I was on the St. Louis episode). Support Natalie here.​

Jinghuan is a beautiful writer and has a beautiful heart. Her home was destroyed in the fire, and she has been on a lot of the national news channels talking about her experience, and also the reality of rebuilding for many residents. Support Jinghuan here.​

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Speaking of the LA fires, this was a hard read, but an important one as we build for climate resilience moving forward (and not just for LA). It speaks to the community aspect of protecting ourselves from natural disasters, which are going to become more common, and how we have a shared responsibility within our communities to prepare the best we can for them.

Congrats to Thira, who won the $400 Repurpose giveaway!

“Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.”

— The Dalai Lama

Thanks to our partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration

I am thinking about signing up for my first race post surgery. Well, let me clarify, a race that would push my boundaries. I want to do something to show myself that I can explore my limits post surgery. It might not be this first race I am considering, maybe it will be (more on which race, soon), but I love having something to work towards on my radar.

That is gonna mean a lot of Precision practice. I watched David Roche consume Precision fuel at lightning speed during his record breaking 100 mile run at Leadville last year. And thats because they are easy to enjoy, even while running fast. There is no flavor fatigue as they are not intensely flavored, they have 30g carb per serving, making it easy to get the fuel we need when chasing big goals, and they are easy on the stomach.

If you are thinking of a race in 2025, you can get 15% off as a friend of mine, try these, and you will be set (especially with their free fuel and hydration planner AND you can get a free 20 minute consultation about your specific nutrition needs

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

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