Hosted by Ali Feller · EN
"I love winning." Welcome to the third episode in a new series on the Ali on the Run Show called "No Stupid Questions." This is where experts come in to answer everything you've always wanted to ask about running. We're covering a wide range of topics including personal running and coaching, the business of running, and "no such thing as TMI." Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught Leer kicked off the series answering questions about professional running (and so much more), and then Jinger Gottschall, New Balance Director of Sports Research, answered questions about shoes and sports bras. Today, we're tackling personal running and coaching questions with two-time Olympian in the 5000m and coach with Next Best Run, Kim Conley. Kim has coached athletes to personal bests in the mile up to the marathon, she has helped runners complete their first races ever, and she has supported them as they've qualified for the Boston Marathon and beyond. FOLLOW KIM @kfconley SPONSOR: Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. IN THIS EPISODE: Kim's advice for finding a running coach and the benefits of working with one (12:25) Kim answers questions about getting faster and stronger (15:00) Breaking down running terminology (34:40) Fueling Q&A (47:10) Running through stages of life (52:25) The mental game (57:00) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"Life has not been easy. Life, for the better part of the past few years, has been very hard and messy and stressful and exhausting. And I will give myself the tiniest bit of credit for surviving it. And for finding a way to be happy." The month of May brings up all kinds of stuff for me. A birthday, Mother's Day, all of the school and extracurricular activities for Annie — and the anniversaries. In May 2023, my life was upended when I was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma: breast cancer. Exactly two years later, I was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer that had spread to my bones. So yeah, May hits highs, lows, and grey spaces. Fortunately, there's nothing tragic to report in this episode! No status update, no big diagnosis reveal. Just some musings on my April vacation week with Annie, my Ali on the RunWAY debut, and how I'm feeling heading into 41. Plus, my thoughts on legacies and the mark we leave on the world while we're here. (Thank you for being here. I'm still here!) SPONSOR: Shokz! The official headphone of the Boston Marathon! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"It was really hard for me to distinguish who was a friend and who was actually going to win the Boston Marathon, and I just hugged them all the exact same." She's back — and this time, she's a Boston Marathoner! Cousin Jackie — my cousin and bestie, Jacqueline Adair, ran this year's Boston Marathon, and not only did she run a personal best in Boston, she also raised more than $20,000 for cancer research as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. In this episode, recorded the morning after the marathon, Jackie talks about her training, her fundraising, and why running this race was important to her. She talks about our weekend together in Boston, about what it was like out on the course, and about everyone she hugged along the way. Plus, some big life updates: Jackie, who currently lives in D.C. and works for the federal government, is moving to London with her family this summer! (Sad for me! Exciting for them!) SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to check out the brand new Ellipse, New Balance's just-released everyday trainer. (It's gorgeous!) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"It felt so good to be reminded of all the reasons I love to do this." There's nowhere I'd rather be on the third Monday in April than at the Boston Marathon finish line! This year, I was honored to be asked back to perform a variety of roles in Boston. I hosted a panel at the Expo along with two live shows. I was one of the race announcers at the finish line on Marathon Monday, and I was the finish line reporter for the world feed broadcast. It was a big, busy, fun, rewarding weekend that included quality time with my favorite people, a million finish line hugs, a quick meet-and-greet with a former President, a few too many late nights, and so much more. Best Boston ever? Best Boston ever. (Please know that I am genuinely horrified by how long this solo recap ended up being! Someone take the microphone away from me!) SPONSOR: Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. IN THIS EPISODE Why this year's Boston Marathon weekend was extra meaningful for me, and what it took to get there (1:45) Thursday: the drive to Boston, the Official Program reveal, and the best burger of my life (9:10) Friday: the press conference, the Expo panel, the WBUR live show with Claire Holt, and the New Balance party (14:10) Saturday: cheering for the 5K, the New Balance live show, and making my "indoor debut" at the New Balance Marathon Relay (48:05) Sunday: a Charles River run, broadcast meetings, and a night out with the Citius crew (1:18:25) Marathon Monday: a picture-perfect day at the finish line (1:30:10) Tuesday: time to go home (2:15:10) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"I'm so proud of all of us. I'm so proud of anyone who decides to even run a mile." Of the 30,000 runners who completed this year's Boston Marathon, only one is a former resident of the White House. Chelsea Clinton — a mom of three, podcast host, activist, author, avid runner, and former First Daughter — is now and forever a Boston Marathoner. In this episode (her second appearance on the Ali on the Run Show!), recorded just 48 hours after the race, she talks about running Boston with her best friend, Jen, and about what it took to run a personal best time of 3:40:52. SPONSOR: Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. IN THIS EPISODE: How Chelsea is feeling 48 hours post-race (1:30) How Chelsea met Jen, her longtime friend and running buddy (4:30) How Chelsea's recovery is going, and reflections on marathon training this time around (6:15) When — and why — Chelsea decided she wanted to run this year's Boston Marathon (8:35) How Chelsea has explained to her children who their grandparents are (12:10) On the security team that ran with Chelsea (17:35) How Chelsea fits training into her busy schedule (20:30) Chelsea's impressions of Boston Marathon weekend upon arrival (24:00) Why Chelsea ran under the alias "Margaret Smith," and the meaning behind that choice (26:30) How Chelsea was feeling on race morning (30:25) The moment Chelsea and Des saw each other at the start (34:30) What the former President and First Lady thought of the Boston Marathon finish line (40:30) Chelsea's running must-haves (42:25) Chelsea's Boston Marathon race day recap (45:45) All about the finish line (57:10) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"Go out there and send it within reason." Every year, I host a panel at the Boston Marathon Expo featuring some of the top American women in the professional field. This year, that meant getting to chat with Puma and Minnesota Distance Elite's Annie Frisbie and Brooks athlete Amanda Vestri on the Friday before the 2026 Boston Marathon. Annie went on to lead much of the race, ultimately finishing eighth overall and as the second American woman in 2:22:00 (and 81-second personal best). Amanda, in only her second marathon, finished 15th overall and as the eighth American woman in 2:24:49 — a 51-second improvement from her marathon debut in New York City this fall. Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"Winning is really fun!" On Saturday afternoon during Boston Marathon weekend, more than 775 of us took over The TRACK at New Balance for a super fun live show with Off the Rails cohosts Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught Leer. No further intro needed. SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to check out the brand new Ellipse, New Balance's just-released everyday trainer. (It's gorgeous!) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"I have severe FOMO. All I want to do is run this marathon on Monday." Claire Holt is an actress best known for her work on Pretty Little Liars, H20: Just Add Water, The Vampire Diaries, and Mean Girls 2. She's a mom of three who lives in Miami. And she is a runner and a marathoner. Claire came to Boston to do this live show with us, and to take in all the weekend vibes, and I think it's safe to say she'll be back. Biggest thanks to Shokz for supporting this episode and for making all this magic happen, and thank you to Steven and the amazing team at WBUR CitySpace for having us. FOLLOW CLAIRE @claireholt SPONSOR: Shokz! The official headphone of the Boston Marathon! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"I went back to Boston, and I found myself again. I found the Ali I knew was in there. The Ali who lives and breathes running. The Ali who had felt so isolated for so long, but who craves community and connection, and knows exactly where to find it." We're just days away from the 130th Boston Marathon! Last year, I was honored to be asked to be the keynote speaker at the Boston Athletic Association's annual partner summit at the Museum of Science. I used the opportunity to share my Boston Marathon story. My story, as someone who grew up 80 minutes north of Boston, who knew nothing about the Boston Marathon, and who, even as an adult working in the running industry, felt like there wasn't a place for me in Boston. This is the story about how I found — or made — my place, and about how profoundly it has changed my life. This is my love letter to Boston, to the race, to belonging, and to the running community. SPONSOR: Oofos: The best in the recovery footwear game. Click here to check out Oofos's new CLUB+ line! Your feet are going to be so happy! Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
"Doubt and belief can coexist. In the book, you see a ton of my doubts and struggles with confidence. But then there's also this untouchable belief that's always there, too. So it's almost like, which voice are you going to listen to?" It's a big week for professional runner Sara Hall! She turns 43 tomorrow, and then heads east to race the Boston Marathon on Monday. And while most marathoners are recovering on Tuesday, Sara, in true Sara form, will be doing the opposite: It's book launch day! Sara's debut memoir, For the Love of the Grind, comes out April 21, and in this conversation, Sara talks about why the time was right to write a book. She talks about what the writing process was like, about the part of the book that's likely to shock readers, and about why she wanted to get in touch with Eminem before the book came out. Plus, how she's feeling heading into Boston 2026. SPONSOR: Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. FOLLOW SARA @sarahall3 IN THIS EPISODE: All about Sara's workout in Crested Butte, what's making her happy today, and what husband Ryan is up to these days (2:10) Reflecting on 11 years since Sara made her marathon debut at the L.A. Marathon (6:00) Sara's advice to this year's Boston Marathoners — especially those whose training may not have gone perfectly (10:00) How Sara is feeling heading into the 2026 Boston Marathon (11:50) Sara isn't the only Hall running Boston: Eldest daughter Hana is running, too! (16:10) Sara's plans for her 43rd birthday this week (22:00) Why Sara always tosses her watch mid-marathon (24:20) For the Love of the Grind: Why Sara decided to write a book now, and what the writing process was like (27:25) Why Sara wanted to get in touch with Eminem, and what it was like recording the audiobook (34:00) The part of the book that made me gasp — and the story behind it (39:15) On 21 years with ASICS (43:45) Who is this book for? (47:55) What's exciting for Sara on the run right now? (48:50) Sara's superlatives: talking about the most fun, most challenging, and most memorable races of her career (58:55) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!