“You only have a fallback plan if you plan to fall back.” —Jeni Novak When I was 12 years old, my cool older cousin was dating the coolest girl I'd ever met. She wore high heels, she was a dancer, and she would always do my hair and makeup when I saw her. That girl — woman — is Jeni Novak. We called her "Little Jen," because she was teeny tiny, but today, Little Jen has gotten up to some big things: She went on to become a professional dancer, eventually dancing for Miley Cyrus and becoming not ...
Aug 23, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 93
“ I haven’t always failed gracefully, but I’ve always come back.” —Laura Anderson Laura Anderson is a full-time working mom and McKirdy Trained running coach based in Rochester, NY. Laura had her daughter, Hannah, a little over a year ago, and in May she ran — and won — her first big postpartum race. On this episode, Laura reflects on her 2018 Buffalo Marathon win (she finished in 2:57, which was also a marathon PR) and the training that helped her break the tape. She also honestly and candidly ...
Aug 15, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 92
“ I’m still not sure which was crazier: me finishing second, or the response to me finishing second.” — Sarah Sellers After the 2018 Boston Marathon, everyone wanted to meet second place finisher Sarah Sellers. She joined the Ali on the Run Show just two days after her triumphant finish in Boston — and that episode went on to become the most-downloaded episode of the show ever . Today, Sarah is still a nurse anesthetist living in Arizona, but her life looks a little different post-Boston. She's ...
Aug 07, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 91
“ It’s hard. I go and put the work in and see a glimmer of hope and then get my butt handed to me a week later. It’s difficult. But I know what I want to do and what I believe I’m capable of doing, and I know I just need to continue to work.” —Gwen Jorgensen When Gwen Jorgensen was on the Ali on the Run Show earlier this year , she had recently moved to Portland, OR, and had just announced her next big goal: to transition from an Olympic gold medal-winning triathlete to an Olympic gold medal-win...
Aug 06, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 90
“Running is important, but it’s not everything .” —Janae Baron When Janae Baron was on the Ali on the Run Show last December, she was 37 weeks pregnant, so needless to say, she’s seen some big changes now that she has an eight-month-old daughter, Skye, added to her six-member family! On this episode, Janae talks about how that transition has gone, and what the biggest challenges and surprises have been so far. She opens up about the easy parts, the hard parts, and, of course, the running-related...
Aug 06, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 89
"Expectations obviously are higher now. But I put them on myself." —Allie Kieffer When Allie Kieffer was on Episode 46 of the Ali on the Run Show last November, she was fresh off a fifth-place finish at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon. Her 2:29 finish was triumphant: She was this unknown, unsponsored runner from Buffalo, NY, who happened to be the first American woman to finish behind winner Shalane Flanagan. Now, Allie is no longer unknown or unsponsored. She signed with Oiselle soon after ...
Aug 05, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 88
"I felt relieved. I knew mentally and physically, I was not ready to be on that starting line." —Michele Gonzalez The last time Michele Gonzalez (AKA "NYC Running Mama") was on the show, she was gearing up to run the 2017 Boston Marathon. During that episode , Michele and I joked about someday being pregnant at the same time — and now here we are, both expecting babies this fall! Michele is a full-time working mom of two, and her third child is due in November. On this episode, she talks about h...
Aug 03, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 87
"I don’t think I’ll ever retire. If something motivates me, I want to go for it." —Kara Goucher Kara Goucher is back on the Ali on the Run Show , talking about her new book, Strong , how keeping a confidence journal changed her life, and where her running career is at right now. She also talks about the current state of women's running, and reflects on how choosing to have a child at the height of her professional running career affected her job. Plus, she answers the two questions everyone keep...
Aug 03, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 86
“ I now live in a barn with an elderly schnauzer, surrounded by goats.” —Emily Halnon Emily Halnon was the very first guest on the Ali on the Run Show, and now she’s back to kick off What’s New With You Week. Emily is an ultra runner who lives in Eugene, OR, by way of Washington, DC, and Vermont. When we last talked on the show, Emily was dating a man with a cute dog and training for 100-mile races. Where’s she at now? Well, she still has the dog. Listen in for the rest. Thank you to AfterShokz ...
Aug 02, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 85
“ It’s never too late to do what you wanted to do growing up. But it’s not going to come easy, and no one’s going to hand it to you.” —Katie Burke Katie Burke is the Chief People Officer at HubSpot, a marketing software company in Boston that employs more than 2,300 people worldwide. Of those 2,300, Katie was the company’s first female to land a spot in the c-suite. (Today, 45 percent of the company’s vice presidents are women.) And on this episode, Katie is answering all of your career-related ...
Jul 25, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 84
“ I had no idea there was a camera on me. But yes, I have seen all the memes.” — Ryan Linden If Ryan Linden’s last name sounds familiar, that’s because yes, he is married to 2018 Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden. Ryan was the undeniably proud face the cameras kept cutting to as Des neared the historic Boston finish line, and on this episode, he breaks down every detail from that life-changing Marathon Monday — from his perspective! He also shares what Des is really like on race morning, h...
Jul 19, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 83
“ You have to be OK with hearing no, but also not letting that be the last thing that you hear.’” — Tim Murphy Tim and Jessica Murphy are the husband-and-wife team behind BibRave — the Yelp for running races. They’re the ultimate industry insiders, and on this episode, they share their journey to becoming entrepreneurs (before going all-in on BibRave, Jessica worked at LinkedIn, Nike, and Runner’s World, and Tim worked just about everywhere, doing a little of everything), and the challenges they...
Jul 11, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 82
“ I said, ‘No way am I running Western States! That’s 100 miles!’” — Rob Krar, Western States Endurance Run winner 2014 Rob Krar is one of the kings of ultra running. He was a middle-distance runner through college, but then threw his running shoes in the trash, insisting he was done with running forever. Famous last words: Though Rob did take a break from running (during which time he worked grueling 12-hour graveyard shifts as a pharmacist), he eventually returned to the sport in a big way — a...
Jul 05, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 81
"I was so petrified of failure for so long that I never ventured outside of things I knew I was good at." —Amelia Boone Amelia Boone is a badass. By day, she’s a lawyer at Apple, and by very early morning, she’s a four-time world champion obstacle racer and self-proclaimed “budding ultra runner.” Amelia lives in San Jose, CA, and is a glutton for punishment — hence her race distance of choice being “long.” On this episode, Amelia — who you may recognize as last month’s Runner’s World cover star ...
Jun 28, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 80
“ I’ve been doing this for three years now and I’m still not used to it. I still get nervous. I worry, am I saying the right thing? Do they like me? Am I funny enough?” —Kayla Itsines With nearly 10 million followers on Instagram, and 22 million on Facebook, Kayla Itsines is arguably the world’s most famous fitness personality and trainer right now. She’s the co-creator of the Bikini Body Guides (BBG) workouts (those 28-minute, deceptively tough workouts everyone’s posting about on Instagram) an...
Jun 21, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 79
“You can make a career shift at any time. Because why not pursue something that you think would make you happy?” —Wesley Little Wesley Little is a licensed professional counselor specializing in couples therapy, and she’s here to answer all of my — and your — burning questions. On this episode, Wesley talks about her indirect route to becoming a therapist (including a detour through law school), and the schooling and education required to pursue a similar career. She debunks common misconception...
Jun 14, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 78
“In order to find out what you can do, you have to show up. Give yourself a chance and see what happens.” —Desiree Linden When I launched the Ali on the Run Show in February 2017, I knew right away I wanted to eventually host live events. I love sharing conversations on this show every week, but human, in-real-life connection is so powerful. I wanted to have those conversations with a live audience. It was a dream in 2017, and on June 2 at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter — alongside Meb Kef...
Jun 07, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 77
On this bonus episode, Brian Cristiano, founder and CEO of BOLD Worldwide (and my husband!), tests out a new round of Sprint to the Finish questions. Click here to listen to Brian on Episode 75 of the Ali on the Run Show .
Jun 01, 2018•5 min•Season 1Ep. 76
“I can’t be that guy that’s lying to myself. I said I was going to go do something, now I have to go do it.” —Brian Cristiano Brian Cristiano is the founder and CEO of BOLD Worldwide, a media marketing company in New York City. Last year, Brian shared with the world his goal to build BOLD to a $100 million agency, and he’s been working nonstop to make it happen. Brian may be super successful now — and on the road to becoming a $100 millionaire! — but that wasn’t always the case. On this episode,...
May 31, 2018•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 75
“Yeah, there are times that I have no idea what I’m doing. But that’s part of the fun of it.” —Sarah Fitzpatrick Clancy Sarah Clancy is the founder and creator of Sarah Marie Design Studio . The runner-specific apparel and accessories company was born two years ago, and almost instantly gained a devoted following including the likes of Kara Goucher, Molly Huddle, and Andrea Barber. Sarah is a work-from-home mom of two and full-time business owner, and on this episode, she shares her successes, f...
May 24, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 74
“If you want to give yourself a fair shot, you have to be willing to take a leap and take a risk.” —Erin Strout Erin Strout was at the Boston Marathon finish line when Meb Keflezighi won the race in 2014. She was there when Shalane Flanagan won the New York City Marathon in 2017, and she was one of the first people to chat with Desiree Linden after her historic 2018 Boston Marathon victory. As a freelance writer and contributor to Runner’s World and Outside Magazine , Erin has made a career out ...
May 17, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 73
“This notion of balance is this unrealistic thing we’re all striving toward. If you allow yourself to know that and believe that, it takes some of the pressure off.” —Liz Plosser When you picture an editor in chief of a major women’s magazine, your mind probably goes right to Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada fame. Now picture the opposite — someone brilliant, kind, caring, and passionate in the most upbeat, positive way — and you have Women’s Health editor in chief Liz Plosser. Liz was ...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Lots of people say I’m just like my mom. Others swear I’m a clone of my dad. On this episode, you’ll get to decide! I am thrilled to welcome Lori and David Feller — my parents! — to the Ali on the Run Show . On this episode, we chat about how they met and fell in love (and their stories don’t exactly match up, so I’m siding with my mom on this one), how they survived long-distance dating in college when social media and texting didn’t exist (there was hitchhiking involved), and what it was like ...
May 03, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 71
“The best possible way to start my career was not getting what I wanted. Failure teaches you a lot, and it helped me figure out a path to success that worked for me.” —Katie Burke Katie Burke is the Chief People Officer at HubSpot, a marketing software company in Boston that employs more than 2,300 people worldwide. And of those 2,300, Katie was the company’s first female to land a spot in the c-suite. (Today, 45 percent of the company’s vice presidents are women.) In this super inspiring conver...
Apr 26, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 70
“I think that’s what unites us as runners — we’re all trying to overcome excuses and doubts to get out there.” —Sarah Sellers “Who is Sarah Sellers ?” That’s the question everyone was asking after the Tucson, AZ runner finished second at the 2018 Boston Marathon. Sarah isn’t a professional runner. She doesn’t have a sponsor. And she paid her own Boston Marathon entry fee. But on a brutally rainy and windy day in Boston, the 26-year-old nurse anesthetist ran a 2:44.04 — good enough to land her in...
Apr 19, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 69
“We’re gonna go through tough times. And we’re gonna be fine.” Brian and I are so excited to tell the world that we are having a baby! I am 12 weeks pregnant (at the time we recorded this), and am due October 23. On this episode, we answer all the questions we keep getting from friends, family, and total strangers (namely, “Was this planned?! Were you trying?!”), and share how we’re both feeling, why we’re frustrated with the medical system (as usual!), and whether we think Ellie knows she’s abo...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 68
“I’m trying not to call it a comeback because I’m a completely different person now.” —Tina Muir Tina Muir is an elite runner from England (she’s a 2:36 marathoner!), a new mom, and the host of the Running For Real podcast. Tina went viral last year when she announced her surprising decision to stop running . Her reason: She hadn’t had her period in nine years. Tina opened up about her struggle with amenorrhea and her desire to start a family, and on this episode she explains why she decided to ...
Apr 05, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 67
“I’m bringing the track speed to the marathon.” —Molly Huddle On April 16, professional runner Molly Huddle will be among a strong field of indomitable American women racing the Boston Marathon. This will only be Molly’s second marathon: She made her 26.2-mile debut at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon. On this episode, Molly, who is from Rhode Island and chatted with me from Arizona, shares all things Boston: how her training has been going, what she’s excited about, what she’s nervous about,...
Mar 29, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 66
“The stories you tell can change the world.” —Bianna Golodryga Bianna Golodryga is a CBS News correspondent and a contributor at CNN. She’s the former weekend anchor of Good Morning America , and worked at Yahoo News alongside Katie Couric. Bianna was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the United States with her parents — and only $150 in their pockets — when she was 18 months old. On this episode, Bianna talks about growing up Russian in Texas (her classmates called her a “Commie Spy,...
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 65
“We fail all the time, and we learn from it and we get better. I think that’s amazing. You fail your way to success. That’s how it happens, and I’m super comfortable with that. I have no problem pointing out a bunch of failures in my career. But I don’t define myself or my career as a failure.” —Des Linden Desiree Linden is a professional distance runner who has represented the United States at the London and Rio Olympics. She runs for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Michigan, and is a st...
Mar 15, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 64
