I'm Shipping [Down] to Boston

Is it even Boston Marathon weekend if you're not blasting Dropkick Murphys en route?

It’s go time!

OK yeah, I’m not running any of the multiple races in Boston this weekend. (The 5K, the invitational miles, 26.TRUE, and the Boston Marathon, oh my!)

But it’s go time for me, too!

I’m writing this on Thursday evening, as I always do, surrounded by piles and lists and general night-before-travel mayhem.

I’m still mostly in Mom Mode: I just got Annie to bed (after watching Sing 2, which is so good every single time; Ash is my favorite), loaded and ran the dishwasher, folded (and didn’t put away) the laundry, laid out Annie’s pre-approved outfit for the morning, assembled her Easter basket for the morning, and packed Ellie’s weekend bag for her Camp GeeBee & Pop Pop adventure. (While my hotel in Boston is very dog friendly, it’s just…no.)

I’m mostly prepped for all three of my weekend events (OK, my outfits are prepped…), which, reminder:

• Friday at 1 PM at the Expo with Jess McClain and Emma Bates (free, no tickets needed, open to the public)

• Friday at 2 PM at the Expo with Dakotah Popehn, Hellen Obiri, and Conner Mantz, Presented by Shokz (free, no tickets needed, open to the public)

• Saturday at 2 PM at The TRACK by New Balance, with Heather MacLean (ticketed, sold out)

I’ll be announcing at the start and finish of the 5K on Saturday, and then I’m at the finish line on Boylston Street all day on Marathon Monday, doing a mix of on-the-ground emceeing, finish line reporting for the world feed broadcast (I’m on the team with Paul Swangard and Kara Goucher), and announcing finishers from the bridge starting at 1 PM.

The weather is looking great. The pro fields are incredible. And I hope that this weekend feels like a celebration we all deserve.

I hope that if you’re in Boston, you have a beautiful time, whether you’re running, working, volunteering, spectating, or just happen to be in town and going to the Museum of Science (it’s great, you’ll have a blast!).

I hope that if you’re not in Boston, you don’t have FOMO.

Boston Marathon weekend is one of my favorites of the entire year. It’s also a lot. It’s different from New York City in that everything feels far more compact. Newbury Street is a [gentle] mosh pit of runners, strolling through Back Bay in their three-stripe jackets.

It’s a lot of stuff. A lot of shakeout runs and podcasts and panels and yes, I’m part of the problem, if it’s a problem.

I don’t think it’s a problem, because I think it’s all really fun, and I hope people can find the activities that feel good for them to attend, and don’t have FOMO for picking and choosing.

But also, it’s a lot. And if you’re racing, it can even be Too Much.

So sit when you need to sit. Take deep breaths and enjoy some quiet if that feels good.

(Am I saying these things to anyone in particular? Oh right. Me!)

The TL;DR of this scrappy edition of the weekly newsletter is that it’s Boston Marathon weekend, and I’m excited, and I can’t wait to see so many of my friends and so many of you.

If you see me, say hi! I may be rushing off to something (an event, a call time, a bathroom), but always always always say hi, because I love you and we are friends, and I’m happy you’re here, and I’m happy you’ll be there.

(Drop your shoulders. Relax your jaw. Sit up straight. Again, for me, but maybe also for you.)

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This week on the Ali on the Run Show:

• Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 1: The feedback re: this episode has been the absolute best! I’m so glad you enjoyed hearing from Caroline (for two hours! we love a little yapping!) Caroline has her sights set on a lifelong goal: to run the TCS New York City Marathon. We’re going to follow along. You’ve got this, Caroline!

• Aisha Praught Leer, on Life After Professional Running: It’s always a good time when Aisha is on the show! We had to force ourselves to hang up.

• Jess Sims, Boston Marathoner & Peloton Instructor (Rerun): You know what a rerun episode means! It obviously means that this conversation was aaaaaamazing the first time around and is worth another listen! It also means that the other episodes I had scheduled and lined up got rescheduled and pushed and so, here we are. We love a backup plan…right?

Watching:

• Nothing. No time. There’s never any time. Do I need to embed another Jessie Spano clip, or did we get our fill last week?

Current favorite goodrs, BTW. (Code ALI gets you $5 off!)

The highlight reel:

• Three middle school girls at Annie’s school told me I’m a “Slay Mom.” I’ve been riding that high for seven days now.

• Annie and I have been watching Matilda the Musical a lot lately, and she’s been trying to make objects move with her eyes. It’s adorable.

• We celebrated Early Easter last weekend with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law and their kids. It was lovely. There are few things better than getting the Cousin Crew together.

• I got to be the Mystery Reader in Annie’s class on Wednesday! It was so fun and so cute and she loved it.

• Annie and I did Ellie’s Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday night. One of my favorite annual traditions, that I’ve been doing for Ellie since she was a puppy! We fill eggs with meats and cheeses, and she uses her underbite to crack them open. It’s so fun.

The lowlight reel:

• Those women “going to space.” Read the room, ladies.

SPONSOR SHOUT OUTS

I am so 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). Use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

• Shokz: Click here and use code ALI for $10 off your next purchase. Code valid in the U.S. and Canada. (Check out the limited edition Boston Marathon OpenRun Pro2!)

• Oofos: Click here to make your feet happy!

• New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season.

• 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 15% off your next Lagoon order.

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

• The AJC Peachtree Road Race: The Peachtree lottery returns, and it’s open now! Click here to throw your name in the ring for your chance to get to run Atlanta’s iconic 10K on the Fourth of July.

And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. And whatever you’re going through, keep going.

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

Love,

Ali