A few weeks ago, I came out of my chiropractic appointment and went immediately into the grocery store next door. I picked up the four items I needed, and proceeded to carry them in my hands to my car.

I watched all the people around me mindlessly grabbing their many bags of groceries from the cashiers (or bag packers), mostly with a few items in each bag. I felt the usual tension of irritation go through my body, but as I have learned to do, I let it go; I can only do so much.

As I walked back to my car, I noticed someone ahead of me carrying one of those bags. On the side was a BIG recycling logo (or what we think of as a recycling logo, it actually means nothing official for recycling). In large writing next to it, it said,

“REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE”

There it was, my irritation was back, and this time it switched over to ire. How hypocritical to have those words on a bag being given to customers, when the company giving those individuals that bag was not doing either of the first two words.

Reduce? Nope, no reducing going on here. The company is doing nothing to do their part.

Reuse? Sure, you can claim people may reuse those bags, but we all know what the reality is.

Recycle? Yep, they sure are encouraging people to do this part, but a teeny, tiny percentage of bags are turned into something useful like decking or playground equipment. Most of the rest end up in a landfill, and the remaining get accidentally put into a recycling bin where they are likely to gunk up the MRF (the recycling center).

This is a true example of when recycling does more damage than it does good.

The worst part is, once again, the big corporations, a.k.a the systems, get to put it all on the consumer: You do your part. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Oh, but we will carry on as usual.

Then last week my point was further demonstrated when I was checking out at a different grocery store. Once again, I carried my few items in my hands (and my daughters each carried a large item too). While I was waiting for the payment to go through, I said to the cashier, “Just curious, why do you default to plastic bags instead of paper?” (even though I wanted to ask why they can’t mandate reusable bags, I resisted the urge).

His response?

It’s cheaper for the company to use plastic, so we are told to use those.

Once again, a good example of the system pushing individuals to go out of their way to be the change while doing everything they can to keep things the way they are, to avoid doing their part. It is absolutely not about those cashiers, they are doing what they are told, but a very good example of why we need to hold the systems accountable if we want to stop feeling exhausted all the time. They aren’t gonna hold themselves accountable, that’s for sure.

I hope they prove me wrong.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

In 1998, the groundbreaking artist Gordon Parks brought 177 rappers and hip hop artists, some of them rivals, together for his photograph, A Great Day in Hip Hop. When it was included in an exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum, Adrian Octavius Walker was chosen to continue Parks’ story by photographing a gathering of 116 members of the St. Louis music scene. His photo, A Great Day in Saint Louis, highlights the way in which art can bring people together, something that Adrian loves about running.
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That wasn’t the only honor he received last year; he was also selected to be one of three Bank of America Chicago Distance Series Ambassadors.

Here's the real deal:

I literally randomly bumped into Adrian in Forest Park here in St Louis a few months ago. My bestie, Michael was visiting, and I wanted to take him on a more exciting run than my neighborhood, so we drove the 15 mins to Forest Park. A mile into our run, at an uncommon running time of day, we ran into my friend Ricky (his podcast episode here), who was running with one of his closest friends, yep, you guessed it, Adrian.

In that moment, Ricky told me Adrian would be an amazing podcast guest. Adrian and I connected and here we are. I see why. There is so much to love about and learn from him, and I can’t wait to hear what you think. If you are an artist, this episode is even more for you, his work is displayed in some incredible places (like the St louis Art Museum for one!).

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You may have seen me share about Costa Rica and thought, maybe! But I don't know I could keep up! I don’t wanna hold anyone back!

First, let me remind you I am almost four months post surgery and still have not run a step, I am not gonna be in top fitness, and second, look at the description for this retreat:

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Now do you believe you can handle it? I will personally make sure you feel seen and supported the whole time, we can explore together!

Use code TINAMUIR for 10% off:

​Congrats to my dear friend Ryan Eckel as the new CMO of Diadora. Ryan was the president of Tracksmith, which has been crushing it, and while I know very little about Diadora, I am excited to see what he does with this new opportunity!

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I’ll just leave this new Exxon commercial ;) here​

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​Listen to this clip of Trevor Noah talking about no trash cans in Japan​

I'm not back, I'm better- Sha-Carri Richardson

I loved that quote she said in the Netflix documentary series, Sprint

Thanks to our partner, HydraPak

The HydraPak SkyFlask 350ml is my favorite hydration product of all time. Getting to witness all the runners at Western States 100 mile, where athletes have to carry their hydration, yep, 100 miles of carrying, as well as test those products to the max in terms of durability and ease of use, I loved counting how many SkyFlasks I saw in the race, and from what we saw, 8/10 of the top male and female finishers were using HydraPak in their race. They really are the gold standard.

The thing about the 350ml SkyFlask is that it feels best for those first beginning their journey with carrying hydration. It squishes down easily, does not require any clenching of hands to hold onto it, and as I have mentioned a million times, the quick flip top refill lid is fantastic. I have used the SkyFlask in multiple races of my own, and will be again...as soon as I am back running in races!

You can get 10% off with code TINAMUIR10

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

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