Heather Johnson Durocher

Michigan

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Writer ~ Mother ~ Michigan Lover ~ Runner ~ Editor ~ Podcast Host ~ Triathlete ~ Happy + Grateful Human ~ Founder of https://t.co/zNwH3onYu3

Articles

Things to Love: Beach Book Edition

2 days ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

My voice was shaky, my hands trembling as I clutched the opened book, when I began to speak. It was a cool, late-spring evening in Milwaukee, and I was at a small independently owned running store about to share an excerpt of a very personal essay I’d written. A sea of expectant faces stared back at me. I took a deep breath, glancing over at my friends Dimity and Amy who stood to the side smiling encouragingly.
Sore legs, happy heart

1 week ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Hello! Real quick, before we get to today’s post, I have a special save-the-date to share with you all. I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be speaking (and running!) in picturesque Grand Haven, Mich. next month, at The Bookman, an independent bookshop. More details to come, but please mark your calendars for Saturday, June 21 — summer solstice weekend! — when we’ll take a short run/walk from the bookstore to the lighthouse followed by a chat about books, running and more.
Welcome! You're in the right place.

3 weeks ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Hello! I’m so happy you are here. Whether you are entirely new to Michigan Runner Girl, have heard about it here and there in Moving Through newsletters, or you’re a longtime reader and listener of Michigan Runner Girl stories on the website or podcast, or social media like Facebook and Instagram, I welcome you!This new space — the Moving Through community — is the new home of Michigan Runner Girl.
Things to Love: Summer-dreaming Edition

1 month ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

It’s not quite 60 degrees outside and the breeze is brisk, the wind northerly. But this doesn’t stop me from cracking open all the windows. With each swoosh of fresh air entering and filling the house, and with all the cloudless sunshine filtering in and pooling on the front hallway rug, I imagine the staleness of a long winter dissipating. Vanishing. Goodbye.
Showcasing the DNR: Pure Michigan Trail Town recipients

1 month ago | record-eagle.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Two trails in the northern Lower Peninsula are recipients of the 2025 Pure Michigan Trail designation, an annual recognition that spotlights some of the state’s best trail experiences. The Betsie Valley Trail, a 22-mile pathway extending from Frankfort through Elberta and Beulah to Thompsonville in Benzie County, and Chain of Lakes Water Trail, a 100-plus mile inland water trail made up of 12 lakes and interconnected rivers in northwest Michigan, are this year’s Pure Michigan Trail recipients.
There is nowhere like London

1 month ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Nearly a week after returning from my writing retreat in England, I am still processing this experience and how I can already feel it has changed me. I have many observations and thoughts I want to share with you all, and while I don’t intend to give a play-by-play of each day I was in the UK, I am interested in taking notice of certain ideas and themes taking shape and bubbling up for me.
Betsie Valley, Chain of Lakes trails receive Pure Michigan honor

1 month ago | recordpatriot.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

The Betsie Valley Trail, a Benzie County rails-to-trails pathway founded in 1992, features a scenic section of the former Ann Arbor Railroad originally running from Toledo to Frankfort-Elberta. Courtesy of Friends of the Betsie Valley TrailTwo trails in the northern Lower Peninsula are recipients of the 2025 Pure Michigan Trail designation, an annual recognition that spotlights some of the state’s best trail experiences.
The adventure has begun

2 months ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

I wouldn’t have trusted myself to write to you yesterday, but this morning I feel like a new woman. A solid nine hours of sleep will do that, particularly after many hours of delayed flights, overnight travel, airplane food and the dizzying experience of navigating public transportation in a different country. Moving Through is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Chasing sunrises, navigating loss, finding a path forward

2 months ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -57:12Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Truthfully, I’ve been wanting to get to know today’s podcast guest—Jennifer Symons—for some time now. Jennifer, 37, and I live in the same area, in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula. We’re also both passionate about spending time in nature and believe deeply in the power of moving our bodies—Jennifer is a runner, hiker, walker and triathlete—and what it means for our mental health.
Things to Love: Sorta-Spring Edition

2 months ago | movingthrough.substack.com | Heather Johnson Durocher

Midwesterners, especially those of us who live in the northernmost states, will tell you that this time of year is tough mentally. And OK, as I get older, maybe physically, too. We’re hearty people—we embrace all four seasons, and we’ve endured March blizzards and even snowfall in May (it happens)—and yet once we’ve gotten even one day of warm breezes and sightings of bright flowers pushing through the frozen ground, we’re ready. Let’s wrap it up already, winter.