"I am so accustomed to thinking about what could go wrong, and how do I prepare for that? Which I don’t think is bad… But very rarely do I let myself be open to the possibility of something great or something magical, or a perfect day. And I tried — start to finish. I kept that in my mind: Be open to the possibility of a perfect day."

Last weekend, I ran the Eugene Marathon. It was my seventh marathon. My first marathon in seven years. And my first marathon since becoming a mom. I finished in 3:41:10 — a 10-minute personal best. And in this conversation — guest hosted by Keira D'Amato — I'm recounting all of it. The highs (Annie on the sidelines!), the lows (roughly miles 18–26), and everything in between.

ANNOUNCEMENT! We're hitting the road! Join Keira and me for a half marathon and live show in Richmond, VA, on March 9, 2024. This is going to be big! It's going to be fun! And we would love for you to join us. Get your tickets HERE.

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE Edge sample pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI23 for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase.

What you’ll get on this episode:

• Why did the results say I’m from West New York, NJ? (4:25)
• Am I proud? And did I have fun? (7:15)
• Why? (9:05)
• What happened next? (13:30)
• All about fueling (17:30)
• Taper time! (21:50)
• On the decision to bring the whole family to Eugene (26:40)
• The days leading up to race day (34:00)
• The Duck Dash! (43:30)
• All about the live show with Shalane Flanagan (49:00)
• How we spent the rest of the day Saturday (51:30)
• Race morning! (55:00)
• The start line (1:02:30)
• “What was your pacing strategy and how did you nail it?” (1:08:10)
• Cole Hocker, baby geese, and other sights and sounds from the Eugene Marathon course (1:10:10)
• What I listened to during the race (1:12:50)
• On the race going from great to…less great! (1:20:30)
• On feeling pressure to perform well (1:29:30)
• On getting through the tough miles and to the finish line (1:31:30)
• That finish line feeling (1:38:50)
• The after-party (1:48:10)
• Listener Q&A (1:50:25)
• Announcement! (2:03:00)

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