Last Friday I dropped some big news.

I shared it ahead of time on here; you already knew it was coming. I had known for a while that my heart wasn't in it; I had been processing it coming to an end and was so ready that I had stopped thinking about it. I wouldn't even bring it up to people when they asked what had been going on in my life lately.

On Friday though, as news spread that I was, in fact, putting the Running For Real podcast on the shelf, I felt strangely emotional. Like I could listen to my sad songs playlist and let big, fat, warm tears roll down my face.

There is very little in my life that I can't somehow relate to the podcast, definitely very few people whom I am closest to, who didn't in some way cross paths with me because of it.

I also felt pride. Extremely proud of what I built. First at Runners Connect, then on my own.

I think about the incredible guests I had the opportunity to interview from every area of running. There are few instances in life where you get to talk to someone you don't know for an hour straight. It gives you time to ask the things you have always wondered about to share with the world, but it also gives them an opportunity to get to know you.

And if you are good at it, or challenge them enough that they break out of their canned responses, it can be the beginning of a friendship, as was often the case.

I got an extra shot of joy this week when I listened to this week's Revisionist History episode where Malcolm (Gladwell) talks about the art of interviewing. He highlights people who are good at it, and draws attention to those who have a responsibility to share information with huge platforms, but get it so wrong.

In the final part of the episode, he shares a recent time he was interviewed when he cried, moments after saying he was not an emotional person. The interviewer? Michael Gervais.

Another of my favorite guests, who joined me on the podcast three times. Someone I admire and look up to. Someone the first time he said "Yes," I was giddy with excitement, calling my best friend, Elizabeth, to talk about how incredible it was.

The crossover was a joy, and as I have built friendships with both those humans, I could email them together and celebrate the crossover.

There is another reason I love last week's Revisionist History. After I interviewed Malcolm, I will never forget it, he said,

"You are a good interviewer, and not many people are."

So yeah, it stuck.

That said, my podcast interview style wasn't for everyone, nothing is. Podcasting taught me to accept that. I was not concise or to the point. I did talk about my own journey, sometimes forgetting (or not caring) that I was recording, instead abandoning a topic so I could have a conversation with the human on the other side of the mic. I gave platforms to people whom I wouldn't interview again, if I had the choice.

It wasn't perfect, but it was exactly what the name said; it was running, and it was real.

Every person I have seen or spoken to over the last week has brought up the end of the podcast. I guess I didn't realize how big of a deal it was for me to be ending it. It made it feel that much scarier. Was I actually ready to take that leap of faith away from my safety net?

Yeah, I am.

Maybe it will work out, maybe it won't.

What I do know is that I am grateful and I feel ready.

I am getting myself a reputation for quitting things, and I kinda like it.

On to the next chapter.

If you appreciate the work I do, you may want to consider:

Thank you. 💚

For the final time: This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Tina has been a podcast host for a decade; first on Runners Connect’s Run to the Top, then since 2017 on her own award-winning show, Running for Real. Inspiring interviews and deep friendships have come out of the experience, but now, she has decided, it’s time to move on.

She’ll be focusing on her passion for environmentalism, especially through her work with Racing for Sustainability, the nonprofit she’s created to help small to mid-sized races become more eco-conscious.

My friend told me about this; I didn't know it. Wanted to pass it on:

Send this article to your local race directors.

Seriously, this helps. Me, them, and you.

When you tell your local race directors that sustainability is important to you, you have done your action, so when you go to their race, and you feel that sense of guilt about the waste (or whatever other element tends to make you feel uneasy), you'll know you've done something to address it.

It will be another reminder to them to do something about it, and they want to please their runners, so they will listen. Maybe not a week before race day, but they will take time to reflect.

​I wrote this about the Eau Claire Marathon and their Racing For Sustainability certification as a case study. Send it to your race directors, as well as:

It matters. Your voice matters, especially locally.

​Five ways you can be more environmentally conscious on Six Minute Mile.

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​This video recap from our Earth Day Festival here in St Louis was an absolute joy to attend both days.

​I got to host the awards ceremony on Saturday, which was wonderful. ​

“Podcasting is the most convenient media for learning, getting inspired, or being entertained. You can listen to whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want.”

- Jennifer Henczel

Thanks to our partner, AG1

One of the partners you've heard me talk about most often on the podcast is AG1. I've used and loved AG1 for years, and now I have some HUGE news to share with you - they just launched their next generation, AG1 Next Gen. It's still one scoop, once a day (first thing in the morning for me!) but now with more vitamins, minerals and upgraded probiotics. AND it's clinically backed by four human clinical trials. They have seriously gone the distance to raise the standard in supplement testing. On top of that, they've also updated the design of the travel packs to pour more easily (although I personally never had a problem with them before).

So if you haven't tried AG1 yet, this is the perfect time to do it! When you subscribe here, you'll also get an AG1 Welcome Kit, a free bottle of AG D3K2, and five of the new travel packs with your first order.

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

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