It's a new day, a new call, a new plane ticket—and I'm feeling good!

OK, mostly good. I have a weird thing happening with my ear that I should probably Google.

Seen on my run last Sunday, on the trails near our house. It was beautiful, though not the best for running!

Last week, I came to you from Funky Town, USA.

It was a bleak place. I was so, so grumpy. So many things had not gone my way, and all signs were pointing to “depression: incoming.”

And sometimes that is what happens.

Sometimes I can tell when my mental health is taking a turn that needs immediate addressing.

This one seemed to be a bit of a blip. A speed bump. A pothole. An annoying inconvenience that clouded everything around it, temporarily. (Kind of like yesterday morning, when I stepped in a big pile of dog poop! I was so annoyed, until I realized I couldn’t be: It was my dog’s poop, in my own driveway. I probably should have cleaned that up sooner…)

I am very, very excited to be coming to you this week in good, great, wonderful spirits.

It’s funny how that can happen. How circumstantial events — a “not at all what I wanted” phone call, in last week’s case — can create a snowball effect, flattening everything in its path.

Speaking of snowballs: Boy did New Hampshire get absolutely pummeled over the past week! We finally got some real white fluffy stuff!

Annie had snow days on Friday and Monday, and a delayed opening on Thursday. It takes some serious snow to cancel schools in New Hampshire, and we’ve got several feet in our yard. (We’ve also been watching a lot of Frozen and Frozen II. Kristoff is such a babe.)

Because Annie’s school days were limited, that meant consolidating a lot of work into shorter pockets of time. (Biggest thanks to my parents — “GeeBee and Pop Pop” — for pitching in and doing a bunch of Annie-sitting so Brian and I could work!) It was a busy week, but an overall really good one.

A few wins worth noting:

• Chelsea Clinton on the Ali on the Run Show. It’s happening, next month. (!!!)

• We went over to a friend’s house last Saturday. The plan was to go sledding at 3 PM and then head home, because I had defrosted salmon. We ended up getting home well after 9 PM with bellies full of pizza and champagne. It was awesome. After a few years of feeling unsettled, it feels so good to be making great friends. (Friends who will let your child crash their child’s bath. I mean literally, Annie ran upstairs, ripped off her dress, and got in their tub. She was very proud of herself. It was quite cute.)

• I’m going to Atlanta next month! I’ll be in town for the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend. Details to come, but I’ll be doing something fun at the race expo (at the Georgia Aquarium!), I’m going to run the 5K on Saturday, and my race day assignment for Sunday…coming soon. (It’s not too late to register! Code ONTHERUN gets you 10% off registration for any race distance.)

• As you’re reading this, I’m on my way to Florida for the Clearwater Marathon & Running Festival! Two years ago, I got the worst sunburn of my life there, and last year it was 30 degrees and windy. Let’s see what 2023 has in store!

• Oh, and that phone call last week that didn’t go the way I wanted? NBD. Because today I had a downright delightful call that went wonderfully, and put a big ol’ pep in my step. (I haven’t signed anything yet, but I can pretty confidently say I’ll see you at the 2023 Boston Marathon finish line! And at lots of other places and events all weekend long!)

This week on the Ali on the Run Show:

• Camila Ramón, Peloton Instructor & Marathoner: Did you laugh? Did you cry? Did you dance? Me too! Camila is a two-time marathoner and Peloton instructor (she teaches classes in both English and Spanish!), and I just might be her biggest fan. This conversation covered everything from marathon training and learning to love hiking to body positivity, confidence, “twerking and crying,” and more.

• Des Linden, Author, Podcast Host, Boston Marathon Champion, “Emily in Paris” Super Fan: We spent the first half catching up on podcasting, Des’s forthcoming book, and why she prefers Des over Desi. We spent the second half talking about Emily in Paris on Netflix. Half serious, half silly. Always a good time when Des is on the show!

• Run Your Way with Emily Sisson: She’s done it again! Earlier this month, Emily Sisson ran the Houston Half Marathon and broke her own American record, running 1:06:52. Today, she talks about how she did it, how she’s gotten stronger (physically and mentally) over the years, and how she manages to avoid the comparison trap when U.S. women’s distance running is so darn good right now.

What I’m reading: Choosing to Run: A Memoir, by Des Linden. It’s so good. I was very fortunate to get an advance copy of the book, and I devoured it in one afternoon. I have interviewed Des 8+ times, and I still learned so much about her in these chapters. It’s funny, it’s emotional — I laughed (a lot), cried (once), and gasped (several times).

On the run: Week 1 of Eugene Marathon training! And I hired a coach! Kaitlin Goodman is going to be working with me to help me get to that starting line healthy in 13.5 weeks. (OK that sounds…soon!) I did a 13.7-mile long run last Saturday, starting at home and ending at Annie’s dance class — I love a destination run. I felt great! Kaitlin has me adding strides to the end of some of my runs, which I like, though it was tricky this week with the snow, ice, slush, and various elements. My next long run will be another 13-miler down in Florida. I can’t wait to be warm!

And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Always keep a snow scraper in your car. And whatever you’re going through, keep going.

Love,

Ali