A few weeks ago, I shared that I was feeling motivated and energized to keep pushing forward this movement of doing whatever we can do to be our best selves, and to believe in the future we are working to realize.

I have to be honest:

My ability to do that has faltered over the past week, has been intermittent, has been tested.

Yes, it does feel like every day when I look at my social media, I see some kind of devastating blow that has occurred in the past 24 hours. It feels like every day when the Tangle Newsletter comes through (thanks Chip, for the suggestion), it is getting harder and harder to look for upsides in what is happening right now.

I promised myself in November that I would not contribute to the circus. I would not spend my days and my energy swirling about, talking about what is going on at a level I have no ability to control. I would stay informed, yes. I would curate my social media content to show me the accounts I trust and know have done the work, done the research to explain what is occurring. But no, I would not Google the T word every morning and send myself down a spiral of despair.

So far, I am proud I have not done that. I have stayed informed, but I have continued focusing my energy ahead.

And yet, sometimes the work I am doing feels so inconsequential, feels like I am fighting a losing battle, feels like there is no point in trying.

Then I see others around me, people who inspire me, continuing to push the movement forward, and I am reminded to keep going. That life is not meant to be easy, that there will ALWAYS be roadblocks and setbacks, always be highs and lows in our motivations.

What is important is to allow ourselves to feel those uncomfortable feelings, then push forward when we are ready again.

This morning, I had a catch-up call with a dear friend, Jackie Hoffman, Executive Director of PeaceRunners 773, a nonprofit based on the West Side of Chicago, that advocates for health equity.

Jackie could easily allow the wind to be knocked out of his sails, lose momentum in the work he is doing. Many of the changes happening impact his community directly, go against what he is trying to do in Chicago, and yet, when we spoke, there was nothing but belief, optimism, and trust. He knows his mission, he knows his sphere of influence, and he is pouring into his community.

Jackie said something to me that really stood out, "Make it a movement."

A movement doesn't need government approval. A movement doesn't need corporate brands to support it (although sure, it helps). A movement doesn't rely on those in power to "do the right thing." A movement, according to Merriam-Webster, is a series of organized activities working toward an objective. That is what Jackie is building. That is what I am building, and that is what you can build towards in your own life.

Your movement, your direction might be a slight offshoot of Jackie's or mine. Your movement might be to link arms with us and join us (that sure requires a lot less energy, if yours is low right now!). Your movement might be joining arms with some other cause you care about, but what is important, is once you join a movement, once you have that greater purpose, that something bigger than yourself to work towards, you can keep bringing yourself back to it. Every time you feel disheartened, connect with the mission of your movement.

Every time you lose hope, look to those alongside you. You may not be able to do much to contribute on that day, but you can stand strong with them. They have your back, and you have theirs.

Love for our community, love for humanity, love for nature will always win in the end. Fear mongering, scare tactics, and promoting overwhelm may be effective in the short term, but none of that can take love away; we will always find our way back to love. It is what drives us to make change in the most powerful way.

Our team is building something behind the scenes, and we can't wait to share it with you very soon. (Here's a sneak peak on IG I shared last week). For now, find something to connect to, and find a way to support it.

Last week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

As runners, we’re always trying to go faster or further because those metrics demonstrate how successful we are. But in his new book, Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform, Steve Magness argues that when we measure our worth by our achievements, it backfires, preventing us from reaching our full potential.

Here's the real deal:

I always enjoy my conversations with Steve, and I breeeeezzeeddd through this book, as it was so interesting and packed with helpful insights. My conversations with Steve have been some of my favorites. If you have missed the recent episodes and need one to jump back in with, this is a great one to reenergize yourself.

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On the note of the Running For Real podcast

The podcast is going to be shifting to a bi-weekly basis; more will be explained when we share what we are up to :) I have some really fun episodes coming up, and if you have a guest you would love to hear from, don't hesitate to reply to one of these emails and let us know.

​A little parody (but still so very true) for your afternoon.​

Running United Airlines NYC Half next month? Me too! I would love to have you join me for a plogging run with NYRR the day before.

The Super Bowl had its first ever climate-related ad, which was a powerful message from Mom's Clean Air Force. Research has found that love is the reason most people feel motivated to act, so this was well done.

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The Boston Run Show in Seaport is just a few weeks away, on March 1-2, and we are in the final days of free attendance with code TMUIR.

Whether you’re planning your next race, running goals, camping trip, or hiking, biking, or mountain adventure, this event is packed with inspiration and activities for the whole family. It’s the ultimate day out with incredible value and fun for everyone!

Hear Boston running legends Des Linden and Meb Keflezighi; trail running heroes, Lazarus Lake and Dylan Bowman, or come listen to a talk on sustainability with Alex Hermanson, Michael Doughty and me on Saturday at 1:30pm. We are also hosting a plogging run at 9am on Saturday, March 1; if you prefer that, sign up here.​

See you there?

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"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested."

-E.M. Forster

Thanks to our partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration

While my recovery journey back to racing has not gone exactly how I had hoped it would by this point, I am thinking about my first time back on the racing scene. I will be running the United NYC Half next month, and am excited to get back into running at speed with gels and mint & lemon chews.

If you have a race you are working towards and need a practical and efficient way to get 30g of carbohydrate into your system fast, well, this is what you need. Their gels have a mild, neutral flavor to reduce flavour fatigue during longer efforts. The texture is designed to reduce stickiness in the mouth and minimise the need to wash them down with fluid immediately.

And electrolytes, don't forget those; they are important too. The free fuel and hydration planner will help you figure out how many gels and what strength of electrolytes you need; you can get that here.

And you can get 15% off your order sitewide in the link below

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

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Enjoying these? Why not forward to a friend who may enjoy. Encourage them to sign up and get these emails too. And if you missed an email, or would like to reread one, you can find past newsletters here.

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