This episode will get you thinking about reconnecting with your community, your tribe, your people — however you define community. Heather talks with Eddie Kline, a west Michigan runner, cyclist, husband, and race director, who is overseeing one of his own community’s well-known and popular races: the Tulip Time Run, a 10K, 5K, and kids fun run on Saturday, May 7 — the first day of the weeklong Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan. Eddie shares race details — the event is in-person this year after being entirely virtual last year — and he and Heather also talk about why community races and events like this one are so important to us and how they help us re-connect.
So many of us are craving the opportunity to get back out there, be with others, especially those who share a passion for the outdoors and movement.
Tulip Time Run takes place in Holland, Mich. May 7, 2022. Experience the beauty of Holland as you run through the tulip-lined streets. The Tulip Time Run offers an event for everyone — a 5K, 10K and Kids’ Fun Run. A special MRG listener race discount code is shared during the episode.
Heather also talks about her own plans for an upcoming community race, as well as a recent reconnection moment she shared at a surprising place: the gym.
This episode marks a milestone for the show, too: this is Season One of 2022 — the first time the MRG podcast, since its start in 2015, has released episodes by season and following a particular theme. Season One’s theme is Reconnection. Over the course of the next 8-10 weeks, listeners can expect to hear inspiring stories of people and places in Michigan (and beyond) that explore what it means to reconnect — with ourselves, with nature, with friends and family, with our communities.
This first episode features Maia Turek, a familiar podcast guest, who is known for her vast knowledge of Michigan state parks (she is an innovations and engagement specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). This time, though, she gets more personal; she bravely shares a wellness journey she’s been on over the past year with Leah Doriot, a certified health coach who has become a great friend of hers. Leah shares her insight, too, as well as her own journey to follow her passion and make a big (and scary) career change during COVID. Together with Heather, the women talk honestly about the challenges of living in a toxic diet culture, particularly for women, the importance of tapping into our inner strength and recognizing and honoring what we want for ourselves, and ultimately recognizing the power that comes when we change our mindset about what it means to be strong, able, and beautiful-just-as-we-are women.
Thanks to the amazing women who joined us for the MRG Winter Weekend Getaway and took part in the LIVE podcast recording — and asked fantastic questions, too! What a weekend it was. (Learn more about this annual event at MichiganRunnerGirl.com. Be sure to sign up for the MRG newsletter to hear about upcoming events, including the 2023 winter weekend.)