I intended to write about wins. Last week included one of my biggest celebratory moments of my career in sustainability.

I wanted to tell you that last Sunday, almost 2000 runners (myself included), ran in the Boulderthon 10k, wearing hemp bibs. I wanted to share the pride I felt knowing that I pushed that conversation along. That I relentlessly brought up hemp bibs to race organizers until someone was brave enough to say yes.

I was proud. I am proud. This is the future.

And yet, my mood, my day, is clouded with sadness today.

Once again, showing our human capability to hold two emotions (or many emotions) at once.

Yesterday, my greatest role model and inspiration passed away.

Dr. Jane Goodall, age 91.

Last night, I told my girls. Chloe, being her mother's daughter, cried inconsolably, feeling her emotions very intensely (but then moving on by dinnertime). Bailey, more similar to her father, reacted somewhat nonchalantly at first, but leaving for school today, she had tears in her eyes, saying she was so sad about Jane.

After I told them, they asked me if I wished she were still here. An innocent and fair question for a child, but so complicated for an adult.

The selfish part of me wanted her to never leave, or at least wanted to meet her first. We all know deep down, if we care for someone towards the end of their life, that it isn't about what we want, about grasping for final moments together, it is about what is best for them.

For Jane, it was her time. She had impacted millions and millions of humans in her lifetime, and been one of the greatest female trailblazers our world has ever seen.

I became almost obsessed with wanting to see her this fall. Long after learning everything and anything I could about her, I saw she was in the US, speaking at a few places around the country. None close enough for me to drive the girls to, but I checked her website every day to see if they had added new tour locations.

I can't stop thinking about the fact that she must have known deep down that her days were coming to an end, and she chose to be here in the US. She felt it most important to fulfill her purpose here, in trying to get through to people in the US. She knew we needed it, and her being here told me she was somewhat nervous for where we are headed.

For so many years, I hated my middle name, Jane. I would cringe anytime someone brought it up, or recoil when friends would sit around sharing their middle names.

Until I came across Dr. Jane Goodall's impact on the world, and her way of speaking that very much aligned with how I felt people needed to be treated.

Jane didn't yell at corporations. She didn't refuse to talk to them or shame them for their choices. She sat down with them; she brought them in. She had conversations with everyone and anyone. She spoke her truth, but did it with compassion and kindness (and maybe an occasional fun, snarky comment). She believed the best way to make change happen was to connect with humans at the heart with her heart.

The reason I got into this career of sustainability was for exactly that reason. Many climate activists push everyday people away, people in positions of power away, because they are holding multiple elements at the same time, and are not able to make the best choice.

Written off. Useless. Not to be trusted.

I have always felt that it is better to bring people in. To have conversations and not write people, or even companies, off for good. We never know what conversations are going on underneath, or what changes are being pushed from humans who do feel the pain of our planet.

Jane taught me that. And I will take her lessons with me throughout my life. A parasocial relationship with someone I never met, but felt deeply connected to.

So yeah, I wanted to share about one of my biggest wins. I wanted to share about how inspired I was at New York Climate Week last week (Jane was actually there; I wish I had known).

Right now though, I need to feel. I need to do my slightly-more-mature-than-Chloe version of feeling this grief for losing Jane.

And like Chloe, if I let myself feel, I can process through it. If I fight it and put on a smile to say everything is okay, I will be pulled down when I least expect it, unable to get back up.

I need my heart, my energy, my enthusiasm going into the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS NYC Marathon weekends ahead, and so I will listen to my heart and what it needs to get me there.

In the meantime, go watch one the Jane Goodall documentaries on Disney+, read one of her books, or donate to the Jane Goodall Institute. And if you have kids, have them watch Jane on Apple TV+, it is absolutely brilliant.

I am racing a 50k on Saturday, with 8000ft of climbing and tough terrain. Wish me luck.

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Running Bank of America Chicago Marathon?

A few things to bring with you (please pass this along to friends you know who are running):

-Shoes, you can donate your used shoes at the expo or gear check.

-Nutrition wrappers, Terracycle can recycle these.

-Thrifted clothes for the start area. Please think about this now, so you don't have to purchase something new a few days before the race.

-Your handheld bottle(s) to go in a belt/vest (NO BLADDERS ALLOWED). There are refill stations on course.

The sustainability team at the Bank of AmerChicago Marathon have put a LOT of work into waste sorting, so take a look at the sustainability page ahead of time, so you know what is coming. ​

Would love to have you join us plogging on Monday after the race. We can all be sore (and get moving ) together.

Also, we have a Chicago sustainability guide to give you suggestions on the best places to eat and explore.

Running TCS NYC Marathon?

We also have a NYC sustainability guide. I will be sharing more about what you can do for this race soon...

For now, mark this in your calendars:

Come plogging with us on Friday, October 31!

Five runners are joining me for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this year. We are running for my nonprofit, Racing For Sustainability.

Donations to support our runners go directly to helping the RFS team make the running industry more sustainable. If you want a way to support the work I do, this is one of the biggest ways you can help us. Raising money in this campaign shows other races that we can fundraise, and they are more likely to give us bibs for their races (especially other majors).

My favorite quote of Dr. Jane's:

Thanks to our partner, Culligan.

I am so excited to cross the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon myself and be handed a reusable, refillable Culligan bottle. These are beautiful and I want to spread the message far and wide that runners can hold onto these to use them for weeks after the race. There will be lots of places to refill in the post race party area.

In 2025 alone, across three races, Culligan and the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series will provide more than 200,000 aluminum bottles of water instead of plastic options. Pretty cool, huh?

Beyond that, I love having Culligan in my home so I know I am drinking cleaner, safer, better-tasting water. For my family, water is a priority, especially as runners. We drink a lot of it, and it is the most important thing we are consuming. Culligan provides cleaner, safer water to every part of life, because when we take better care of our water, we take better care of our families, city, and planet.

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

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