"Hi" from New York, where I am BUZZING after an amazing event yesterday morning.

I arrived here on Monday for my second Climate Week NYC, and I'll be honest, yesterday, being back in the city felt very jarring. That's something I don't typically experience when I arrive in New York, but UN General Assembly is one of the most chaotic weeks of the year in the city, and having Climate Week be the same week means there is a lot to process.

Yesterday morning was the perfect grounding experience to remind me why I do this and why it matters.

I hosted a Run for Climate Action with Imagine 5, a nonprofit I deeply admire (remember, a few weeks ago I wrote a piece for them about six reasons runners make great environmentalists; yes, that means you too, even if you don't identify as one!). It was such a gift, and it ended up being even better than I had imagined.

There are few occasions in my life when I get to host something where the running part is the secondary piece.

Maybe it felt that way yesterday as I am still not at a place where I can run for 5k without walk breaks, or maybe it was just the people who came to this event, but it was beautiful.

I spoke to the group beforehand to set the intention, to remind people that this run was about connecting; connecting with our own selves, connecting with other people, connecting with this beautiful planet we get to be alive on. I got to remind the runners that yes, while we do live hectic, busy, stressful lives a lot of the time, we can also take a few moments to get out there in nature, to connect to her and to one another. That is how we feel the most alive and are able to sustainably chase our dreams and help be a part of creating the world we wish to see.

On this run, we stopped to wait for the group so we could stay together; we chatted and got to know who we are through our loves and passions, not through what we do for work; we got to appreciate the fact that even though we were in this concrete jungle surrounded by an intoxicating urgency to hustle, we could still take time to slow down and connect.

I had to walk/run this event because just as I am not a perfect environmentalist and never will be (or anyone else will be, for that matter), I am also not a perfectly recovered human, and while I had hoped that I would be able to run this entire 5k, my foot is just not ready for that.

But rather than feeling shame for that, for not being "good enough" to handle the run, I felt empowered. I felt confident enough to say, "I need to walk" and at times they did it for me, "Need to walk?"

I hope for more events like this. Ultimately, we all still got a run in; we all took in some of the Central Park trees' oxygen and gave them our carbon dioxide to feed them in return; we all got to fill our own cups by connecting with other humans; and we all left feeling inspired and a part of something greater than ourselves.

I have more to share because that was only the first climate event of the day! More to come, but I can't imagine any better way to have started my day.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

Nutrition is a serious topic, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be entertaining. On their podcast, Your Diet Sucks, Kylee Van Horn and Zoë Rom, both endurance athletes, bring humor and curiosity to their examination of why we eat the way we do and how we can reevaluate our relationship to food, backed up by research and science.

Here's the real deal:

You know I adore Zoë; writing our book together brought us closer than ever and I had tears of joy for her as she texted me earlier this week to share that she had her first byline in the New York Times (read it here; it's beautiful and uplifting, and well, very Zoë!), and I have loved getting to know Kylee through Zoë. Put them together and their humor, their directness, and their pride in journalism makes Your Diet Sucks something really special. if you are from the generation I am, where your relationship with food is messy and tangled, their podcast is for you, and this episode will give you an example of why. Come join us.

This fall I will be working with the sustainability teams at a few of the big city marathons, and if you are headed to Chicago, Toronto, or New York City for their marathons this fall, I will be sharing about some of their initiatives in the weeks to come (to remind you what to bring and look out for), but to add to your calendar, here are the ways we can connect there:

Chicago

On Friday, 11th October, Come say, "Hi" at the sustainability booth at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon expo. I will have copies of my book, Becoming a Sustainable Runner for sale, if you would like one, but we can also just say, "Hi" and chat for a bit, as you check out the initiatives they have worked so hard on.

I will be running the Abbott Chicago 5k on Saturday, 12th October in my trash skirt; if you are running that, come say hi!

On Sunday, 13th October, I will be in the start and finish area of the marathon with the Green Team, and while I will be moving all around, check out the Zero Waste tents to dispose of your trash. Really, dropping your waste off there actually helps us massively.

Monday morning at 9 a.m., I will be hosting a plogging event with Chicago Event Management as a celebration of community and the city we got to explore the day before. I will share the signup link for that next week.

Toronto

On Friday, 18th October at 12:30 p.m., I will be supporting a plogging event with Canada Running Series (who puts on the race) and Trans Canada Trail.

On Saturday, 19th October at 11:40 a.m., I am moderating a panel at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon expo on how all of us have a role in the movement.

On Sunday, 20th October, I will be with the Green Team, documenting the amazing initiatives that the race goes above and beyond to carry out.

New York

NYRR's Team for Climate will be a big part of this year's TCS New York City Marathon. While I will not be running the marathon, I will be with the Team a lot, and I'm excited to be their cheerleader.

On Friday, 1st November, we will host a plogging event at 9:30 a.m. from the NYRR Run Center.

On Saturday, 2nd November, I will run the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5k in my trash skirt in the morning and moderate a panel at the expo in the afternoon.

On Sunday, 3rd November, I will be with NYRR's Team For Climate and the Green Team.

​

And that, I believe, is everything I would love for you to attend in the fall, depending on where you are this year. Wouldn't it be fun to have a teleporter to be able to make it to everything?

Remember, at all three of these races, you can use your handheld or belt to carry your own hydration, and Chicago is going to have official refill stations at miles 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. PLEASE help me spread the word about these; let's prove that they are needed!

Speaking of Chicago Event Management, check out this powerful and beautiful video about their community impact initiatives; this will make you feel hopeful about humanity.

Someone shared this Taylor Swift video from a few years ago, very interesting and quite relevant right now (and a good song!)

“Momentum begets momentum, and the best way to start is to start.” — Gil Penchina

Thanks to our partner, HydraPak

I said earlier about carrying your own handheld in races; by far and away my favorite easy-refill product for carrying hydration is HydraPak's SkyFlask (I like the 350ml, but you may prefer the 500ml). It has a flip-top lid to refill quickly; it breaks down beautifully, so it could easily tuck into a waistband or belt; BUT it also has a really nice strap that makes it convenient to hold onto with zero effort required. As a friend of mine, you can get 10% off with code TINAMUIR10.

​

This is one huge way you can reduce your race day carbon emissions, and you can inspire others to do the same simply by doing it.

--

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.

​

​