The Running for Real Podcast

Tina has been a podcast host for a decade; first on Runners Connect's "Run to the Top," then since 2017 on her own award-winning show, "Running for Real." Inspiring interviews and deep friendships have come out of the experience, but now, she has decided, it's time to move on. She'll be focusing on her passion for environmentalism, especially through her work with Racing for Sustainability, the no...

Kelly Roberts has inspired other runners by sharing her running journey online since long before the word "influencer" entered the popular lexicon. In  Tina's final interview before "Running for Real" goes on hiatus, she and Kelly reflect on their journeys as trailblazers in social media. While Kelly is Tina's final guest (at least for a while), she does have one more episode coming up to share so...

For many writers, the logical followup to a successful book is a sequel. For Alex Hutchinson, it was his reluctance to go down that path that led to his new book, "The Explorer's Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map." In it, he examines the ways in which humans' need to explore is expressed in all areas of our lives. For complete show notes and links, visit...

Many people identify themselves as climate activists, but not many would call themselves climate optimists - especially not now. Lauren Bash, however, still finds reasons to be hopeful, and offers ways to combat the environmental crisis centered around the principles of climate action, connection, and community. For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode436...

Ten years ago Jeffrey McEachern found himself at a point in his life where he knew things had to change. He found happiness and purpose through running, became a Peloton instructor, just earned his Six Star Medal at the Tokyo Marathon, and motivates others through his "Good Vibes Crew" community. For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode435 .   Thank you to...

There's a time before a race when the crowd settles down and is quiet for a few minutes - during the singing of the national anthem. At last year's TCS New York City Marathon, that honor was given to Danny Peter Smith. For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode434.   Thank you to AG1, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Tracksmith for sponsoring this episode.   ...

As runners, we're always trying to go faster or further because those metrics demonstrate how successful we are. But in his new book, "Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform," Steve Magness argues that when we measure our worth by our achievements, it backfires, preventing us from reaching our full potential. Photo credit: Hillary Montgomery Fo...

Olivia Baker is a serious runner - her achievements at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels attest to that. She never loses sight of the fact that there's much more to running than the results on paper though; there's sportsmanship, camaraderie, inspiration, and most of all, fun. Photo credit: Jan Figueroa For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/e...

Erin Ton holds 91 FKTs (Fastest Known Times), a feat surpassed by only one other woman. In 2023, she returned to the mountains where she first hiked with her family as a child, and summited 57 of Colorado's Fourteeners in 14 days, smashing the previous record. She stands out on the trails not only for her speed, but also for her attire, often hiking in high heels! For complete show notes and links...

Erin Taylor has been teaching yoga for over twenty years, helping high-performing athletes to excel at their sport. She's taken what she's learned from training Olympians and Ironman champions and applied it to other areas of life, not only for elite performers, but for everyone. Her most recent book, "Move, Rest, Recover," explores one of the most neglected elements of well-being, recovery. For c...

As you'll hear, as of recording, Tina is under the weather. So she's following the advice that she gives others and being gentle with herself. We'll be back with a full episode next week! For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode429B .   Thank you to Tracksmith, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Runna for sponsoring this episode.    Tracksmith is an independe...

Every year at this time, we're inundated with lists of Things To Do In The New Year. They can be intimidating, and make us feel as though if we don't accomplish them all, we've failed. This isn't one of those lists. Tina has put together ten tips that you can use to be kinder to the planet this year. They're easy wins that won't require too much work. For complete show notes and links, visit our w...

As we come to the end of 2024, Tina is looking back on the year that was and looking forward to an exciting 2025! For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode428.   Thank you to Tracksmith, Lever, and Precision Fuel & Hydration for sponsoring this episode.    Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. For years the brand h...

Cheryl Toussaint knows the importance of a mentor in young people's lives. She was just thirteen when she met running coach Fred Thompson, who insisted that his teenage athletes pursue excellence not only on the track, but in school.  Under his tutelage, she earned a scholarship to New York University and went on to win Olympic silver at the 1972 Games. Today, as Director of the Colgate Women's Ga...

Nadia Ruiz was only 14 when she ran her first marathon. Since then she's run 158 more (with 82 BQs), 136 half marathons, 13 half Ironmen, five full Ironmen, multiple ultras… Her parents are her inspiration to share her passion for health and education and to be a role model as a female, a Latina, and a child of immigrants. For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/...

Live Aid was THE event of 1985. The concert to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia, viewed by 40 percent of the world's population, was broadcast live from London and… not New York, not Los Angeles, but Philadelphia. A few months earlier, the city's police had bombed the home of a revolutionary communal organization, MOVE, killing eleven residents, including five children. The city hoped tha...

As we all know, Tuesday was Election Day in the United States. It's the foremost thing on many people's minds, including Tina's. Rather than a regular interview episode, she's sharing her feelings and thoughts about it.  For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode424 . Thanks for listening! If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe wherever you're listenin...

In a 1980s TV commercial, Sy Sperling declared, "I'm not only the Hair Club president; I'm also a client." That, Rob Simmelkjaer says, describes his role as CEO of New York Road Runners.  He hosts NYRR's podcast, "Set the Pace," runs with their clubs, takes part in their races, and even participates in their plogging events, all while advancing their mission to build healthier lives and stronger c...

When there is an opportunity for Courtney Phillips-Manning to share knowledge, especially knowledge that will benefit her community, she seizes - or creates - it. That led her to co-found Chicago's GumboFit run club, and to launch a podcast, "The Runner's Club," with Ian Gonzalez.  For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode422 .   Thank you to LEVER, AG1 , a...

There have been times in Quinton Jacobs' running life when he chased PRs and qualifying times. Those were physical seasons. He's also had mental health and adventure seasons, and seasons of running through other people's experiences. Sometimes, as in the Escape ultra relays he creates, the seasons merge.  Whatever the season, he says, "Running can be such a beautiful reflection of the different ph...

Filmmaker and distance runner Nicole Teeny had an unusual item on her bucket list - to race against horses. But when she was diagnosed with epilepsy, she was told that the running part of her life was over. Instead of giving up on her dream, she used it as motivation to return to the sport she loved, a journey documented in the podcast series GIRL v. HORSE , on ESPN's 30 for 30 Podcast. Photo cred...

David Roche smashed the 19-year-old course record at the Leadville Trail 100 Run this year. It was the first time that he'd run 100 miles, and even more incredibly, only months after a very different kind of smash. In April, while riding his bike, he was hit by a car and thrown 100 feet through the air and into a ditch, sustaining lacerations, a broken wrist, and a concussion. Far from derailing h...

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 a...

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. For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal....

In the documentary " 26.2 TO LIFE ," Rahsaan "New York" Thomas inspired audiences as he trained to run a marathon behind the walls of San Quentin Prison. He wasn't only preparing for a race; he was working to become the best person that he could be, even though he knew that he might never go home. He became an acclaimed journalist; producer of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated podcast, "Ear Hustle"; an...