January 17, 2020

The 10 Best Parts of My Week

Happy Things

This was such a good week! Did you have a good week?!

I am fired up. If you listened to this week’s podcast episode, you could probably tell. I’m just in a really good mood. I’ve been listening to a lot of this…

And also watching this, and crying while also getting all pumped up…

I’m hyped. I’m amped. I want to take a dance class. Like right this second.

Anyway! In the spirit of keeping this short, sweet, and simple, here are the 10 best parts of my week!

1. Annie crawling over to me, standing next to me, and giving me a hug. A real hug! An intentional hug! It was the sweetest thing! She’s very into giving hugs and kisses right now, and I can’t get enough.

2. Interviewing Mark Kanemura. Not for the Ali on the Run Show — sorry! But for a story I’m writing for Dance Spirit. He was an absolute delight. If you’re not following him on Instagram, you absolutely must. He’s @mkik808.

3. Finding the bulletin board of my dreams. For years, I have wanted a very specific type of bulletin board for my office. Brown cork. Gold frame. Affordable. And the other day, I found it. So I bought two of them, much to Brian’s dismay, because he is the one tasked with hanging them. But I am convinced they’re going to make me more productive and effective. I’ll get to see my ideas on the wall instead of in piles of paper!

4. Announcing the launch of Ramblings on the Run with Ali & Matt! In the spirit of pursuing connection and community — my two words of the year! — I’ve teamed up with Matt Chittim, the host of the Rambling Runner podcast and the Road to the Olympic Trials show, and we’re going to be doing a monthly show together! It’s going to be so fun!

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When I sat down to really think about what I want to feel and accomplish in 2020, I kept coming back to two things: connection and community. Yesterday, I had one of those moments of, “Why am I doing what I’m doing? Does any of this even matter? Do I need it to matter?” (Cue Jean Ralphio’s voiceover: “Who are we? Where are we going? Those are questions Lil’ Sebastian never had to answer. Because he was a horse…”) Anyway! It’s really important to me to be around and collaborate with good people. People who are all about lifting others up, supporting them, and acting with kindness and integrity. Not just saying it, but showing it, and living it. And so! I’m super excited to be joining forces with @rambling_runner for a new monthly podcast series on each of our shows! Matt is one of the BEST people I’ve gotten to know through this little iPhone screen. He is such a positive voice in the running community, and the stories he shares on his show are important. I’m grateful for the work he does, and the way he encourages the people around him. The first episode will launch at the end of this month. We’ll be talking about all things running, podcasting, industry news, behind the scenes stuff, and stories we’ve never shared. (Ooooh!) And, of course, answering YOUR questions! We’ll have a listener Q&A portion of every episode, so hit us up here with anything you want to know or hear about! Connection. Community. And getting to do fun things with great people. Let’s go!
A post shared by Ali Feller — Ali on the Run (@aliontherun1) on Jan 15, 2020 at 4:14am PST

5. Finally creating an Ali on the Run Show Facebook GROUP! OK, I may have gotten myself in a little over my head here, but it’s fine, because this group is incredible! Everyone is nice and kind (those are mandatory) and supportive and funny! Lots of really funny people in there! I highly recommend coming and joining the funny. I’m doing my very best to see everything and respond to everything, but Facebook isn’t the best at streamlining group conversations, so if I miss something, tell me and tag me a million times!

6. Brian surprising us and coming home early Tuesday and got to be here for bedtime. It was so nice! I always get a little envious when I’m out walking Annie and Ellie at 5:30 PM, and I see all these parents out with their kids, together. That’s not a reality for us right now, so when it does get to happen, it’s so nice and so special.

7. Announcing the lululemon x Orangetheory class for the Brave Like Gabe Foundation! Again, connection and community. Check it out. If you can’t join us in person, consider making a donation. All of the proceeds go to charity. I’m hugely grateful for Orangetheory for donating the studio, the instructor’s time, and the staff’s time so we can do this, and to lululemon for providing post-class mimosas among other (secret!) things.

8. Submitting a story for Women’s Running magazine. I got to write about someone I adore and admire — someone you heard on the Ali on the Run Show way back when it first launched!

9. Getting out of the house! One of my goals for this year is to get out more, and this week, I did. I worked from my favorite local cafe, and it’s a changer, I’ll tell ya! I was so much happier and more productive and more focused. And I ate some delicious ricotta toast!

10. Running a 5:55 mile at Orangetheory!!!

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5:55!!! My goal for the @orangetheory mile today was to go sub-6:00. I knew that with the treadmill lag, I’d have to go out at a pace that’s way faster than what I’m comfortable running — and would have to max out from there. So I did. I felt great for the first 90 seconds running at 10.2 mph, and then it felt hard. At the three-minute mark, I bumped it to 10.3, and at 4:30 I hit 11 mph. I squeaked in with five seconds to spare, and I am PUMPED! That was hard and I loved it! The whole time I was running, I kept repeating @gigrunewald’s words in my head: “It’s OK to struggle, but it’s not OK to give up.” I think about Gabe a lot. I don’t know why. I never met her in real life. But her legacy is so powerful. That’s why I’m teaming up with @lululemon and am hosting a private @otfedgewater class on Sunday, February 9, at 3 PM! It’s a $30 donation-based class, and every single cent we bring in that day is going to the @bravelikegabe Foundation. We have 39 spots up for grabs. Check out the link in my bio to sign up, and do it fast — I have a good feeling this is going to sell out ASAP. It’s going to be such a fun class. It doesn’t matter if you’re an OTF regular or you haven’t run since the timed mile in fifth grade. It’s for all levels. We’ll have a live DJ, post-class mimosas, and a bunch of awesome stuff to give away and raffle off. (Bring cash for the raffles!) And it’ll be coached by @iamem_fit, who helped get me to that 5:55 today! The goal is to have fun, have friendship, break a good sweat, and raise as much money as we can for Brave Like Gabe. If you can’t attend the class but would still like to make a contribution, you can do that at the link in my bio as well. Just select the “donation” option and contribute however much you’d like. Nothing too big or small. Grateful for it all. To everyone running the mile today, YOU GOT THIS!
A post shared by Ali Feller — Ali on the Run (@aliontherun1) on Jan 17, 2020 at 4:01am PST

WOO! So pumped about that one. And about all of it. Other great things included fun phone calls with Carrie Tollefson (love her) and my friend Jenn at New Balance (things in the works!), cooking dinner every night (OK, three nights…), and lots of nice walks with Annie and Ellie.

I’m a lot today, I know. I’m just excited.

And since I want to be best friends, I’d love to know: WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR WEEK?!

Ali

8 Responses

Jon @ Handheld Massager Guide says:
January 24, 2020 at 5:20 am
I started getting out of the house for work recently too and I agree, definitely a game changer. Sometimes I go to a cafe, sometimes the library. Change of scenery does the world of good. It can be hard to focus at home when there’s always something else to be done! Plus it keeps me away from the food cupboards which I tend to raid regularly during the day. In the cafe I just order myself a black coffee and get to work!
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Er says:
January 19, 2020 at 11:34 am
SO AWESOME!
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Lisa @ TechChick Adventures says:
January 18, 2020 at 6:42 pm
I’m looking forward to the new podcast! Sounds like a lot of great stuff happening for you this week. Taking a family ski trip for the weekend has been the highlight of my week. My kids are teenagers so we often need some “forced family fun” to be able to spend time with them! So much stuff going on in teen’s lives with school and friends. I’m thankful we can still ski together 🙂
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Kelly says:
January 17, 2020 at 7:18 pm
My favorite song. When I am having a bad day, my husband knows to play it for me.
Best part of my week: girls night on Wednesday. My friend had two little ones, and we are making the effort to go over more often! It is so fun to see the kiddos and have some adult time with Mom after bed.
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Torrie says:
January 17, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Best part of my week is you posting blogs again! Hah I missed these! Long time reader here! My husband works long hours and I totally get that awesome feeling of having him home early!! This week was a rough one for me with sick kids and falling behind with work but I’m weirdly finding peace in the fact that daylight savings is only 7 weeks away and we can all come out of hibernation in the evenings!!
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Another Ali says:
January 17, 2020 at 1:23 pm
I’m just so glad you’re back to regular posting! I have missed your posts. Also my husband works super long hours as well so I GET IT! Best part of my week is that it’s Friday!!!
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Kelli says:
January 17, 2020 at 12:40 pm
It sounds like you’ve had an amazing week!
Since you like to share everything with your followers and listeners, I’ll share something personal as well – the best part of my week was when my boyfriend (we live together) came home from a job interview feeling like it went really well. He was laid off 7 months ago, so we’ve been living off of my salary (I’m a state employee so you can imagine I’m not making bank lol) and unemployment benefits. It’s been a really tough time for us, so to have this positive movement as we try to get out of this situation was everything we both needed this week. We don’t know what the outcome of this interview will be, but it was just the lift we needed this week.
I love your podcast, Ali. Thank you for sharing these incredible stories – including your own.
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Angie Carrier says:
January 17, 2020 at 12:24 pm
Ali – I’ve been following your blog since before the break up (I don’t know why that’s the best way I can describe the timeline), was with you through the Brian mystery + reveal, through all the highs and lows of Crohn’s + running, etc. etc. (then of course with you on Insta for ANNIE!!!) and I’m SO HAPPY I kept your blog as an email subscription because I love, love, love that you’re back.
You were my savior, to be dramatic, when I worked a terrible office job from 2010-2013 and had no access to internet on our computers (gov’t, y’all) so I got your blogs emailed to me (or I think before there was an email subscription, I copied from my phone and emailed it to my work computer) so that i could be “working” but reading your blog instead. I became a better, smarter, more motivated runner reading your blog and found lots of other runners to follow along the way.
Anyway, all this to say – the best part of my week was deciding to tell work I was sick Wednesday since I have the house to myself this week while my fiance is working in another city and I haven’t been alone in ages. My friend randomly offered me an in-home massage that she got from working the Golden Globes (#soLA) that same day and I got a free deep tissue massage IN MY HOUSE and it was the best. I got actually sick the last two days of this week, which may be karma or residual from the massage (per the internet) but I’m still happy about it. I just finished some intense PT on a torn labrum in my hip and I’m slowly getting back into running after a few years off, so I also was able to run for 10:30 straight and the deep tissue massage helped work out my tightness and now I’m really rambling but YAY.
I want to see the bulletin board, as an aside!!
Thanks and welcome back, Ali!!
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about ali

I’m the creator of the Ali on the Run blog and the host of the Ali on the Run Show podcast. I’m also a freelance writer and editor, a race announcer, a runner and marathoner, a mom, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (way better than the first one!), and reliving my glory days as a competition dancer in the early 2000s. I’m really happy you’re here.