The Michigan Runner Girl show returns from its mid-summer break with Heather and her 22-year-old daughter Emma at Emma's new apartment in Grand Rapids, Mich. talking about all things books (they share their top reads this summer), traveling (a visit to Nantucket in July!), and how they're both feeling heading into fall.
They record their conversation the evening before Emma starts her first day of medical school orientation and on her first official weekend in her new place.
Also part of their discussion:
- Their shared (newer) love of small dogs. (Heather reveals big news about a new family member during this portion of the conversation!)
- Why "comfort" books, movies, TV series, and podcasts are so important to Emma (and what a few of those things are)
- The power of writing and journaling (and how Heather is moving closer to writing a book)
- The ways they're both hoping to stay up on their workouts and running in the coming weeks as a new season (in more ways than one) begins for each of them
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Be sure to listen all the way through to the end of this episode, when Heather talks about the NEW Michigan Runner Girl Patreon community and how you can support the show AND receive special perks and exclusive content.
In this latest episode featuring Heather and her 21-year-old daughter, Emma, life transitions — facing them, going through them, learning from them — is the focus. And if there’s ever been a time when life changes take center stage, it’s these past couple of years as we’ve all endured so much, personally and professionally, as a result of the pandemic.
Emma shares big news at the start of this episode, and how where she’s at now and what’s ahead is the culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication … and, yes, stress and self-reflection. She shares how she traversed this time of her life and the things she’s learned about herself.
Emma asks some interesting and personal questions of her mom, and Heather responds with stories that touch on becoming a mom, the role of creativity and work along this journey of raising three kids, and the generational differences Emma and Heather are observing as Emma enters her early 20s and begins thinking about her future plans.
They wrap up the show by sharing a letter from a listener, and encourage the comments and feedback to keep on coming. What life transition are you experiencing right now? How are you navigating the ups and downs of this time? How does running and movement help you? We’d love to hear from you. Email your thoughts, or record a voice memo, and send to heather@michiganrunnergirl.com
{Special Episode note from Heather} Nearly two years ago, having watched on TV elite distance runner Desiree Linden place second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, finishing with a time of 2:28:54, I marveled at her steady-strong pacing and cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor -- especially on what was an especially warm day in Los Angeles. I thought to myself, not for the first time, how I’d love the opportunity to meet her in person, to have her as a guest on my podcast. Not only because of her inspiring performance and numerous accomplishments (I had also excitedly watched from my computer as she crossed the finish line and came in second place at the 2011 Boston Marathon), but because she’s a Michigan Runner Girl, just like us. OK, maybe not exactly like us. She has that super speedy thing going on. But she does live here in the Mitten -- she and husband (and rockstar Ironman athlete) Ryan Linden train in Rochester Hills with fellow Hansons Brooks Original Distance Project athletes -- and in fact has been spending an increasing amount of time in northern Michigan. I just knew we’d have lots of talk about, and I wanted to share that conversation with the MRG community. So I did what any respectable blogger and podcaster would do: I commented on one of her tweets, kept up on her Instagram posts, and eventually sent a direct message to her via Twitter, inquiring about her interest in coming on my show. And, she responded. She had a lot going on, with the Olympic Games in Rio just around the corner (oh, yes, that makes sense, of course...), so she asked if we could talk again later in the year. To which I said “Yes!!” (I hoped she didn't think I was too much of a stalker...)
Fast forward to this past spring, when I ran my 8th marathon and fourth Bayshore in my hometown of Traverse City. While the race didn’t go exactly as I had hoped (an old achilles injury flared just past the halfway mark), a few special things happened that day, including seeing Des on the course holding a sign and cheering on runners AND having the opportunity to talk with her around the 24-mile mark after Emma asked if she’d take a photo with us. Des was so kind and encouraging, just when I needed a boost.
In recent months, Des and I began emailing each other. She shared that she’d be happy to come on my show, that she’d taken a step back from running this past summer but was getting back into a groove. December, she told me, would be a great time to get together. So we did just that, and the result is this latest episode of the Michigan Runner Girl podcast. Des and Ryan made the trek to Traverse City from their home in Charlevoix, about an hour drive, and not only did she sit with me and my co-host Pam Carrigan for an hour for the podcast, she and Ryan also joined Joe and I for dinner out afterward at one of our favorite spots, The Filling Station in Traverse City.
During this episode, Pam and I talk with Des about her self-imposed break from running following this last spring’s Boston Marathon (where she finished fourth), how she spent this time away from the sport, when and how she re-discovered a hunger for competitive running, the half marathon she recently won, and lots more, including how she got started running (she was a soccer player from the age of 5) and what it was like for her to watch Shalane Flanagan win this fall’s New York City Marathon. We also may have raised a glass of whiskey to her recent race win in San Antonio, Texas. We had so much fun talking with her -- I know you guys are going to love hearing from her as much as we did! (Fun fact: When Des finished second at the 2011 Boston Marathon by just two seconds and set a personal record by four minutes, her time of 2:22:38 was then the fastest time ever run by an American woman in the Boston Marathon. After her success in Boston she was invited to throw the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game.)
Following our conversation with Des, Pam and I offer a re-cap of the experience talking with a two-time Olympic marathoner -- Des says she’s up for a return visit to the podcast, maybe after her Boston 2018 race! -- and we also share information about the upcoming winter and spring Michigan Runner Girl weekend retreats.
In the past 2 ½ years, Lowell, Mich. runner Robert Woldhuis has competed in almost 90 running events, including 29 half marathons, three 25Ks, four full marathons, a 50K trail race and, this October, his first 50-miler, which took place in Door County, Wis. Runners throughout the state know Robert, or are at least probably familiar with who he is, given he’s the friendly, outgoing guy wearing a colorful tutu and carrying an American flag during races. “The tutu for me is a reminder to not take life too seriously. It inspires people to smile and laugh,” says Robert, 41, who created a Facebook page titled Adventures of Tutu Man.
Finding levity in life and sharing it with others is important to Robert, who spent a good chunk of his life struggling to maintain healthy relationships, remain sober and stay out of trouble with the law. He ultimately served a five-year prison sentence because of drug crimes he committed and scams he orchestrated. It was in prison, on a half-mile dirt track, that Robert discovered running and its transformative power.
Heather and Robert talk about this journey and how running opened up a new world to him as well as triggered a new life’s mission. He’s especially excited about being named to the 2018 Fifth Third Riverbank Run Road Warrior Team of Ambassadors. Whether on the road or trail, or behind a race expo booth table, Robert is passionate about connecting with others.
“My favorite memory of the 50-mile race was the fact that I probably got to share my testimony and listen to other people’s stories probably 10,12, 15 times … A big part of the healing part of the journey that I have been on — you know, I’ve been sober for a little over 7 years now — and a big part of that was just transparency and accountability with some people in my life. The transparency comes in with being more of an open book, instead of being reclusive and shoving issue down and not talking about them. It’s being open to talk about things.”
Find Robert on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Theadventuresoftutuman/
It's getting to be about that time...one of Heather's fall race traditions—the Great Beerd Run at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa—is set for Saturday, Nov. 11. Joining Heather on the show to talk about this fun northern Michigan run: Kelly Yauk, a fellow Michigan Runner Girl and race director of this annual race that celebrates all things Michigan beer AND beards. Longtime listeners will be happy to hear from Kelly, who has been on the show in the past (and happens to be quite hilarious). Kelly shares what she's been up to lately (she's known for traveling far and wide for races, and she also talks about a Michigan run she recently enjoyed with her 2-year-old daughter).
A few things to know about this year's Great Beerd Run:
- There's a race discount code just for Michigan Runner Girl readers and listeners: use MIRUNNERGIRL at checkout to save $5.
- Your registration fee includes race entrance, knitted beard beanie, bottle opener/race medal, 3 beer samples, one glass of beer during the post-race party and entrance into post-race party featuring live music.
- The craft beer is delicious. Thank you, Right Brain Brewery, Beards Brewery and Short's Brewing Company.
- NEW IN 2017: race organizers are offering a $30 registration fee with all of the great race perks, minus the beard beanie.
- The fastest male and female score epic Nordic inspired beard/hat sets.
- Don't care to go fast? You won't be alone. This is a fun, untimed race and plenty of runners enjoy the course, the beer samples, the scenery, the camaraderie. (Check out this blog post from Heather's Beerd Run a couple of years ago, when she came in, yep, dead last.
http://michiganrunnergirl.com/michigan-brew-beards-and-one…/ )
Get more details, including info on special room rates, here:
http://www.thegreatbeerdrun.com
You couldn't miss Team MRG at this fall's Reebok Ragnar Relay Michigan, a 195.5-mile trek from Muskegon to Traverse City. And it wasn't simply because our team of 12 women wore matching blue Michigan Runner Girl shirts. Fellow Ragnarians grew to learn, over the 2-day race, that Team Michigan Runner Girl traveled in the two purple-and-pink-and-blue Muscle Milk vans—handing out Muscle Milk goodies along the way.
MRG's partnership with Muscle Milk was new this year, but logging the miles on country roads, through quaint coastal towns, and along the Lake Michigan shoreline was not. Team MRG was back again, after last fall's inaugural Ragnar Relay Michigan event, to tackle the distance (and lack of sleep) together. On this week's show: a rundown of race weekend with Heather Durocher and Ragnar teammates Pam Carrigan, Erin Henshaw and Ann Eshleman. While Pam, Heather and Erin were part of last year's Ragnar team, Ann was a Ragnar newbie and she shares how the experience exceeded her expectations in all of the right ways (she also talks about how she was apprehensive going into the experience and had plenty of questions for Pam in the days leading up to race day). The women break down how Ragnar relays work, how 12-person teams split into two "mini teams" with their own van, the challenges and rewards of running a total of three separate "legs," including through the night, and how each van found ways to fuel (at a few delicious restaurants) and rest (a little!) throughout the race. Heather and Ann were in van 1 while Erin and Pam were in van 2.
Whether you also participated in this year's Ragnar Michigan, or you're thinking about giving one a try, you're sure to be entertained during this informative and, at times hilarious, episode. (While "what happens at Ragnar stays at Ragnar," this episode definitely sheds some light on the silly and fun things that can happen when a dozen women team up to cover "200-ish miles" together.)
Rahaf Khatib is a 7-time marathoner, training and living with her husband and three children in Farmington Hills, Mich. She’s also been in the national spotlight in the past couple of years—she was the first Muslim hijabi runner to be featured on the cover of Women’s Running magazine a year ago, and she also was selected as a top 10 finalist for Runner’s World cover running contest in 2015. Rahaf joins Heather on the show to talk about her start in running in 2012—her son’s gym teacher encouraged her to sign up for a 5K (she ended up running the 10K!)—and how she went on to tackle half marathons, sprint triathlons and marathons. Supporting and encouraging fellow Muslim and non-Muslim women is important to Rahaf, who co-organized a 5K for INSA (Islamic Society of North America) for more than 500 runners. “My goal is to represent the under-represented—that is, Hijabis in the fitness world.” She also strives to educate others about her faith and her decision, as part of her Muslim faith, to wear long sleeves, pants and the head scarf called hijab while running. “The question I’m always asked is ‘Aren’t you hot?’” she says. Rahaf, who was born in Damascus, Syria and grew up in Dearborn, Mich., is founder of the popular Instagram account Runlikeahijabi, where she posts running tips and advice for Muslim and non-Muslim women. While training for Boston 2017, she raised $16,000 for refugees in Michigan. Rahaf blogs at Run Like a Hijabi.
As Heather takes a self-imposed running break following a spring marathon and half marathon, to ensure a longtime comes-and-goes running injury heals, she welcomes physical therapist and board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist Jeff Samyn to the show. Jeff, a runner who also does CrossFit, works at Northern Michigan Sports Medicine Center in Petoskey, Mich. They talk about when to know you should take a break from running due to pain/discomfort (and why it's so tough to actually admit this to ourselves!), the best ways to handle running breaks (both mentally and physically), and how to ease back into a routine. Heather and Jeff also share reader comments from the Michigan Runner Girl Facebook page—many readers and listeners chimed in with their own stories of running injuries, running breaks, chronic pain, and cross-training ideas and lots more.
The Michigan Runner Girl podcast is back after a couple week break. The summer show release schedule will be a bit more sporadic as Heather and her production team enjoy summer in Michigan—and gear up for a full line-up of weekly shows this fall.
The Michigan Runner Girl Show is supported by the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
Marathoner, ultra marathoner and Detroit native Dave Krupski likes "creating race courses that are my dream races." He's behind the Daytona 100 in Florida and this coming month he'll debut his Michigan ultra marathon courses: the Lighthouse 100-mile and 50-mile ultras on Saturday, June 10. Dave Krupski, along with northern Michigan runner Dan Oberski, are guests on this episode. They talk with Heather about this upcoming 100-miler that starts at the lighthouse in Petoskey and finishes at the lighthouse at the tip of Traverse City's Old Mission Peninsula. (There's also a 50-mile option; this course follows the second half of the 100-mile race course.) Dan Oberski, who was previously a guest on the podcast, talking about running extra long distances, has been training for next month's Lighthouse 100—his first 100-mile race. Dan and Dave talk about how they met earlier this spring (and ran about 30 miles together on the race course), the allure of ultra running, what runners can expect at this new road running event and more. The two race courses are on pavement, not trail where many ultras take place, but runners will be running almost exclusively on bicycle paths along Lake Michigan, on paved trails and little-used country roads, and through some of the most exclusive areas in Michigan. "All along the way you will enjoy countless unobstructed views of the water," Dave says. The terrain ranges from flat (miles 1-30) to rolling hills (miles 30-100). In addition, the race is near the summer equinox, ensuring runners will enjoy about 16 hours of daylight. "When the sun sets, a full moon will illuminate you throughout the night."
Way back in spring 2010, not too long before Heather started the Michigan Runner Girl blog, she wrote posts about running for a northern Michigan trails organization. She'd been running for a few years, had several races under her belt, and was really starting to ramp up her mileage and health and fitness writing. The sport definitely had become an essential part of her life. And when she wasn't out on the roads or trails, or writing about the mental and physical benefits of exercise, she was reading about running—magazines, web sites, books, whatever she could find. One of her absolute favorites to this day: Run Like a Mother by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea—two women she "knew" only through their bylines in Runner's World magazine. She made a request for a review copy—a perk of being a freelance journalist—and from the moment she received it in the mail, she couldn't put it down. Covering all aspects of running and how to find time for it amid family and work, it completely spoke to her and where she was at in her life. She's since shared it with friends, and has enjoyed watching Sarah and Dimity's success build as they've created an incredibly strong tribe through their web site AnotherMotherRunner.com, social media, weekly podcast, online training groups, as well as with a second and third book and by traveling across the country to connect with other mother runners at races and other special events. If you're a parent and a runner, you've likely heard of—and probably are a part of—the Another Mother Runner community.
Sarah and Dimity join Heather on this episode to talk about how the mother runner movement began, the three books they've published, how their thriving community has evolved over the past several years (this year they've been celebrating their 7th AMR-versary), what it's meant for each of them to connect with so many women across the country (and beyond), and the exciting plans they have for further connections with mother runners in the coming months.
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