Hi from Olympic Valley, California, where we are a few days away from the 2025 Western States 100 mile race.

When I used to interview ultra runners on Running For Real, I kinda saw it as this far-removed, distant sport that I didn't so much feel connected to, but admired from afar. Kinda a "Wow, thats cool; good for you...not for me."

As you likely know, those times have changed. I would put myself in the trail runner bucket. Trail running was always in there, just hibernating. My early cross country days on tough courses (not the golf courses most races happen on here in the U.S.!) set me up for that.

Now, as my training comes back together, as 60-65 miles per week becomes normalized, I step into the next phase of the journey of exploring this side of me.

This weekend, I am pacing my best friend, Ryan Montgomery, for 13 miles on his journey towards the finish line, ideally in a podium position...maybe even to win.

So yeah, I feel some pressure, some anxiety, some expectations (from myself, not necessarily from Ryan or the rest of the world) to perform. It would be really easy to get lost in that. Ryan is FAST, and this will likely be a race effort for me.

And yet, I can tap into my strength, tap into the Tina that knows how to perform, to execute when it matters, and I know I will do that. I will show up and give it my best. As I always tell you, that's all we can do.

In other BIG news....

In case you missed my announcment on social media last week:

We are moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee!

Steve was offered an amazing opportunity as Head Track and Cross Country coach at University of Tenneessee Chattanooga.

As you can imagine, preparing to move two school-age children, selling a house, and finding a house in a city neither of you knows much about (my first time EVER visiting was last weekend!) is a LOT, and I have not done a great job of taking care of myself the past few weeks. I have been stretching myself way too thin, and it was beginning to catch up with me.

I promised myself that once I left St. Louis, I would drop the moving, drop the frantic research and house prep, and let myself rest for a few days.

And I will say, since I arrived here, I have. This is the first "work" thing I have done, and yesterday I spent a few hours relaxing in nature while Ryan and a photographer took photos.

I feel so much better already.

That said, I need to find a way to respect my boundaries, to listen to my body, to back off over the coming weeks once I return. I have not found a good balance of that to this point.

For now, I am enjoying my little break, and will be ready to go on Saturday!

It will take you on a crazy emotional ride, but David Attenborough's new documentary, Ocean, was incredibly powerful. At times it was so traumatic that tears streamed down my face, AND at the end, I felt more hopeful than I have in a long time. It was very, very well done.

I have been utilizing my local Buy Nothing group in St. Louis, to pass on items that we have decided we do not need to move with us; you know, those items that you carry from place to place, never (or rarely) using. My china set has been used approximately five times over the last ten years; it is time to let it be loved by someone who is a person who loves using it.

If you are not a member of your local Buy Nothing group, look it up. Simply type "{your city} buy nothing" and it will come up on Facebook. Yes, I know, Facebook; this is the only reason I log into it, but it's well worth it.

Life is a moving, breathing thing. We have to be willing to constantly evolve. Perfection is constant transformation.

-Nia Peeples

Thanks to our partner, Culligan

Once we find a home in Chattanooga, wanna know what one of the first things I will be doing is?

Calling Culligan to get myself a water filtration system. This is an absolute must for my family. Clean air and clean water are two of the most important basic requirements for humans, and I love that Culligan makes a difference for people and the planet by providing cleaner, more sustainable, better-tasting water, and reducing reliance on single-use plastic. And yes, the more we reduce single-use plastic, the better; we are drowning in it.

When we take better care of our water, we take better care of our family, city, and planet. I truly believe that.

Yes, Culligan makes beautiful bespoke aluminum (or aluminium) bottles for the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series, so runners can rehydrate (and utilize their refill stations), but they are also the leader in global water transformation.

If cleaner, better-tasting and safer water is important to you...

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

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