April 23, 2025 • 14 mins
Hi Running Friends!
Today's episode is about plogging- "picking up" while "jogging". I participated in an event put on by The Boston Run Show in March with Tina Muir of "Running for Real". I started listening to Tina's podcast back in 2018, and since then she has evolved into an advocate for sustainable running and hosts plogging events around the country.
Resources from the Episode:
Ooho- edible water pods
Tina Muir/Running for Real - this is the link to her book "Becoming a Sustainable Runner"
Nathan Reusable Running Cup - link to a reusable running cup (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases) and here is an article by NUUN about racing in a "cupless" race
Boston Run Show - Check out what we do at The Boston Run Show, and mark your calendar's for next year. I'm an ambassador and I help out at the show, so keep on the lookout when I start giving out the code for free tickets to next years show!
YouTube Video from The Run Experience about Plogging
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
I am also a Personal Trainer, and offer virtual training as well, in addition to Nutrition Coaching.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. Sign up over on the blog for the once-a-month newsletter! If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello runners, today we are going to talk about an
event that I did in Boston whenI went to the Boston Run Show in
early March, and if you'venever heard of the Boston Run
Show, it is kind of like an expo.
There's workshops, there's alot of speakers.
We had Des Linden and I did apodcast episode on about it
(00:22):
previously so you can take alisten to that, and in it I
talked about how, on one of themorning runs that we had, I
participated in a plogging eventwith Tina Muir.
So plogging means picking uptrash as you're running.
So it kind of combines joggingand picking up trash from the
(00:42):
Swedish configuration of thatword.
And we met early in the morningand Boston is very windy and it
was kind of cold.
But a group of us met and TinaMuir introduced us to the
concept of plogging and shehanded out trash bags.
They could break down.
(01:03):
These were biodegradable trashbags, which I don't think I've
ever been aware of that theyhave those.
I mean, maybe I did, but it itnever really clocked, but these
were biodegradable trash bagsand everybody got one.
We also got gloves.
She handed out gloves and she isreally big into sustainable
(01:24):
running, so she goes to a lot ofraces.
She was just at Boston.
She goes to the New YorkMarathon, she goes all over and
hosts these plugging events.
But also she's interested in Idon't know if you've ever seen,
but they have these little watercapsule things, I guess, and
(01:44):
they're kind of covered in askin that you can eat.
So instead of having all ofthese paper cups which, if
you've ever raced before andyou've been around the water
stations, it is just trash cityNow they have volunteers that
pick them up, but there's a lotof cups and a lot of things
going into the landfills, and sothere have been these water
(02:05):
companies that have designedthese little water things that
you pop in your mouth.
She also promotes running withreusable cups.
But the plogging event reallyattracted a lot of people and
they had talked about havingpaces, like picking what pace
you were going to run and havingpacers.
(02:25):
But, as she explained and as wefound out, if you're going to
go plogging, you're really notgetting a run in, like you're
not going to go out for a 16mile run if you're, you know,
training for a marathon,carrying a garbage bag and
picking up garbage as you goalong.
It would be a very talentedperson that could run whatever
(02:47):
pace they wanted and bend downand pick trash and put it in a
garbage bag and have that all besmoothly.
I would land on my face, soit's a very slow, you kind of
jog and then pick up garbage, asyou see it.
So a group of us went out andjust started running and she had
a root and so we we kind offollowed her around this root
(03:08):
and as we were running we wouldsee garbage and just pick it up
and put it in our garbage bag.
Now what was hilarious sort ofwas that it was so windy that
keeping that garbage bag openwithout all the garbage already
in it flying out was just it wasdifficult.
So there were times that a lotof us were actually re-putting
(03:29):
in the garbage bag things thatwe had already picked up.
Now one thing that stood out tome that really surprised me were
the amount of cigarette buttsthat were all over the streets.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s,where smoking was, everybody
smoked.
It seemed like, you know, youwent to a restaurant and they
(03:50):
had you just smoked in therestaurant and then they started
having non-smoking sections andsmoking sections, but obviously
the smoking section would waftover and then states slowly
started rolling out that youcouldn't smoke in restaurants.
Because of all of that, Ididn't realize how many people
(04:11):
still actually smoked cigarettesNow.
I live in a city and so it ismuch more prevalent to see
someone smoking weed.
I live in New York and so it'slegal here.
There's much more smelling weedthan seeing people smoking.
I maybe see a couple of peopleevery so often smoking, but it's
(04:33):
just.
I didn't realize how much of athing it still was, but with the
amount of cigarette butts thatwere all over the ground it's
like, oh, a lot of people stillsmoke.
So that was really surprisingto me.
The amount of clothing that wefound and picked up was also
very surprising to me, and theamount of glass was.
(04:55):
There was a lot of glass and alot of alcohol containers like
little, tiny little bottles ofvodka or whatever.
So we I think we ran.
I want to say it was like amile and a half.
We'd run a little bit and thenwe'd all stop and go on both
sides of the street and pick upthe garbage.
And the other thing that wassurprising to me was how many
(05:20):
people drivers like honked theirhorns and waved and really
encouraged us and you know therewere people yelling out way to
go and just yelling.
The amount of support that wegot while doing this was also
very surprising to me.
I don't know why.
I didn't expect that, but Ididn't, and it was really cool
(05:42):
to be a part of that and havepeople really appreciate that we
were cleaning up this sectionof Boston.
We wound our way around theroute and when we got back, we
took pictures with all thegarbage that we collected and we
collected a lot.
Now we still left a lot,obviously, but we did collect a
lot.
So it was a really cool way tobe a sustainable runner to clean
(06:07):
up a section of a city that wewere all there for a convention
and also make new friends.
I was able to talk to Tina lateron, after a talk that she had
given with a couple of otherpeople about sustainable running
, and she was just the nicestperson and I've been listening
(06:28):
to her since 2018, I think 2018,I think she was one of the
first podcasts I ever listenedto and really encouraged me,
like as I was running and thatwas the start of my marathon
training, and so she was in myears like for miles and miles
and miles.
So it was just really cool tomeet her and she is very
(06:51):
dedicated to making running moresustainable.
I've done some thinking as I'verun now after doing that event,
because there's a section herein Buffalo that I run through
and it's like the garbage menactually opened the trash and
just dumped it all over theplace and the thing that I've
(07:12):
noticed in a lot of cities isthere are no garbage cans.
So she had encouraged everybodythat, even if on a regular run,
if you just pick up one pieceof trash instead of stepping
over it as you're running, likeif you notice a garbage can and
there's trash and you're running, pick up a couple of pieces and
throw it out.
Now, be careful about whatyou're picking up.
You know we had gloves.
(07:43):
I tend to, especially sinceCOVID, not pick up things like
cups or things that are peopleuse, that could have saliva on
them.
I'm not a doctor, I'm not ascientist, I don't know the
science behind how longsomething has to live and all
that stuff.
So, but I do tend to not dothat.
But there's other garbage thatI will pick up and throw out.
(08:04):
But the thing is, a lot ofthese places don't have garbage
cans.
So that was just this, thisreal thing that stuck out to me
as I was running through thisone section there are no garbage
cans.
Probably the thing is theywould get filled up, overflow
and then you'd still have atrash problem.
But I mean, nail it down Like Idon't know, I don't know what
(08:26):
the answer is.
It's just surprising to me howfew garbage cans that I see in
some sections of my town.
It was just a really coolexperience and I encourage you
to seek this out.
So she's at a lot of majorthings, even if you are not
(08:48):
running a race, say you know,say she does Chicago in the fall
, chicago Marathon, even ifyou're not running that race.
Look at the events section, seeif she's doing a plugging
section and go try it out.
You know, get a run in.
It's not going to be fast, it'snot going to be what we would
(09:08):
call a training run, but it'sgoing to be, as a runner,
something that you can do.
I'd be very surprised if itdoesn't make you feel good about
that run and about yourself andgo and participate in this.
You can meet somebody who isvery passionate about running.
Tina Muir was an elite runner.
It's just really cool to meether and talk to her, and so you
(09:33):
get to meet somebody who was anelite runner and who was really
good in her field.
I was actually very surprisedwhen I saw her pictures from the
Boston Marathon event.
There were less people therethan at our event and that
really surprised me.
So, even if you are not goingto run an event and you live in
(09:54):
that town, look up the differentevents and the different things
that they have surrounding themarathon or the half marathon or
the 5k or whatever.
See what you can do to getinvolved as a runner, and it
doesn't necessarily have to beplogging, but there are other
things where you can getinvolved or do that will help.
(10:17):
You feel like you are part ofthe running community in your
town or in your city.
So one thing that she doesadvocate is the picking up of
just one piece of trash on eachrun.
Now, if every runner did that,we could make a difference in
our towns and in our cities,wherever we are Now.
(10:39):
The Buffalo Marathon is goingto be happening in a month-ish,
so I see a ton of runners.
There's a 5K, a half marathonand a marathon all on the same
weekend, so there are a lot ofpeople a marathon all on the
same weekend, so there are a lotof people in Buffalo who are
training for that.
So this time of year especiallybecause it's April, so we're
finally seeing some nice weatherand everyone's not on their
(11:03):
treadmills If everybody who wasrunning right now in Buffalo
just picked up one piece oftrash and threw it out, we could
make a little bit of adifference.
Maybe not a huge differencewhere everyone's going to notice
it, but at least we would feelthat in ourselves.
Now I run five times a week.
That's five pieces of trash.
(11:23):
I probably see a hundredrunners a week.
If they're running five times aweek, that's 500, and with mine
, five pieces of trash picked upthroughout the week.
We can make a difference, evenif it's little.
And what I learned when peoplewere encouraging us from their
cars is maybe if somebody seesyou doing that, you're going to
(11:45):
encourage someone else who isn'teven a runner, to pick up that
piece of trash and throw it out.
If you're in a running group andyou're interested in plogging,
or even if you're not and you'reinterested in plogging, plug in
the name of your town andplogging and see if there is a
plogging group near you.
I did that and was actuallysurprised to find out that there
(12:06):
is an urban run series in mytown and they actually do do a
plogging run.
It was just super surprising tome that they have this.
I am always surprised as arunner when I see like a 5k
going on in the town or I seesomebody like a running group
that I don't know about it.
(12:27):
But I looked it up and we dohave a running group in our town
that does runs and they also doplogging runs.
I'm really interested in that.
If you're interested instarting something up yourself,
you can email me at sherry atwrinkledrunnercom and I will try
to look into information foryou on how to get that started.
(12:50):
I don't have information that Ican spew out right now, but if
you are interested in startingthat, I can do the research for
you and see if I can find a wayfor you to get that started in
your town.
Hello runners, today we are going to talk about an
event that I did in Boston whenI went to the Boston Run Show in
early March, and if you'venever heard of the Boston Run
Show, it is kind of like an expo.
There's workshops, there's alot of speakers.
We had Des Linden and I did apodcast episode on about it
(00:22):
previously so you can take alisten to that, and in it I
talked about how, on one of themorning runs that we had, I
participated in a plogging eventwith Tina Muir.
So plogging means picking uptrash as you're running.
So it kind of combines joggingand picking up trash from the
(00:42):
Swedish configuration of thatword.
And we met early in the morningand Boston is very windy and it
was kind of cold.
But a group of us met and TinaMuir introduced us to the
concept of plogging and shehanded out trash bags.
They could break down.
(01:03):
These were biodegradable trashbags, which I don't think I've
ever been aware of that theyhave those.
I mean, maybe I did, but it itnever really clocked, but these
were biodegradable trash bagsand everybody got one.
We also got gloves.
She handed out gloves and she isreally big into sustainable
(01:24):
running, so she goes to a lot ofraces.
She was just at Boston.
She goes to the New YorkMarathon, she goes all over and
hosts these plugging events.
But also she's interested in Idon't know if you've ever seen,
but they have these little watercapsule things, I guess, and
(01:44):
they're kind of covered in askin that you can eat.
So instead of having all ofthese paper cups which, if
you've ever raced before andyou've been around the water
stations, it is just trash cityNow they have volunteers that
pick them up, but there's a lotof cups and a lot of things
going into the landfills, and sothere have been these water
(02:05):
companies that have designedthese little water things that
you pop in your mouth.
She also promotes running withreusable cups.
But the plogging event reallyattracted a lot of people and
they had talked about havingpaces, like picking what pace
you were going to run and havingpacers.
(02:25):
But, as she explained and as wefound out, if you're going to
go plogging, you're really notgetting a run in, like you're
not going to go out for a 16mile run if you're, you know,
training for a marathon,carrying a garbage bag and
picking up garbage as you goalong.
It would be a very talentedperson that could run whatever
(02:47):
pace they wanted and bend downand pick trash and put it in a
garbage bag and have that all besmoothly.
I would land on my face, soit's a very slow, you kind of
jog and then pick up garbage, asyou see it.
So a group of us went out andjust started running and she had
a root and so we we kind offollowed her around this root
(03:08):
and as we were running we wouldsee garbage and just pick it up
and put it in our garbage bag.
Now what was hilarious sort ofwas that it was so windy that
keeping that garbage bag openwithout all the garbage already
in it flying out was just it wasdifficult.
So there were times that a lotof us were actually re-putting
(03:29):
in the garbage bag things thatwe had already picked up.
Now one thing that stood out tome that really surprised me were
the amount of cigarette buttsthat were all over the streets.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s,where smoking was, everybody
smoked.
It seemed like, you know, youwent to a restaurant and they
(03:50):
had you just smoked in therestaurant and then they started
having non-smoking sections andsmoking sections, but obviously
the smoking section would waftover and then states slowly
started rolling out that youcouldn't smoke in restaurants.
Because of all of that, Ididn't realize how many people
(04:11):
still actually smoked cigarettesNow.
I live in a city and so it ismuch more prevalent to see
someone smoking weed.
I live in New York and so it'slegal here.
There's much more smelling weedthan seeing people smoking.
I maybe see a couple of peopleevery so often smoking, but it's
(04:33):
just.
I didn't realize how much of athing it still was, but with the
amount of cigarette butts thatwere all over the ground it's
like, oh, a lot of people stillsmoke.
So that was really surprisingto me.
The amount of clothing that wefound and picked up was also
very surprising to me, and theamount of glass was.
(04:55):
There was a lot of glass and alot of alcohol containers like
little, tiny little bottles ofvodka or whatever.
So we I think we ran.
I want to say it was like amile and a half.
We'd run a little bit and thenwe'd all stop and go on both
sides of the street and pick upthe garbage.
And the other thing that wassurprising to me was how many
(05:20):
people drivers like honked theirhorns and waved and really
encouraged us and you know therewere people yelling out way to
go and just yelling.
The amount of support that wegot while doing this was also
very surprising to me.
I don't know why.
I didn't expect that, but Ididn't, and it was really cool
(05:42):
to be a part of that and havepeople really appreciate that we
were cleaning up this sectionof Boston.
We wound our way around theroute and when we got back, we
took pictures with all thegarbage that we collected and we
collected a lot.
Now we still left a lot,obviously, but we did collect a
lot.
So it was a really cool way tobe a sustainable runner to clean
(06:07):
up a section of a city that wewere all there for a convention
and also make new friends.
I was able to talk to Tina lateron, after a talk that she had
given with a couple of otherpeople about sustainable running
, and she was just the nicestperson and I've been listening
(06:28):
to her since 2018, I think 2018,I think she was one of the
first podcasts I ever listenedto and really encouraged me,
like as I was running and thatwas the start of my marathon
training, and so she was in myears like for miles and miles
and miles.
So it was just really cool tomeet her and she is very
(06:51):
dedicated to making running moresustainable.
I've done some thinking as I'verun now after doing that event,
because there's a section herein Buffalo that I run through
and it's like the garbage menactually opened the trash and
just dumped it all over theplace and the thing that I've
(07:12):
noticed in a lot of cities isthere are no garbage cans.
So she had encouraged everybodythat, even if on a regular run,
if you just pick up one pieceof trash instead of stepping
over it as you're running, likeif you notice a garbage can and
there's trash and you're running, pick up a couple of pieces and
throw it out.
Now, be careful about whatyou're picking up.
You know we had gloves.
(07:43):
I tend to, especially sinceCOVID, not pick up things like
cups or things that are peopleuse, that could have saliva on
them.
I'm not a doctor, I'm not ascientist, I don't know the
science behind how longsomething has to live and all
that stuff.
So, but I do tend to not dothat.
But there's other garbage thatI will pick up and throw out.
(08:04):
But the thing is, a lot ofthese places don't have garbage
cans.
So that was just this, thisreal thing that stuck out to me
as I was running through thisone section there are no garbage
cans.
Probably the thing is theywould get filled up, overflow
and then you'd still have atrash problem.
But I mean, nail it down Like Idon't know, I don't know what
(08:26):
the answer is.
It's just surprising to me howfew garbage cans that I see in
some sections of my town.
It was just a really coolexperience and I encourage you
to seek this out.
So she's at a lot of majorthings, even if you are not
(08:48):
running a race, say you know,say she does Chicago in the fall
, chicago Marathon, even ifyou're not running that race.
Look at the events section, seeif she's doing a plugging
section and go try it out.
You know, get a run in.
It's not going to be fast, it'snot going to be what we would
(09:08):
call a training run, but it'sgoing to be, as a runner,
something that you can do.
I'd be very surprised if itdoesn't make you feel good about
that run and about yourself andgo and participate in this.
You can meet somebody who isvery passionate about running.
Tina Muir was an elite runner.
It's just really cool to meether and talk to her, and so you
(09:33):
get to meet somebody who was anelite runner and who was really
good in her field.
I was actually very surprisedwhen I saw her pictures from the
Boston Marathon event.
There were less people therethan at our event and that
really surprised me.
So, even if you are not goingto run an event and you live in
(09:54):
that town, look up the differentevents and the different things
that they have surrounding themarathon or the half marathon or
the 5k or whatever.
See what you can do to getinvolved as a runner, and it
doesn't necessarily have to beplogging, but there are other
things where you can getinvolved or do that will help.
(10:17):
You feel like you are part ofthe running community in your
town or in your city.
So one thing that she doesadvocate is the picking up of
just one piece of trash on eachrun.
Now, if every runner did that,we could make a difference in
our towns and in our cities,wherever we are Now.
(10:39):
The Buffalo Marathon is goingto be happening in a month-ish,
so I see a ton of runners.
There's a 5K, a half marathonand a marathon all on the same
weekend, so there are a lot ofpeople a marathon all on the
same weekend, so there are a lotof people in Buffalo who are
training for that.
So this time of year especiallybecause it's April, so we're
finally seeing some nice weatherand everyone's not on their
(11:03):
treadmills If everybody who wasrunning right now in Buffalo
just picked up one piece oftrash and threw it out, we could
make a little bit of adifference.
Maybe not a huge differencewhere everyone's going to notice
it, but at least we would feelthat in ourselves.
Now I run five times a week.
That's five pieces of trash.
(11:23):
I probably see a hundredrunners a week.
If they're running five times aweek, that's 500, and with mine
, five pieces of trash picked upthroughout the week.
We can make a difference, evenif it's little.
And what I learned when peoplewere encouraging us from their
cars is maybe if somebody seesyou doing that, you're going to
(11:45):
encourage someone else who isn'teven a runner, to pick up that
piece of trash and throw it out.
If you're in a running group andyou're interested in plogging,
or even if you're not and you'reinterested in plogging, plug in
the name of your town andplogging and see if there is a
plogging group near you.
I did that and was actuallysurprised to find out that there
(12:06):
is an urban run series in mytown and they actually do do a
plogging run.
It was just super surprising tome that they have this.
I am always surprised as arunner when I see like a 5k
going on in the town or I seesomebody like a running group
that I don't know about it.
(12:27):
But I looked it up and we dohave a running group in our town
that does runs and they also doplogging runs.
I'm really interested in that.
If you're interested instarting something up yourself,
you can email me at sherry atwrinkledrunnercom and I will try
to look into information foryou on how to get that started.
(12:50):
I don't have information that Ican spew out right now, but if
you are interested in startingthat, I can do the research for
you and see if I can find a wayfor you to get that started in
your town.
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