Welcome to Atlanta where the players play!

Greetings from the oh-so-friendly skies, en route to ATL.

Hi! Thanks for being here! This week’s newsletter is brought to you by All Day Running Co.

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A shot from the last — and only — time I was in Atlanta, for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon. The best weekend before the world shut down…

Hello from seat 2A, on a slightly-delayed, newly de-iced plane from Boston to Atlanta.

By the time you’re reading this, I hopefully will have landed safely at Hartsfield-Jackson, Ubered my way to the hotel, hastily unpacked, eaten an entire Sharing Size bag of Peanut M&Ms, plugged in my trusty heating pack, and gotten a decent-enough night’s sleep before heading out for my planned 15-mile long run.

Of course, as I’m writing this, I’m doing what I always do on planes: half-working, mindlessly snacking (see aforementioned Peanut M&Ms, and my other favorite airplane snack, Mini Oreos), and watching Top Gun: Maverick.

I can’t stop watching this movie. And I’ll probably cue up the original Top Gun on my flight home. (Other airplane favorites include In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Greatest Showman. One time I watched The Fault in Our Stars on a plane and wow, what a mistake. I was a blubbering mess. And yes, I know we are scientifically more likely to cry on planes, because of the oxygen depletion or whatever.)

I’m excited for this trip for the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend. Chris Chavez and I are doing a live show together at the expo (it’s at the Georgia Aquarium! next to the beluga whales!) today at 4 PM, I’ll be running the 5K on Saturday morning (“just for fun,” says Coach Kaitlin), and then I am part of the broadcast team on Sunday. (You can watch the half marathon coverage starting at 7 AM EST on Atlanta Track Club’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.)

Real talk: I’m nervous!

For a few reasons.

First, as I’m writing this, I’m just feeling a bit behind. I was hoping that by the time I boarded the plane, I’d have all of my little notecards written out, and I could just relax a bit. (LOL “relax a bit.”)

This week was…well, it was something! The short version: childcare stuff. I’ll spare you the rest. Annie was unexpectedly home a few days this week, and we had lots of fun! We really did! It also meant that work life was scrappy. (Shout-out to all of the kind people who recorded podcast episodes with me this week and got to enjoy quick Annie cameos in the form of “Can I have a cheese stick?” and “Can you put on Paw Patrol?”)

It’s life and it’s fine! It just means that this live show in a few hours? Well, it’s in a few hours. Normally I’m not cutting it quite this close when it comes to show prep. (Though I do tend to procrastinate, and I do like performing under a tiny bit of pressure.)

And I will have time on Saturday to prepare for my role in the broadcast, and it will all be great. I’m at the start and finish lines, which is the exact place I like to be. Carrie Tollefson and Chris Chavez will be calling the races, offering commentary and play-by-play. Then they’ll “throw it to Ali” for fun interviews with people on site, like Brent and Kyle Pease. (I finally get to meet them!)

So, I have some prep work to do. I never want to show up unprepared, underprepared, or anything other than completely professional and ready to roll. And I won’t.

The second reason I’m nervous?

Well, I still don’t have a ton of experience doing live television! I love it. It’s such a rush. It’s so much fun. It’s exciting. Thrilling, even! I’ve only done it a few times, though, so each time gives me butterflies.

Keira D’Amato offered me a challenge: “See if you can work the word banana into the broadcast somehow.”

Stay tuned.

This week on the Ali on the Run Show:

• Alicia Monson, 3000m American Record Holder & Pro Runner with On Athletics Club: This girl is on fire! Alicia Monson just broke the American Record in the indoor 3000m at the Millrose Games in New York City. She is so strong, so consistent, and so fun to watch. (Does she ever get tired?!) Alicia trains with the On Athletics Club, she’s coached by Dathan Ritzenhein, and she loves running to show tunes. A girl after my own Mamma Mia!-loving heart!

• Run Your Way with Kaitlin Goodman and Meghann Featherstun: My coach and my sports dietitian! As I train for the Eugene Marathon, I have some help! In this episode, Kaitlin and I talk about her approach to coaching and how it’s working for me, and then Meghann joins the conversation to talk about my nutrition plan for training and, eventually, race day.

• I was a guest on Emma Abrahamson’s podcast, Convos Over Cold Brew. It was really fun! Give it a listen.

Don’t forget: When you support the Ali on the Run Show on Patreon, you’re automatically entered to win a pair of New Balance FuelCell Super Comp Trainers or SC Elite v3s!

What I’m watching: The Bold Type, again. I love this show (I’m watching on Hulu), and it’s been fun having it on in the background while I’m folding laundry, sending invoices, or doing dishes. Yay empowering female friendships! And Maverick. Obviously.

On the run: It really feels like marathon training now! My 15-mile long run last week went great. I didn’t take in enough nutrition during the run, so I was pretty depleted by the end, but we’re working on that. I did 15 miles, picking up the pace for miles 9–14. It wasn’t easy, which I kind of loved. It feels good working hard! As you’re reading this, I’ll hopefully be running the streets of Atlanta for another 15-miler (no fast finish this time — just time on feet). I’m enjoying the process, which is good, because that was always the goal!

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And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Do your best. Thank you so much for being here. And whatever you’re going through, keep going.

Love,

Ali