“I’ve been making healthier choices for me and feeling better about myself ... I feel like I have a lot more mental strength now than what I had in my 20s.”
Petoskey, Mich. runner Spencer Tulk reflects on the past few years of her journey as a runner in this special listener running journey episode.
Spencer, 31, is among the MRG podcast listeners and MRG blog readers who sent in stories of where they’re at with their running right now. Heather had put a call out for stories during the episode in which she shared her own evolving relationship with running. The MRG Show will be featuring these listener and reader stories in upcoming episodes, and we’re kicking off this series with Spencer’s story, which includes working toward the half marathon distance and experiencing a knee injury, embracing the run-walk method of exercise, changing jobs during the pandemic, and much more.
“I’m moving and I’m happy and I think that’s the biggest thing we can do for ourselves this year.”
Tune in to hear Spencer share her story -- and be sure to send in your story, if you’d like to do so. Heather and the MRG team would love to hear from you! Email heather@michiganrunnergirl.com with your written or recorded story.
If you enjoy what you’re hearing on the Michigan Runner Girl show, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a few moments to write a review on iTunes. This will help more runners and Michigan lovers like yourself find the podcasts. Thank you!! Also, the quickest way to get the podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes or via Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. A special thanks to the talented Jonny Tornga for producing the show.
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“We just want to put on a safe event and get back to racing.” ~Andrew Buikema, west Michigan race director, marathoner, recent BQ-qualifer(!).
Andrew shares this sentiment — and many other heartfelt thoughts — during a candid conversation with two other experienced Michigan race directors, that touches on so much: the current state of racing, the ups and downs of planning events during the pandemic, how we’re coping and staying active during these challenging times, silver linings we’re experiencing, and what we all can expect with racing event in the months to come. Eva Solomon, co-founder and owner of Epic Races, a southeast Michigan race management company, and Eddie Kline, founder and race director of Holland Haven Marathon, Half Marathon and 8K, also are part of this honest conversation.
If you’ve ever wondered how the pandemic and its many twists and turns have affected our beloved races and the talented people behind them, this episode reveals all. It sheds light on what it’s truly like behind the scenes, especially now. From working with fewer volunteers and re-imagining what a successful event can look like, Andrew, Eva, and Eddie offer an authentic, and ultimately hopeful, view of running and racing during and after COVID.
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If you enjoy what you’re hearing on the Michigan Runner Girl show, we’d be so, so grateful if you’d take a few moments to write a review on iTunes. This will help more runners and Michigan lovers like yourself find the podcasts. Thank you!! Also, the quickest way to get the podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes or via Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. A special thanks to the talented Jonny Tornga for producing the show.
FIND MRG and HEATHER:
@michiganrunnergirlshow on Instagram
@michiganrunnergirl on Instagram
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Drop Heather a note at heather@michiganrunnergirl.com
"But I think there’s something else at play. I feel my running evolving. I’m not exactly sure what this means, what it’ll look like. Some days I feel sure my speedier and marathon days are behind me. Other days I think, 'What makes me think I don’t have more in me and will be conquering some amazing things yet?'"
Heather gets honest about her running journey these days and shares stories from members of the MRG community in this updates episode. Getting older, living through a pandemic, experiencing injuries and health issues — these are things that are causing us to reflect, change our perspectives, maybe look at life and our love of movement in different and unexpected ways.
"I’ve been having many of the same thoughts as I age," says Lisa H. "I think for me the most important thing is to be the healthiest version of myself that I can be. I need to stay in balance and not compare myself to others. I thank God I can still run and enjoy movement! It’s more about my mental health now than proving how fast I am to myself as I get older."
"Maybe I shouldn’t be writing the rest of the book yet, as if I know exactly how it’ll end," Heather shares. "Maybe what I need to do is think about different chapters to add to my narrative—chapters that my younger self couldn’t have imagined but are essential parts of my story nonetheless."
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If you enjoy what you’re hearing on the Michigan Runner Girl show, we’d be so, so grateful if you’d take a few moments to write a review on iTunes. This will help more runners and Michigan lovers like yourself find the podcasts. Thank you!! Also, the quickest way to get the podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes or via Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. A special thanks to the talented Jonny Tornga for producing the show.
@michiganrunnergirlshow on Instagram
@michiganrunnergirl on Instagram
@michigan-runner-girl on Facebook
Drop Heather a note at heather@michiganrunnergirl.com