I was so excited to record this episode with one of my favorite journalists, news anchors, and role models, Natalie Morales. Natalie is best known from her time on NBC’s Today show, where she was a national correspondent, news anchor, and co-host in New York City before moving on to become the show’s West Coast anchor. During her time at Today, Natalie covered everything from the Olympics, the Royal Wedding, the Chilean miner rescue, and President Obama’s inauguration to events like Hurricane Ka...
Jun 01, 2017•43 min•Season 1Ep. 33
I've had Crohn's disease for 25 years, and there have been lots of ups, downs, and in betweens during that time. So while I'm no doctor, expert, or attending on Grey's Anatomy, I have figured out a few things that work for me and my particular illness. In this episode, I'm answering listener-submitted questions about my life with Crohn's, and I'm touching on everything from running, traveling, and dating with Crohn's disease to what happens when you just can't get to a bathroom in time. It may n...
May 30, 2017•39 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Dan Nevins is a yoga instructor and motivational speaker. He’s also a double amputee: Dan lost both his legs in an explosion while serving overseas in the Iraq War. In this episode, Dan talks about his time in the United States Army and the National Guard, shares the story of the explosion that took his legs, and opens up about his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder. He discusses what it was like going from being a competitive runner and athlete to adjusting to a life without legs, a...
May 25, 2017•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 31
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was 7 years old. It was a scary, confusing time in my life, and while I’d love to say I’ve figured it all out since then, the truth is that this disease constantly keeps me on my toes. I’m someone who loves to live life according to plan, but living with a chronic, incurable illness makes that pretty tough — and has forced me to adjust to a life of uncertainty. I’m going through a Crohn’s flare right now (boo!), so on this episode I’m sharing exactly w...
May 23, 2017•21 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Meredith Kennedy is the Marketing Operations Manager at BuzzFeed, and is the brand’s former Editorial Chief of Staff. Before that, she made the rounds in the television industry: She was a Booking Producer at the Today Show, was Katie Couric’s assistant, and has worked for all the major TV networks, including NBC, ABC, and CBS. She’s a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and offers up some great advice in this episode for people who want to get into media, publishi...
May 18, 2017•59 min•Season 1Ep. 29
I love running! That’s no secret. I love doing it, I love talking about it, I love racing, and I love training. I love the easy runs, the hard workouts, and the long runs. But sometimes it just feels good to vent, so that’s what I’m up to today. From shorts without pockets to angry runners in Central Park at 6 AM to GPS watches not finding satellites within eight seconds, here are a few of my running-related gripes. (Also: porta-potty lines at races, bathroom etiquette, and injury-related praise...
May 16, 2017•24 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Meggie Smith is a chief resident in OB-GYN at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and is working to be a reproductive endocrinologist and reproductive specialist. (“I want to help women have babies,” she says.) We met when Meggie was in medical school, and now she delivers babies and performs risky surgeries as part of her job. On this episode, Meggie — a former tennis player and run-hater-turned-marathoner — talks about what it was like working at NYU when Hurricane Sandy hit, shar...
May 11, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 27
I never expected to be a runner — and I certainly never expected running to be something I actually enjoy. On this episode, I take a run back in time (too cheesy?) to share how I found, hated, dabbled in, hated again, tried for real, and eventually learned to love running. It all started with a fifth grade Ali trying to escape the timed mile in gym class, followed by an Ali who was motivated to run to fit into the biggest size jeans they sold at Abercrombie, and then to the Ali who moved to New ...
May 09, 2017•35 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Bethany Lyons is the owner, founder, and CEO of Lyons Den Power Yoga in New York City. Before opening the Baptiste yoga-style studio, she was the first-ever hired instructor at SoulCycle, and was a regional manager in charge of the group fitness programs at Crunch Fitness — which is where we met! (We share the story of our first interaction in the episode — it involves Bethany being the spin class sub and me being pissed.) Bethany has been a fitness instructor for more than a decade, and before ...
May 04, 2017•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 25
It's no secret that I love being in my thirties. In honor of turning 32 this weekend, I'm using this episode to take a look back on the last two years and reflect on the most important lessons I've learned since entering my thirties. (Spoiler: It's a lot of "you do you" and "ignore the haters" and "live with integrity.")
May 02, 2017•31 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Lauren Conkey is 3:18 marathoner, vegetarian, and mom to two girls, Amelia (3) and Mabel (8 months). She's the blogger behind the now-retired Health on the Run, and lives in Rhode Island, where she works in public health — and on this episode we find out what that actually means and what her job entails. Lauren and I have been friends for years — an internet friendship success story! — so I wanted to use this episode to catch up on her life, her running, and how life has changed since having two...
Apr 27, 2017•56 min•Season 1Ep. 23
On this episode, I talk about my history with body-related issues — starting when I was a young dancer to my college years and my post-collegiate experience with exercise addiction — and what I did to get past them. I spent years obsessing over how I looked and constantly checking in with my appearance — and what I disliked about it. Now I'm at a place where I may not always be totally "body positive," but I'm at least body neutral, and that feels incredibly freeing. Join me!
Apr 25, 2017•30 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Brynn Fessette O’Neill is a physical therapist at Finish Line Physical Therapy in New York City — in fact, she’s my physical therapist! On this episode, Brynn talks about how she became a physical therapist and shares her advice for anyone considering a similar career path. She talks about the three things runners should be doing every single day to stay healthy and injury-free, dishes on the difference between her male and female patients — spoiler, she says women are way tougher — and discusse...
Apr 20, 2017•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 21
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately, so on this episode, I’m sharing something my yoga teacher read to me once called “Stop Waiting.” It’s about how we need to stop waiting for life to happen to us, and instead need to be the ones in control, taking action, and igniting a fire in our own lives. I totally lived this way in my teens and twenties when I was in pursuit of my dream job as editor in chief of Dance Spirit magazine. I got that job — yay! — but in the years since I moved on ha...
Apr 18, 2017•9 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Michele Gonzalez, best known as NYC Running Mama, is a Staten Island-based mother, runner, marathoner, Ironman, and Instagram superstar. On this episode, Michele and I talk about how she’s feeling as she gets ready to run the Boston Marathon, what her training has been like, and what she did differently this time around. Michele also talks about her time at West Point and in Iraq (she served three times overseas and trained for a marathon on her base!), how she found running and ran through her ...
Apr 13, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Words can be powerful! On this episode, I talk about the mantras, quotes, and phrases that get me through tough runs and hard times. From Broadway lyrics to single words, these are my go-to thoughts for when things get difficult. Things I Mention on This Episode: Hamilton cast album: https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Original-Broadway-Recording-Explicit/dp/B0135P6PZA Rachel Platten, Fight Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc Brian Cristiano on Episode 17 of the Ali on the Run Show: ht...
Apr 11, 2017•21 min•Season 1Ep. 18
We’re mixing things up on this episode to dish out some serious realness, openness, and honesty. Brian Cristiano is the founder and CEO of BOLD Worldwide, a sports advertising agency in New York City. He’s also my husband, so on this episode, Brian and I take turns asking each other “anything we want.” This hour was totally unscripted and it gets a little deeper than I had anticipated. The topics ended up ranging from where we see ourselves in 10 or 20 years to the things that make us happiest i...
Apr 06, 2017•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 17
We were all new runners once! On this episode, Lucy Wallace and I look back on all the things we didn’t know or understand when we first started running, from shoes and sports watches to race etiquette. Here are a few highlights: At 4:30, Lucy says: “I Googled ‘shoes that are good for not running.’ The only thing I cared about was colors. I wanted them to be bright.” At 7:15, Ali says: “The only place on my body that hasn’t chafed is the little wrinkles in my forehead… The most emotional part of...
Apr 04, 2017•26 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Page Williams is a California-based triathlete and Ironman, is the blogger behind Twenty-Six and Then Some, and is a senior marketing manager at LinkedIn. Before heading to LinkedIn, where she oversees digital and social media and paid media strategy for the company’s brand campaigns, Page worked at Nike, where she was part of the Access to Sport group, working on the Designed to Move initiative. Page is also a mom-to-be: She has a baby boy on the way who is expected to make his debut this summe...
Mar 30, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 15
On this episode, I count down the top 10 races I’ve ever run, and I share a little bit about why I love each one so much. Check them out: Runner’s World Half & Festival The race: http://rw.runnersworld.com/rwhalf/ My 2014 recap: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2014/10/21/10-reasons-the-runners-world-half-marathon-festival-was-wonderful-plus-a-giveaway/ NYRR New York Mini 10K The race: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/nyrr-new-york-mini-10k My 2016 recap: http://www.aliontherunblog.co...
Mar 28, 2017•24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Chris Mosier is a Hall of Fame triathlete and duathlete, and was called “The Man Who Changed the Olympics” by The BBC and New York Magazine. He’s a barrier-breaking Nike-sponsored athlete, who you may have seen in Nike’s commercials during the 2016 Rio Olympics. He’s a three-time Ironman, and was named Best Personal Trainer in the Northeast by Competitor Magazine in 2014. Chris was the first transgender athlete to be featured in the ESPN Magazine Body Issue, and was named Person of the Year by O...
Mar 23, 2017•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 13
On this episode, my friend Lucy Wallace and I share some of our most vivid memories from each of our first half marathons. A few highlights… At 5:03, Ali says: “I definitely remember choking, gagging, and slightly dry-heaving on the side of the course because the water stop was not conducive to my running pace.” At 5:54, Lucy says: “It’s kinda like when I used to eat five Gushers at a time in third grade.” At 8:00, Lucy says: “I know that smart runners will tell you it’s important to train in al...
Mar 21, 2017•19 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Even if you don’t know her name, you definitely know her face! Candice Huffine is a well-known model, represented by IMG Models, with a seemingly never-ending resumé. She has appeared in the pages of Vogue, W, and Glamour (and on the cover of Vogue Italia), has walked the runways at New York Fashion Week in shows for Christian Siriano, Sophie Theallet, and Prabal Gurung, starred in DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean” music video, is in Target’s latest TV commercial, and was featured in Lane Bryant’s high...
Mar 16, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 11
On this episode, I share my roundup of the worst mistakes I’ve made since I started running in 2008. 10. Wearing the wrong size sports bra. My current favorite running bra is the Brooks UpLift Crossback: http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/uplift-crossback-sports-bra/300616472.030.html 9. Running that one time I had a fever. Ali on the Run post: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2012/03/09/i-ran-twice/ Follow Coach Cane: https://twitter.com/CityCoachMS 8. Not fully prioritizing my training. I’m happ...
Mar 14, 2017•21 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Sarah Conklin is perhaps best known on the internet as the blogger behind “Once Upon a Lime.” She lives in Bend, OR, where she works for Picky Bars, the sports bar company founded by professional athletes Lauren Fleshman, Jesse Thomas, and Stephanie Bruce. Before that, she worked for Oiselle, the women’s athletic wear company, and was an avid marathoner. Now, after taking a bit of a break from the marathon distance, Sarah is back at it, training under Lauren Fleshman’s guidance. On this episode,...
Mar 09, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On this episode, I share my list of the top 10 people (and one dog!) who have had the most profound impact on my life since becoming a runner. Show Notes: 10. Bethany Lyons Follow Bethany on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanyalyons/ Lyons Den Power Yoga: http://lyonsdenpoweryoga.com/ Bethany Lyons on Ali on the Run: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2017/02/27/bethany-lyons-soulcycle/ 9. Emily Faherty Follow Emily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emfaherty/ November Project: http:/...
Mar 07, 2017•22 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Megha Doshi is the local marketing director for Strava, the social networking site for athletes. Before heading to Strava several years ago, Megha worked for Nike, where she was a member of the digital sport group at Nike. She’s a sub-three-hour marathoner and is currently training for the 2017 Boston Marathon. Megha runs 60–70 miles per week, and trains and races with the all-female Impala Racing Team in San Francisco. Megha and I talked about what a day in the life of a Strava employee is like...
Mar 02, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Chris Heuisler is the National Run Concierge for Westin Hotels and Resorts. He has every runner’s dream job — traveling the country to meet runners and hear their stories — and he beat out more than 1,100 applicants to get the gig. Chris and his team of concierges make sure runners staying at Westin Hotels know where to run — they’ll even run with you! — and they’ll hook you up with free New Balance gear to borrow during your stay. Chris, a former Equinox trainer and actor, also racks up some se...
Feb 23, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Alice Saunders is the creator of Forestbound, a Boston-based company that makes and sells canvas and leather bags made from historic textiles. Alice is also a super speedy runner and marathoner. She started running later in life, and now boasts some pretty serious PRs, including a 3:19 marathon and a 1:37 half marathon. In this episode, Alice and I talk about how she created Forestbound, why she started running (for a good cause!), and our unathletic pasts — including our best strategies for ski...
Feb 16, 2017•59 min•Season 1Ep. 5
John Honerkamp is a former Olympic Trials qualifier, a running coach, and one of the co-leaders of the November Project tribe in New York City. He boasts an impressive running history: He competed at the Olympic Trials in the 800 meters when he was still in college, and holds a 2:44 marathon PR. John worked for New York Road Runners for six years, where he helped create and develop the organization’s Virtual Trainer coaching and group training programs. John is currently a freelance running coac...
Feb 10, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 4
