Hello hello!
Before I dive into this brain dump, please accept my heartiest THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting the Ali on the Run Show! I know I keep saying this, but I’m really loving doing this, and am so grateful for everyone who has subscribed, listened, rated, and reviewed the show. (I know the whole “subscribe, rate, and review” thing is probably getting a little tired — the reason I keep bringing it up is because that’s how iTunes ranks and displays podcasts! So the more subscribers, ratings, and reviews a show has, the more visibility you get. And the more visibility you get, the better, right? So if you’re up for it, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show. Eventually I’ll shut up about it.)
My latest guest, the indomitable Chris Mosier!Beyond podcasting, here’s what else is going down in Ali Land. (OMG I’m going to put a sign on our front door that says Welcome 2 Ali Land. Brian will love it. Or Ali & Ellie Land. That’s better.)
Cheering at the NYC Half last weekend. So fun! Congratulations to everyone who ran!LISTENING: Well, to my own podcast, to be totally narcissistic. I love listening to podcasts for my long and easy runs and while cooking dinner, but still opt for the dope beats during track workouts. Lately I’ve been jamming out to “Green Light” by Lorde, “Play That Song” by Train (I feel like it’s kinda cheesy but I’m into it), “Bad Girls” by M.I.A., “Be The One” by Dua Lipa, and “It Ain’t Me” by Kygo and Selena Gomez. I have pretty eclectic taste, and by that I mean I listen exclusively to Top 40 pop hits and the occasional Broadway cast album.
Podcasting in the closet…with some help. Very glamorous.COOKING: Like so much. I make these buffalo chicken nuggets once a week because they’re so good and so easy and I have most of the ingredients on hand at all times. I also make a lot of stir fry-type dishes, and am newly obsessed with these meatballs, which are probably one of the top three things I’ve ever made. Brian went crazy for them, too. Ellie didn’t get any, but she would’ve loved them. Plus lots of avocado toast for lunch. I’m a creature of habit and I fear for the day I get sick of avocado toast and don’t know how to feed myself in the middle of the day.
Delicious meal. Terrible food photographer. Whatever.Oh and I’m still doing the dairy-free thing. It doesn’t even feel like a thing anymore and hasn’t been an inconvenience at all. I’ve even found decent dairy-free yogurt (Kite Hill) so I can still make my favorite Family Recipe Dip (which is not so much a family recipe as it is “stir Lipton Onion Mix powder from packet into sour cream or, healthier option, Greek yogurt).
RUNNING: I’m officially training for the Brooklyn Half! I also signed up to run the New Jersey Half Marathon on April 30. In theory I would love to PR at Brooklyn, but in reality, I don’t know if that’ll happen. My PR is 1:44:48 (from 2011 — pretty outdated, IMO), and that seems impossible right now. Granted I haven’t been training or trying and have still been easing back into things, but I’ve been running four days per week and am just trying to be mindful and tuned in to how my body feels. Running a fast-for-me half isn’t worth getting sick again, so I’m attempting to be good about getting plenty of rest, recovering smartly, and all that jazz. So WE’LL SEE.
Running with friends in Central Park is THE BEST.But I NEED TO DO MORE STRENGTH TRAINING! So can someone force me to do that or hold me accountable or something? I even put it on my to-do list every day but it never gets checked off. I live three feet from a gym and really have no excuses for not making this happen, unless laziness counts as an excuse. Help.
FEELING: Healthy, still! My stomach has actually been a little gnarly and unsettled this week, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I’m a female than the fact that I have Crohn’s disease. I’ll do my next Stelara injection at the beginning of April, so I’m happy the drug seems to be working for me and that it’s pretty low-maintenance.
I didn’t make ANY bathroom stops on this run! (That doesn’t always happen, but it happened that day!)WRITING: About my quest to sleep better for Women’s Health.
NEEDING: To do something about my eyebrows. The last time I got them threaded or waxed or shaped or whatever I did was the week of our wedding — so September 2015. They’re in pretty rough shape. But waxing and threading make me break out, so I need a better solution that is as low-maintenance as possible. Should I just shave them off?
READING: You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. Finally. I think I’m the last person on the planet to read this. I’m into it ish. I think I’m getting to the part that I want to read most, though.
Plus this quote, over and over…
YES, SHONDA.Also this, which took me back…
And this, which was fantastic.
SEEING: CELINE DION IN LAS VEGAS!!! The other night, I was in a weird funk and Brian was traveling and Ellie was sleeping, so there was no one to tell me not to go ahead and buy two tickets to Celine’s show on June 3. I’m so excited. I still need to figure out flights and who’s coming with me and where to stay (I’ve been to Vegas many times; just need to pick a hotel that is ideally nice but not super expensive and is on The Strip for max convenience and minimal Ubers, and has a good breakfast buffet, obviously), but those are small details. I have the tickets, so it’s happening!
LIVING: In New Jersey for a full year! Still digging it here.
Jersey kids!WANTING: To be warm. I hate talking about the weather, I really do, but I’m so tired of being cold. I ran 12 hours ago and I swear my fingers and toes are still chilled. I’m over it.
TOO MANY LAYERS.TRYING: To be a grown-up who is able to curl her own hair. How do people do this? How do you do the back part? How do you not burn your head or hand? How do you not lose patience and give up and just throw it all in a ponytail?
My first attempt. I haven’t yet tried a second time.MEETING: Puppies, all the time. It’s probably what I’m best at. In honor of National Puppy Day, here are some puppies.
OMG puppy.
Another OMG puppy…
AND ANOTHER ONE. OMG.
This is Riley. I met her on a run one day and she INSISTED I stop and pet her.
I met this puppy at a dog park we’ve been going to on the weekends a lot!
She was so playful!
And this boxer puppy!And of course, my most favorite puppy…
My buddy.
Sleepy girls!
She didn’t used to be snuggly but NOW SHE IS!
Ridiculous.BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU?
24 Responses
I used to have similar issues with my brows breaking out after I got them done, but I found that getting them done regularly helped this ugly after effect disappear over time. Good luck with whatever you do!
I love the recommendation for Sania’s brow bar!
Super stupid question… how do I leave a rating for your podcast? I’ve listened to several but I don’t see where to do that. I’d love to help you out!
Not a stupid question at all! (And it’s NOT easy to find on mobile!) So on your desktop, open up iTunes, and go to the Ali on the Run Show. Above all the episodes and the description, there are three tabs: Click on “Ratings and Reviews,” and then you can click on the stars to leave a rating and click on “Write a Review” to write a review! (You have to be logged in to your iTunes account to do so.) So definitely not a stupid question — it’s a little tricky to find! THANK YOU for listening!
So glad you decided to do the NJ Half! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
I’m super excited! It’s been a while since I’ve done a new-to-me race, so it’ll be fun to check out fresh terrain!
Loving your podcast, I just need to rate it! For your eyebrows, go get them microbladed, and then tell me all about it! I think it hurts, but I would like that confirmed by someone other than myself.
For brows, check out Sania’s Brow Bar, it is on the expensive side but they pluck only, so can give you shape and then give some guidance on how to maintain!
http://www.saniasbrowbar.com/
My biggest tip for curling hair is use a wand that doesn’t ‘clip’ so it’s just the tool and you just hold the end of your hair around it…it’s a bit hard to explain in writing!
YES, my friend goes there! I need to do that. PRO TIP. Thank you!
Ali, we saw Celine in the fall, it was over the top in the best way possible. We stayed at the Aria, it was nice and has a great gym and pool. Not crazy expensive. No free breakfast but an amazing French bakery in the lobby.
I CANNOT WAIT. I’m so excited. Glad you loved it, too!
I have straight, heavy hair that never liked holding curl. When I first learned how to curl using a straightener, it was pure wizardry. That curl was tight and would last a long time but it was SO HARD to do! And then if you messed up and had to do a section more than once I felt like I was going to fry my hair off.
Then I found a clipless curling wand (mine is by Jose Eber 19mm) and it CHANGED. MY. LIFE. My hair holds this curl and it looks great the next day. If I’m not somewhere humid it can even survive running or dancing. I also love that as the curl relaxes and falls out, it still looks like all of my hair is just now loosely curled/wavy – whereas growing up with a normal curling iron, the curl would completely disappear, and all that would be left was straight hair that flipped at the end.
I can get a fairly decent, all over curl done in about 11ish minutes (and I have a lot of hair, previous methods took me at least half an hour). Time varies depending on how tight I want the curl to be.
I kind of cheat….I split my hair in half (right/left) and then curl sections and toss them back behind my shoulder, working back to front. All of my curls I just wind the hair to the back. And this does meant the top, back of my hair is typically not curled. I suppose I could get it to curl if I grabbed smaller sections – but for day to day I don’t have time for that.
Also, my ends will not curl unless I PRESS them up against the iron, so I wear a full heat resistant glove. I have no clue how people manage without them.
Good luck! 🙂
your hair looks about the same as mine and curling hair is one of my only skills in life. what size iron are you using? 1.25 seems to be my sweet spot. Curl about 1 or so inch chunks away from your face and leave the bottom approx 2 inches out of the curling iron (when i don’t do this is when it looks the worst). once it cools i just brush through it with my hands and use minimal hairspray. i do it all in one layer and just kind of move around my head. i can do this in maybe 5 minutes before work- it’s super easy once you get going. and i definitely have never mastered the art of curling with a straightener- i tried it once and thought my hair was going to fall out. no thanks.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who can’t curl her own hair! I just don’t even try do it anymore. I have watched YouTube videos of curling with a straightener, and they make it look so easy, but I can’t figure out how to do it without burning my hand off holding the flat iron the way they do! Clearly I’m missing something super obvious, but I don’t know what it is!
That last photo of Ellie is EVERYTHING!
Podcast wise, I listened to one episode the other day. It’s the first pod cast I’ve ever listened to (in my life). I enjoyed, thank you!
That said, I listed from the blog because I don’t do the whole itunes thing. So not much help there, sorry!
PS – I love your podcast. I subscribed but I’ve never left a rating/review on anything, but I will try to figure out how to do so soon. I think its totally fine if you remind people to do it in every show.
THE BEST CURLING IRON EVER is the Bio Ionic Style Winder Rotating Iron. I saw it on Anne/Fannetastic Food’s blog. I think I have similar (dead straight) hair to you and once you watch the youtube video on how to use the curling iron, it is sooooo easy and quick to curl. Then let it cool and brush it out (so it isn’t ringlets) and it will look like your pic or you can do more beachy waves if you leave the tips out of the curling iron. Start with one but I also recommend getting the iron in both sizes – the 1″ is good for more curly hair and the 1.25″ is good for big waves. I can’t stress this enough! Its pure magic.
Try Sugaring your eyebrows. Its less harsh than wax and threading, while great, just hurts like hell!!
I’ve been really loving your podcasts – the episode with Chris was GREAT! Also loving every single picture of Ellie in a Buff, for obvious reasons.
Ok I’m so glad I’m not the only one that gets so confused on how to curl the back of your hair. I just need someone to come and do if for me everyday!
So happy to hear you’re feeling better! And I seriously LOVE all the dog pictures – I’m so jealous you get to meet all of those puppies!
I also have no idea how to curl hair – how do you do the back? thats my main question.
Everytime I get a haircut i have the stylist curl it before I leave, i’m always picking up tips for how to do it better.
Hello from Colorado! I think your hair looks gorg curled. I cannot for the life of me do it, probably b/c im too lazy to spend more than 3 mins trying.
HELLO, LET’S GO TO LYONS DEN ASAP PLZ.
Hey, so glad to see you are doing good! I’m so behind on podcast listening, but yours is on my to-listen to list! 🙂
Nice to hear you’ve got some races on the calendar. Do you miss living in NY? Maybe being in Jersey is close enough not to miss it too much?