I am home from Climate Week NYC, and feeling especially reflective. One of those rare moments when I have been able to look back on how far I have come and feel proud. I wanna share a story with you that shows that.

It was one year ago that I left my friend Jon’s house, my trash skirt of bar wrappers and plastic bottles, made by fashion designer Natalia Trevino, tucked inside a clear plastic (approved by NYRR security) bag. On that day, I was going to be one of those people, one of the bold women I envied who confidently went out into the world with something that stood out. The women who didn’t give a sh*t what others thought of them; they were living their full selves.

While I partly live my life on social media and feel at ease on camera most of the time, I still often quickly put my phone down or awkwardly shift my eyes (so I have to do a retake), if a stranger comes near me when I am filming videos. I admire my content creator friends who can talk into the camera anytime, anyplace, without a care or thought about what people going by are thinking.

The fact that my trash skirt was in the bag meant that I hadn’t quite gotten there yet. I took the first train from Brooklyn into Manhattan. I thought about putting my trash skirt on, but decided against it. Jon and I had talked about my travel up to the Bronx that morning. He said that this was New York; no one would even notice. I didn’t believe him.

As I got off the train in the Bronx, I felt very nervous. I still had to use the body marker pens I had purchased to write climate stats on my body, and the friend I was meant to meet on the way had not made it on the train. Besides, I was about to step into an attention-seeking role I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

I felt some eyes on my bag, on the skirt, confirming my suspicions that this was, in fact, something that stood out.

Suddenly, next to those eyes, someone said “Hi, Tina!” I recognized the face; it was an Instagram follower of mine, who, while I could not remember it at the time, was named Andy, and the person staring at my skirt was Ruby, his partner. They were there to run the race.

Relief flooded my body. I wanted people to process my emotions with. I told them what I was going to do, and asked if either of them happened to be good at drawing or artwork? Through an amazing twist of fate, Ruby was, through her roller derby experience, where the women often draw on their bodies.

I asked Ruby, a woman I had met only a few minutes before, if she would write numbers on my stomach, legs, and arms. An intimate and BIG ask, but she was happy to help.

I was so grateful to Ruby and Andy for their support, their steady hands, and as friends to cheer me on.

While running with a trash skirt and climate stats on my body wasn't the running away from a life or death situation that my body was interpreting it as, it still felt like a huge deal. I may be confident one-on-one in front of a camera, but I am typically someone who takes a while to warm up to speak up within a crowd or group situation.

Once the photographers and videographers arrived, I was able to switch my camera self on and be that woman I wanted to be. I was ready to make a statement, ready to run this race in my trash skirt, ready for all the eyes and funny looks.

Except once I got going from my B corral, I realized that no one was, in fact, looking at me at all. I got barely any questions. Everyone’s eyes were down and forward.

I should have known full well that when you are in the A or B corral, runners up there are focused on themselves, their goals. I was a tad disappointed to not have this moment be the conversation starter I hoped it would be, but it was good practice, and as it turned out, later that year when running the TCS NYC marathon from the back of the pack, wearing the skirt, there were a lot more opportunities.

After another interview, I headed back to Manhattan, keeping the skirt on as I walked around the city, and it turned out that Jon was right; there were very few stares and I had overcome a big fear of having people stare at me. I joined my fellow climate activists, 70,000 of us actually, for a climate march. As you can imagine, I fit right in.

That was a year ago, and while I was not able to do something similar this year, as I am still early in my return to running post-Achilles surgery, I do look back on that as a defining moment. That was truly when I owned and embraced my place in the running world as the person who talks to runners about climate change. I have come such a long way in that time, and last week in New York for Climate Week 2024 solidified that for me.

"Runner" has always been the defining word associated with my name, but now, I would say that "climate activist" is not far behind. I wear that identity with pride. I also wear my imperfection with pride, because I know if I give others the permission to not be perfect, we get a whole lot further than we do when we shame one another for not doing it quite "right."

Last week I did lots of filming, photoshoots, having meetings, and hosting events. I also met up with many friends to refill my cup in between, because one thing I learned in the past, when running made up most of my identity, is that if these adjectives (I think that's the right word; I have never been able to remember those parts of speech!!), these descriptive words, become everything, to the point where your value is centered on them and relationships fall away, that becomes dangerous to your mental health.

Spending time with friends reminded me that yes, I am a runner; yes, I am a climate activist; but also, yes, I am Tina Muir, no additional words required.

You may have defining words of your own, but remember they are not all of you. You are you, and that is enough.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

Adam Popp’s life changed when he lost his right leg above the knee while working to disarm a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He also lost his sense of purpose, until he started running. 19 months after taking his first step on a running blade, he became the first above-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon. After that, the records kept falling; he now holds seven Guinness World Records and is aiming to set more next month while running 24 hours on a treadmill.

Here's the real deal:

I was absolutely blown away by Adam. Not only because of all he has accomplished, but actually more by his vulnerability about how much he struggled in the years after his leg was amputated. It is truly an example of how we have to work our way through all the struggle, all the processing and pain that we go through, until ultimately, we have a choice as to whether we let that be the end of our story, or we choose a different path. If you have ever felt stuck or as though you can never get through to the other side of something, this story will show you a different way.

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I shared these last week, but for your reference. Running any of these? Let me know!

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. It will be my first "race" (but I may well be walking parts), so I would love to see friendly faces.

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.

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!

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.

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. In the afternoon I will be in a panel at 12pm, and at the NYRR booth another time that afternoon (or maybe Thursday, stay tuned) with copies of my book.

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.

Feel like you missed out at the Boston Run Show last year?

You can get a free ticket on me for the 2025 Boston Run Show below. I will be on stage and will be around all weekend. It is March 1-2, 2025. Would love to see you there!

If the link doesn't auto generate the code, use code TMUIR.

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Need a 30 minute something to watch in a break? This Protect Our Winters film, Purple Mountains, was really powerful. I jsut watched it as I ate my lunch, so good!

Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don't know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?- Sean Hayes

Thanks to our partner, AG1

This morning, as Chloe reached for my AG1, I thought about how much I love that she asks to drink it with me, each and every day. My four-year-old daughter loves the taste, and even sometimes asks for her own cup of AG1. It not only makes me feel good from the inside out, but it is also nice to have that piece of a routine to start off every day taking care of myself.

We spend a lot of our day looking out for others, but this is a quick way to put myself and my health first. It means that no matter what I eat that day, I have had 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food sourced ingredients. It means I am taking care of my gut health and my immune system.

If you wanna take advantage of my special offer of a one year's free supply of vitamin D (we are coming into the fall now!) and five free travel packs, and you live in the US, Canada, Europe, or the UK, get that deal below:

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

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