Runners of HOU

From 4+ hour marathons to a 3:11 PR.

Naureen Malik has been running for nearly 20 years, but getting faster wasn’t always the goal.

She started out running mostly alone, made up her own marathon training plans (including a casual 30-mile training run 😳), and didn’t know much about fueling, hydration, or workouts.

Then came the Houston running community, a coach, Boston — and a completely different approach to the sport.

On this week’s Runners of HOU, Naureen and I talk about her evolution as a runner, racing the World Marathon Majors, why Boston means the most, discovering 5Ks after years of marathons, and why running is still her “me time” as a mom of four.

And now? She’s training for Chicago with one big goal:
Sub-3:10.

🎧 New episode of Runners of HOU out now.

I spend a lot of time telling other runners’ stories. This one is mine.

For the last year, I’ve been trying to figure out how to be a runner when running hurts.

Stenosis. Hip pain. Prednisone weight gain. Stem cell therapy. Perimenopause. A LOT of recovery…and a marathon I’m still hoping to run in December.

The good news? I’m running again.

The not-so-good news? I’m still trying to figure out how to do it without hurting.

Right now, success at CIM is simply making it to the start line healthy.

Although there’s still a tiny part of me whispering…3:45. 👀

I wrote about the whole messy — and very much unresolved — journey on the Runners of HOU Substack.

I Just Want Running to Stop Hurting

🔗 Read it at the link in bio.

On this week’s episode of Runners of HOU, Gaby Ramirez | Mom & Runner and I talk about more than 20 years of running, motherhood, burnout, strength training, sending a son off to the Air Force Academy, learning to take some pressure off the clock, and why she feels stronger — physically and mentally — in her 40s.

Her advice to women who think it might be too late to start? “It’s never too late. Just start.”

🎧 Runners of HOU with Gaby Ramirez is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

New episode of Runners of HOU! Amanda Schnell, aka Amanda Schnell, calls herself a “professional hobbyist,” but her endurance résumé is pretty incredible: 30 marathons, a BQ, a 140.6-mile WIN, 100 miles in under 24 hours, triathlons, cycling, HYROX…and she’s nowhere near finished.

But my favorite part of our conversation wasn’t the finish lines.

We talked about the people who keep us coming back, balancing big goals with an actual life, being “consistently inconsistent,” and why after decades in endurance sports, Amanda still believes the most important thing is to keep showing up and have fun doing it.

We also discuss her goal of running a marathon in all 50 states before 50, her Kona dreams, how a stress fracture led to meeting her husband — and, naturally, whether Grandma’s Marathon is actually flat. 😂

🎧 Listen to the full episode!

Running Hot Takes is here! Sara Hudgens and I sat down to debate some of the biggest opinions in running — and let’s just say … we didn’t hold back.

We tackled questions like: Is Grandma’s Marathon actually flat? Do treadmill miles count? Are runners racing too many marathons? Is running really an “inexpensive” sport? Should influencers get Boston bibs?

You may agree with us. You may completely disagree.
Either way, we want to hear your hottest running take.

🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts, then come back and tell us: Which opinion are we completely wrong about?

This week’s episode features Jessica Rigaud Mayon. We talk about everything from qualifying for Boston and marathon majors to balancing demanding careers, burnout, strength training, and learning to redefine success as runners in our 40s.

One of my favorite takeaways:
We spend so much time trying to be the runner we used to be instead of embracing the runner we’re becoming.

Whether you’re chasing a PR, training for your first race, or simply trying to stay active through a busy season of life, I think you’ll find something that resonates.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

Four years.

That’s how long it’s been since I last sat behind a podcast microphone.

Life got busy. I went back to the corporate world. I got married. I trained for another marathon. Then an old back injury turned into eight months away from running, and somewhere along the way, this podcast quietly faded into the background.

But here’s the thing…

I never stopped missing this community.

So today, Runners of HOU is back.

In this first episode, I’m sharing where I’ve been, what I’ve learned through injury and setbacks, and why this podcast means even more to me now than it did when I started it.

If you’ve ever had to hit pause on something you love — or wondered if you’d ever find your way back — I hope you’ll give it a listen.

🎙️ Link in bio.

And if you’ve been here since the beginning… thank you for waiting.

📸:

What a week. A world indoor record in the men’s 1,500m yesterday, the RAK Half Marathon tonight and the Olympics are almost over. I have all the opinions about what’s going on in Beijing but have shared only a few. Do you want to hear them next week?

Runners of HOU Newsletter #39

Minus the rain in the forecast, the temperatures for morning runs this weekend look beautiful. And if you’re looking for something to do indoors, there’s plenty of track and Olympic action on TV this weekend.

Runners of HOU Newsletter #38