Has this week been weird for you, too?

(JK I know it has!)

The week was weird, but the company was great! (Nikki Hiltz, Emma Gee, Ali Feller. Two of these people ran PRs in Boston this weekend. One of them pinched a nerve in her back while lifting a 10-lb. dumbbell in the hotel gym!)

Maybe this week was weird because I was in Boston all weekend and didn’t come back home until midday Monday. A choice I’m glad I made, but it threw off the start of the week and any hopes I’d had of hitting the ground running with a routine.

No regrets, though. I was in town for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, and I had the best time. (Thank you, New Balance, as always for the incredible hospitality!) The sold-out meet was awesome. The races were great, the stars were in attendance (Gabby and Cory and Elle, oh my!), the energy was high, the after-party was fun. Noah Lyles is so fun to watch in person. I loved getting to see Quincy Wilson hanging out with his parents after he raced. And I witnessed firsthand the way the fans go absolutely wild for Parker Valby. (And yes, we talked about her coming on the Ali on the Run Show. We’re working on scheduling!)

Remember a few weeks ago in an Ask Ali! episode when I talked about Cory McGee being my runner crush? Yeah, she heard it. So that’s cool. And I’m a creep.

Maybe this week was weird because I haven’t run in a while. I had that silly [but very dramatic, obviously] little fall, which I was told was a sprained ankle and / or foot. It went from being some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, to — within 48 hours — being practically pain-free. I went for an easy run while I was in Boston (10 days post-fall; my first attempt at a run) and it felt great. No pain while running and no pain after. But now it hurts again. Not badly. And it’s more of an “awareness” than actual pain. Like my foot feels…crunchy? I could probably run on it and nothing terrible would happen. But I don’t want to do that. I’m a long-game player these days, and I’d like for this little niggle to fully heal before I get back into things. I miss running, though.

So maybe it was a weird week because I barely got outside!

Maybe it was weird because Annie’s entire school has been absolutely ravaged with the flu and norovirus. She’s been out sick the majority of the week.

It was weird because we got snow, and the state effectively shut down starting Wednesday evening. (My opinion: Sure, we got a few inches, but it was light and fluffy and not as dramatic as it was made out to be. Unlike my fall. ~Dramatic.~)

Then it was weird because today was supposed to be Annie’s last ski day with her school, but they canceled the lessons because of the storm. I planned to send her in for a regular school day — breakfast on the table, outfit options laid out, lunch packed, ready to go — and she woke up feeling awful. So, ultimately, a Sick Day Snow Day Home Day.

We drew a lot, colored a lot, played so many games, completed an entire Sticker by Letter book and three different Lego sets (this one, this one, and this one), and made six of these (my favorite craft, because it’s clean, sparkly, and satisfying). And of course, we played in the snow.

She ate so many maple syrup snowballs…

And then, the week was weird — a word that doesn’t do it justice, but fits with my little theme and wordplay here — because everything is weird. Scary. Overwhelming. Incomprehensible. In a late-night lament earlier this week, I wrote in an Instagram Story something about how the country feels like a dumpster fire right now and the news cycle is downright chaotic and it’s all so much and it’s intense and I want to do and help and fight, but all I actually do is dissociate because I can’t seem to face it or make sense of it.

I received a ton of responses. Many were, simply, “Same.” Many more were longer versions of that same sentiment. And dozens were downtrodden but still proactive, encouraged, relentless, and right. Yes, we need to take care of ourselves, stop scrolling so much, get outside, move our bodies, all that stuff. But vigilance — whatever that looks like to you, however that resonates with you, with whichever cause tops your list of must-fights — is key. A good reminder for me (and maybe you, too) to do the Des thing, and keep showing up.

(LOL I’m so tired did any of that make sense?)

So, with a weird week mostly behind us, and my favorite of the year up ahead (I’m an unabashed Valentine’s Day girlie through and through; not in an over-the-top way, but in an “I love any excuse to celebrate all kinds of love” kind of way), let’s take deep breaths, let’s obsessively wash our hands, let’s shovel our driveways, and let’s keep moving forward.

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This week on the Ali on the Run Show:

• Gabbi Jennings, Team Boss Steeplechaser: Gabbi is a delight. She’s got some gooooood takeaways in this episode that most definitely apply to us everyday runners.

What I’m reading:

• This piece, from Elizabeth Holmes, about Jill Biden’s stylist and what goes into dressing a First Lady. You know I’m a sucker for behind-the-scenes stories and details, so I loved this interview.

What I’m obsessed with:

• These kitchen drawer organizers — with the correct link! (Got this wrong last week.)

• Espresso martinis. I’m new here. Wow. Wowowowow!

• Trader Joe’s Heart Cake! TIS THE SEASON. I ate three cakes in three days. I’m not proud. Couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop.

Someone told me these are cheaper at their local TJ’s!

What I’m cooking:

• Katie Stilo’s chicken cutlets. I’d never made chicken cutlets, and why not?! So easy, so fast, so good.

What’s coming up:

• Richmond, baby! The girls are going back to RVA — fittingly, it’ll be International Women’s Day! we get a day! — and Keira D’Amato and I will be hosting a live show after the River City 5K and Half Marathon, and we’d love for you to suit up in sparkles and join us. Last year’s event was awesome. This year? Even better. Obviously. (I bought my outfit months ago.) Click here to get tickets!

SPONSOR SHOUT OUTS

I am so eternally grateful for the wonderful brands and partners I get to work with on the Ali on the Run Show. You can always find the offers and discount codes in the show notes for each podcast episode (rate, review, and share while you’re there!). And now they’re here as well:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN Edge sample pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), including the new Mocha + Caffeine gel and the Chocolate gel. (My dream!) Then, use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

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• goodr: Click here and use code ALI for $5 off your next order.

• Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. Use code ALI at checkout for $25 off your next Lagoon order.

• Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase.

• The Eugene Marathon: Register for the Eugene Marathon (April 27, 2025) and save $10 with code ONTHERUN.

• St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville: Sign up today for the races happening April 26–27, 2025, and use code ONTHERUN for $10 off.

And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Drop your shoulders. (Unclench your jaw while you’re at it. And sit up straighter, if only for 18 seconds before you instinctively start slouching again.) And whatever you’re going through, keep going.

(You’ve got this. You’re doing great.)

Love,

Ali