62. Gabe Grunewald, Professional Runner & 4-Time Cancer Survivor

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 7 years old. It was a scary, confusing time in my life, and while I'd love to say I've figured it all out since then, the truth is that this disease constantly keeps me on my toes. I'm someone who loves to live life according to plan, but living with a chronic, incurable illness makes that pretty tough — and has forced me to adjust to a life of uncertainty. I'm going through a Crohn's flare right now (boo!), so on this episode I'm sharing exactly what that feels like, why I think it happens, and why I keep running — bathroom stops and all. (There's a lot of bathroom talk in this one. Get excited!) Stuff I Mention on this Episode: Episode 2 of the Ali on the Run Show: Being Married to Someone With Crohn's Disease: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2017/03/01/episode-2-brian-cristiano-married-someone-crohns-disease/ Crohn's & Colitis Awareness Week: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/12/01/crohns-colitis-awareness-week/ A Plea From a Girl With Crohn's: Please Let Me Use Your Bathroom: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/12/02/plea-girl-crohns-please-let-use-bathroom/ What Your Friends With Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Want You to Know: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/12/12/friends-crohns-disease-ulcerative-colitis-want-know/ Things That Make Having Crohn's Easier (And a Few Things That Make It Worse): http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/10/13/things-make-crohns-easier-things-make-worse/ What to Know Before Enrolling in a Clinical Trial: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2015/01/16/a-crohns-update-things-to-know-about-enrolling-in-a-clinical-trial/ When the Person You Love Has Crohn's Disease: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2015/12/02/when-the-person-you-love-has-crohns-disease-a-guest-post-by-brian/ When Your Kid Has Crohn's: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2015/12/03/when-your-kid-has-crohns-a-guest-post-from-my-dad/ The Mental & Emotional Side of Crohn's Disease: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2015/12/04/the-mental-emotional-side-of-crohns-disease/ Life After a Clinical Trial: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/04/26/a-crohns-update/ Running With Crohn's Disease: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/09/09/running-crohns-disease/ What Crohn's Disease Feels Like: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/10/03/crohns-disease-feels-like/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliontherun/ Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

23 Touko 201721min

Meredith Kennedy is the Marketing Operations Manager at BuzzFeed, and is the brand's former Editorial Chief of Staff. Before that, she made the rounds in the television industry: She was a Booking Producer at the Today Show, was Katie Couric's assistant, and has worked for all the major TV networks, including NBC, ABC, and CBS. She's a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and offers up some great advice in this episode for people who want to get into media, publishing, and the ever-changing digital space. She's also a speedy runner! Meredith is a 3:18 marathoner who runs for the Central Park Track Club in New York City. On this episode, Meredith shares what it was like working with Katie Couric, and how she survived those super early mornings—while marathon training!—during her time at Today. She discusses the news stories that most impacted her career in television, and explains what it's like to be the person who has to call family members after tragic situations and ask them if they'll come on the show. ("It's pretty much the worst phone call you have to make," she says.) Plus, Meredith talks about how what it's like working at BuzzFeed (and what to do if you want to get hired there), shares her take on "don't read the comments," and talks about her favorite recent BuzzFeed quiz. Stuff We Mention on the Show: Hamilton College: https://www.hamilton.edu/ Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: https://www.hamilton.edu/ Broadway Bodies: http://broadwaybodies.com/ Today Show: http://www.today.com/ CBS Evening News: http://www.cbsnews.com/evening-news/ The time I was on the Today Show with Celine Dion: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/07/22/the-day-i-met-celine-dion/ Today's Puppy With a Purpose program: http://www.today.com/pets/today-puppy BuzzFeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ Rockefeller State Park: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/59/details.aspx New York Road Runners: http://www.nyrr.org/ Central Park Track Club: http://www.centralparktc.org/ Airbnb Brooklyn Half: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/airbnb-brooklyn-half Bank of America Chicago Marathon: https://www.chicagomarathon.com/ Boilermaker 15K: http://www.boilermaker.com/ Kara Goucher: https://twitter.com/karagoucher Meb Keflezighi: https://marathonmeb.com/ "Do You Actually Know the Right Way to Eat Sushi?" quiz: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/do-you-actually-know-the-right-way-to-eat-sushi?utm_term=.vhN8MdQWZ#.veoPaVybg Follow Meredith: Instagram @meremat: https://www.instagram.com/meremat/ Twitter @meremat: https://twitter.com/meremat Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

18 Touko 201758min

I love running! That's no secret. I love doing it, I love talking about it, I love racing, and I love training. I love the easy runs, the hard workouts, and the long runs. But sometimes it just feels good to vent, so that's what I'm up to today. From shorts without pockets to angry runners in Central Park at 6 AM to GPS watches not finding satellites within eight seconds, here are a few of my running-related gripes. (Also: porta-potty lines at races, bathroom etiquette, and injury-related praise.) Stuff I Mention on this Episode: Runner's World porta-potty story: http://www.runnersworld.com/racing/answers-to-your-biggest-porta-potty-questions My 2016 New York City Marathon recap: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2016/11/07/new-york-city-marathon-2016-recap/ @restdaybrags on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restdaybrags/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

16 Touko 201723min

Meggie Smith is a chief resident in OB-GYN at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and is working to be a reproductive endocrinologist and reproductive specialist. ("I want to help women have babies," she says.) We met when Meggie was in medical school, and now she delivers babies and performs risky surgeries as part of her job. On this episode, Meggie — a former tennis player and run-hater-turned-marathoner — talks about what it was like working at NYU when Hurricane Sandy hit, shares why she chose NYU (hint: it involves the Olsen twins), and talks about how she managed to run a Boston Qualifying marathon time while working 80-hour weeks. She opens up about "going into survival mode" at work, the first time she delivered a baby, and the very tragic — but very real — parts of her job. This summer, Meggie is headed west! Cheer her on as she finishes up her residency and heads to the University of Southern California to start a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Stuff We Mention on the Show: 16 Handles: http://16handles.com/ Birch Coffee: http://birchcoffee.com/ NYU Langone Medical Center: http://nyulangone.org/ Bellevue: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/ UAE Healthy Kidney 10K: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/uae-healthy-kidney-10k NYRR New York Mini 10K: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/nyrr-new-york-mini-10k Shape Women's Half-Marathon: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/shape-womens-half-marathon Eugene Marathon: http://www.eugenemarathon.com/ Picky Bars: https://pickybars.com/ Oiselle: http://www.oiselle.com/ Ask Lauren Fleshman: http://asklaurenfleshman.com/ Follow Lauren Fleshman @fleshmanflyer: https://www.instagram.com/fleshmanflyer/ Stephanie Rothstein Bruce: http://www.stephandbenbruce.com/ Philadelphia Half Marathon: https://philadelphiamarathon.com/ New York City Marathon: http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ Insight Timer app: https://insighttimer.com/ Follow Meggie: Instagram @mbsthinks: https://www.instagram.com/mbsthinks/ Twitter @mbsthinks: https://twitter.com/mbsthinks Blog: https://thethinksicanthink.wordpress.com/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

11 Touko 20171h 3min

I never expected to be a runner — and I certainly never expected running to be something I actually enjoy. On this episode, I take a run back in time (too cheesy?) to share how I found, hated, dabbled in, hated again, tried for real, and eventually learned to love running. It all started with a fifth grade Ali trying to escape the timed mile in gym class, followed by an Ali who was motivated to run to fit into the biggest size jeans they sold at Abercrombie, and then to the Ali who moved to New York City and wanted to get strong for herself. I may have hated running as a kid, but as an adult, it didn't take long for me to get hooked. I've been motivated by different things over the years — trying to fit into my work clothes, wanting to get shiny medals like the ones my roommate had hanging on her walls, raising money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, or running out my post-breakup angst and aggression — but the one thing that's remained is that I'm forever grateful for every run I get to enjoy. Running has been one of the greatest gifts in my life — and this is how it all began.

9 Touko 201734min

Bethany Lyons is the owner, founder, and CEO of Lyons Den Power Yoga in New York City. Before opening the Baptiste yoga-style studio, she was the first-ever hired instructor at SoulCycle, and was a regional manager in charge of the group fitness programs at Crunch Fitness — which is where we met! (We share the story of our first interaction in the episode — it involves Bethany being the spin class sub and me being pissed.) Bethany has been a fitness instructor for more than a decade, and before that she was a professional dancer, singer, and actress. Today, Bethany is all about showing up, doing the work, and "being a yes." On this episode, she shares the story of how she accidentally learned to love yoga (happens to all of us that way, doesn't it?), how and why she decided to open her own studio — in the most expensive neighborhood in the most expensive city in the world — and whether or not she was worried no one would show up the day the studio opened. Bethany is a game-changer — enjoy! Stuff We Mention on the Show: How I met Bethany Lyons: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2017/02/27/bethany-lyons-soulcycle/ Crunch Fitness: https://www.crunch.com/ SoulCycle: https://www.soul-cycle.com/ Syracuse University: https://www.syracuse.edu/ Baptiste yoga: https://www.baptisteyoga.com/ Flywheel Sports: https://www.flywheelsports.com/ Baron Baptiste: https://www.baptisteyoga.com/pages/baron-baptiste Atlas Shrugged: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145 Tedi Sarah on Instagram @tedisarah: https://www.instagram.com/tedisarah/ ChiliPad: https://www.chilitechnology.com/products/chilipad-cube-single-zone-single-split-queen Animal Haven on Instagram @animalhaven: https://www.instagram.com/animalhaven/ The Dodo on Instagram @thedodo: https://www.instagram.com/thedododo/ Follow Bethany: Instagram @bethanyalyons: https://www.instagram.com/bethanyalyons/ Twitter @balmnyc: https://twitter.com/balmnyc Follow Lyons Den Power Yoga: Website: http://lyonsdenpoweryoga.com/ Instagram @lyonsdenpy: https://www.instagram.com/lyonsdenpy/ Twitter @lyonsdenpy: https://twitter.com/LyonsDenPY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LYONS-DEN-POWER-YOGA-560303797369023/ Follow Ali: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

4 Touko 20171h 12min

It's no secret that I love being in my thirties. In honor of turning 32 this weekend, I'm using this episode to take a look back on the last two years and reflect on the most important lessons I've learned since entering my thirties. (Spoiler: It's a lot of "you do you" and "ignore the haters" and "live with integrity.")

2 Touko 201730min

Lauren Conkey is 3:18 marathoner, vegetarian, and mom to two girls, Amelia (3) and Mabel (8 months). She's the blogger behind the now-retired Health on the Run, and lives in Rhode Island, where she works in public health — and on this episode we find out what that actually means and what her job entails. Lauren and I have been friends for years — an internet friendship success story! — so I wanted to use this episode to catch up on her life, her running, and how life has changed since having two kids (spoiler: it's changed a lot). Lauren shares how she got started running — a story that involves her runner dad convincing her to run a mile on a track so she could stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve — and went on to shave 20 minutes off her marathon time, and gets personal talking about running before, during, and after her pregnancies. She also opens up about her recent miscarriage and how she returned to running afterward. You don't have to have kids to appreciate Lauren's wise words and reflections on life as a runner mom! Stuff We Mention on the Show: New York City Marathon: http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ Cleveland Marathon: http://www.clevelandmarathon.com/ Manchester City Marathon: http://www.millenniumrunning.com/marathon Ali's Manchester City Marathon Recap: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2012/11/06/from-413-to-351-my-manchester-city-marathon-recap/ New York City Marathon Weekend 2011: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2011/11/07/new-york-city-marathon-weekend/ Follow Lauren: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcontherun/ Retired blog: https://healthontherun.wordpress.com/ Follow Ali: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

27 Huhti 201756min