"Why can't I do it all? Why can't I be a mom, a really good mom, be the mom that I want to be, and also be an athlete, a really good athlete, the athlete I want to be?"

The last time professional runner and coach Neely Spence Gracey was on the Ali on the Run Show, she had just run her first postpartum marathon after having her son, Athens. She ran a 2:44 at the Houston Marathon and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in the process. A year and a half later, a lot has happened in Neely's life — including another baby! On this episode, Neely offers updates about what it was like running the Marathon Trials last year and what life for her family was like during the pandemic. She talks about getting pregnant, in spite of having an IUD at the time, while she was training for The Marathon Project, and talks honestly about what that surprise was like. Neely talks about her pregnancy run streak, about giving birth to Rome on June 14, and about what postpartum life as a mom of two has been like so far.

THE LAST TIME NEELY WAS ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 42
• Episode 201

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What you'll get on this episode:

• On the transition from one to two kids (5:15)
• All about the names Athens and Rome (7:00)
• On getting pregnant with an IUD (9:30)
• What Neely's pregnancy was like (16:55)
• How Neely recovered from running the Houston Marathon and prepared to run the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2020 (20:30)
• What the pandemic was like for Neely's family (28:00)
• What running was like during Neely's pregnancy with Rome (33:50)
• What labor and delivery was like with Rome (38:00)
• On experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety (46:45)
• On returning to running after having Rome (51:45)
• What's next for Neely? (58:00)

What we mention on this episode:

Rome's birth story

Follow Neely:

• Instagram @neelysgracey
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• Twitter @neelysgracey
• Blog

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