Last week I went to Zoë's wedding. It was beautiful.

That said, it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned the day to be.

A few days prior, Chloe started not feeling well: headache, lethargy, fever, generally out of it.

That continued onto wedding day, when we concluded it was altitude sickness. We rested her up, hoping she and Steve could go for an hour or so. I went to the ceremony alone and then went back to get them for the reception...

Chloe was not well enough, so Bailey and I got in the car to drive over there, but within a few minutes of arriving at the wedding, I saw the same eyes in Bailey, the same flushed cheeks, and it was clear she was not well. Desperately trying to pretend she was, to make it to the dance floor so she could enjoy dancing to "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift, her favorite song, which Zoë had on her dance playlist.

As an aside, Bailey ADORED Zoë. The way she looked at her was like she thought she was the coolest person in the entire world (and I mean, she is pretty damn amazing!!). So I knew she really wanted to hold out.

At dinner, a woman I had just met, Addie, a friend of Zoë and TJ's, told me a story about going on a trip to Europe, and her daughter getting mono. About how she so badly wanted this to be their trip to enjoy together, and it didn't end up being the trip she wanted, but it was okay, what mattered was they were together.

I knew what she was getting at. She could see in Bailey's eyes that she was not well.

I said, "Should I take her?", and she said, "Nope, she will tell you when she's ready."

Sure enough, saying it loudly enough for Addie to hear, about 30 minutes later, right before the speeches, Bailey said, "I want to go home."

We got up, me with tears in my eyes, said goodbye to our lovely table of many former podcast guests and ultra runners, and then went to thank Zoë's parents for bringing this incredible friend of mine into the world, and of course, Zoë and TJ.

It really hurt to leave. It was not the day I wanted. I had envisioned Bailey and me on the dance floor, my friends all around. I had imagined Steve and Chloe having fun there too, pictured my friends holding hands with the girls as they danced freely.

In my head, I had seen Zoë and TJ dancing, beaming as I watched my friend so happy.

But that was not to be. I got to be there for the most beautiful ceremony. I got to take Bailey to the rehearsal dinner and introduce her to running friends (which I rarely get to do).

And we got to explore this beautiful part of Colorado we would never have seen otherwise. Glenwood Springs is absolutely gorgeous and has a lot to do. I had some wonderful runs, both with the wedding party and on my own.

And we got to make memories as a family throughout our 10-day trip. They weren't the memories I thought they would be, but as always, there were little moments that were special in a different way.

Often life doesn't work out how we think, intend, or hope. And right now, there is a lot of negative to dwell on, a lot of sadness to absorb, a lot of gloom we could focus on, but one thing I have learned from my activist friends, from Mother Earth herself, is that there is always beauty and good in the presence of the hard. We only have to want to look for it.

There are a lot of people gathering this weekend to take action. If you want to do your part, find a rally near you here.

I LOVE seeing this video from Colin Coaches, a strength coach who has some really interesting and powerful thoughts (especially coming in between sets of working out). Definitely recommend a follow. ​

“Hope. It’s like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It’s a fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. And it’s the only thing in the world keeping me afloat.”

–Tahereh Mafi

*Side note* I was looking up quotes for today, and alongside Brene Brown, this one came up. Tahereh is a long-time friend of mine, so that brought me SO MUCH JOY to see her name pop up. If you are looking for a good series, her Shatter Me books are NYT Bestsellers.

Thanks to our partner, HydraPak

When Natalia and I ran as twinsies in the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half, we chose different HydraPak bottles. I opted for my usual SkyFlask 350ml, and Natalia chose the Tempo Pro 2. Both are amazing bottles for carrying your own fuel, and it was cool to see her seamlessly carry a bottle, not knowing how the running world works for many with disposables. Turns out, when you start out using a bottle, it is absolutely no problem!

So friends, you often ask me what is one thing you can do for the environment, and like I shared in the Brooklyn Eagle, one thing is to carry your own bottle. Which one you choose is your personal preference, but you can get 10% off with my code TINAMUIR10.

P.S. On the note of HydraPak, they have now launched their next generation of RePak to upcycle your bottles (of most brands!). Find out where you can drop off here.​

--

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

​

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.

​

​