When the seemingly impossible becomes NBD

Welcome to Peak Week, baby!

Hi! Thanks for being here! This week’s newsletter is brought to you by Bandit Running. Shop here, and use code ONTHERUN15 at checkout for 15% off your first order.

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Oh the confidence I felt at the start of last week’s 20-miler! I drove 40 minutes to find a flat, uninterrupted stretch of paved trail. 20 miles (with a workout!) later, I was looking…well, you’ll see.

I’m officially at that point where I’m either thinking about marathon-related things — be it Boston or my own marathon, which is coming right up — or I cannot think about anything at all.

The brain fog, the heaviness, the exhaustion, the 1 AM hunger pangs. I’m in it. All of it.

It’s Peak Week, baby!

My friend Jenn is training for the Boston Marathon, and is also working with both Coach Kaitlin and Meghann “Feathers” Featherstun. I hardly ever scroll Strava as a social media platform, but I’ve loved seeing Jenn’s workouts on there, because she’s just a few weeks ahead of me, and I love a spoiler. (It horrifies people to hear that I watched the Breaking Bad series finale first, before starting the entire show from the beginning. I needed to know how it ended! And it was still a very stressful viewing experience!)

A few weeks ago, I saw that Jenn ran something incomprehensible to me at the time: 12 miles on a weekday morning, not as her long run, but as a mid-week workout. I remember it had big chunks of hard work in there with very little recovery in between, and I remember commenting on Strava something along the lines of, “Oh dear god, Coach Kaitlin better not do this to me in a few weeks!”

Well. You know where this is going.

Guess what I did on Tuesday morning?

That’s right: 12 miles with a hard workout in the middle. (More specifically, a 2-mile warm-up, and then 2 x 4 miles at 7:50–8:05 pace, with .5 miles easy in between, and then a 1-mile cool-down.)

When I commented on Jenn’s post, that workout seemed impossible. I remember thinking, dang, Jenn is so fit. I could never! I will never!

And then there I was, at 4:50 on a Tuesday morning, in the dark, getting it done.

It’s funny how marathon training changes our perception of things, isn’t it? How what once seemed impossible eventually becomes doable. Normal, even. (Reminder: Nothing about running a marathon is “normal” or “common.” It’s pretty darn exceptional, IMO.)

On Wednesday, I was FaceTiming with my friend Jess. Our FaceTime calls are always relatively frantic: We fly through as many catch-up topics as possible in a short window of time between work calls, recordings, and children who need us.

She asked what this week’s long run was, and I told her, “It was going to be 22 miles, but Kaitlin took it down to 20. So 20, easy pace, nothing fancy, totally doable.”

“Oh!” Jess replied. “Totally doable! You’ve got this.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I do!”

Two, three, four months ago, I was totally intimidated by the 20-mile long run. Even though I’ve completed six marathons, and have therefore run a dozen or so 20-mile runs throughout my training, it had been a while, and it just seemed…far. Long. Hard. (That’s what…OK, yeah, you get it. You see what I was about to do. Sorry, mom.)

Now, though? It’s just another 20-miler. It’s something I am totally capable of doing.

Will it be easy? LOL no. You should’ve seen the way I was dragging by the end of last week’s 20! I was in rough, sweaty, salty shape! And…I did it!

Look how hard I was trying to smile! I was very over-dressed, but in my defense, the weather changed drastically between my 9 AM start time and my 12 PM finish!

In a way, I think I would be happy to complete my training and call it a success. It’s already been a success! I’m in my last big week of hard work, and I’m healthy. That was my biggest goal throughout all of this — that, and to enjoy the process.

So on those two fronts, I feel like I’ve already won.

I’m healthy, I’ve loved the process, and it’s boosted my confidence in all kinds of surprising and unexpected ways.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

T-23 days until Eugene.

Now it’s feeling real…

I have so much more to say, but I’m tired and hungry. So until next time!

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This edition of the Ali on the Run newsletter is presented by Bandit.

Bandit is a Brooklyn-based performance and lifestyle running apparel brand that makes head-to-toe women’s and men’s running products, hosts experiences (from pop-ups to unsanctioned street races!), and is putting out some super creative and original content (check out their newsletter, podcast, and Instagram @banditrunning).

Big news from New Hampshire today: I ran in shorts for the first time in a long time! More specifically, I ran in these shorts. Did I get these because I saw so many of my NYC runner gal pals running in them and was like, dang, they look so cute?! You bet I did. Aside from the visual appeal, the best part of these shorts, IMO, was that I didn’t think about them the entire run. They come equipped with pockets, a drawstring waist, and grips at the bottom to avoid the running-up thing we all know too well.

Important note: Bandit’s entire product team is made up of amazing women, so they just get it. They know what we need and what we want. For women, by women. You love to see it!

And because we’re BFFs, you know I’m going to hook you up. For a limited time, the Ali on the Run community is getting 15% off your first Bandit order. Go check out all their products at banditrunning.com, and use code ONTHERUN15 for 15% off your first order.

And! If you’ll be in town for the Boston Marathon, check out Bandit’s pop-up on Newbury Street. Follow along on Instagram for more info.

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This [very good] week on the Ali on the Run Show:

• The Everyday Runner, Kim Mantle: What a story, right? From an unimaginable series of scary health diagnoses to getting shot to running a marathon (and, soon, another one), Kim is the definition of survivor. I was blown away by her resilience and her relentless optimism. (And the feedback tells me you all feel the same. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of DMs about this one!)

• Becs Gentry, Peloton Instructor, 2:32 Marathoner, Mom: She’s back — this time, as a mom. This episode is nice and long, and if you love birth stories, you’ll enjoy all the juicy (is that the best word?) details from Becs’s labor and delivery. (Spoiler: Motherhood Mondays might be coming back…)

• Run Your Way with Chloe Abbott: She’s a professional sprinter, she’s sponsored by On Running, and she was just a contestant on The Voice! Talk about multitalented! Every now and then, a guest comes on the Ali on the Run Show, and we just hit it off (see also: Matty Maggiacomo, Ellie Kemper, Deirdre Keane). I could have talked to Chloe forever. She’s so fun, so funny, and so totally transparent.

What I’m watching: Nothing exciting. I’m pumped for new Love is Blind episodes (today, right?), and I am really enjoying this season of Ted Lasso. Jamie Tartt’s character development has been delightful, and I appreciate the nuances in Ted’s character. I’ve laughed out loud and cried at every episode so far this season. I never want it to end! LIB S4 predictions: Kwame and Chelsea, please god no (and please let her say no to him and not the other way around); Micah and Paul, honestly maybe? I feel like they might go through with it, which is not a good idea, but none of this is a good idea. Zack and Bliss, hahahahahahaha no way not a chance, right? She hates him, right? Marshall and Jackelina/Jackie (why does it keep changing???), I sure hope not. And Brett and Tiffany, yes. Easy yes. Remember when she fell asleep in the pods? I’ll never forget.

What I’m listening to: I finally listened to an episode of Normal Gossip, as recommended by Erika Kemp. It was fun! I wasn’t OMG obsessed, but I’ll give another episode a shot! Otherwise, I’m on a big Taylor Swift kick right now. Pretty standard.

On the run: The last big one today. It was going to be 22 miles, but Coach Kaitlin took it down to 20, and for that I am oh so grateful. So, 20 miles, nothing fancy, no workout in the middle. Just time on feet, and then taper! (Taper = “only” 16 miles next weekend. Wow, what a break!)

And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Never go on a reality TV dating show. Thank you so much for being here. And whatever you’re going through, keep going.

Love,

Ali