169. Emily Sisson

"At this level, everyone works really hard. You can't just say, 'Oh, she just works the hardest.' All the elite athletes on that starting line, everyone has their own challenges in their build up and had to overcome those. Everyone has their own story."

Emily Sisson just might be having the best year of her life. The professional runner for New Balance kicked off her year by running a 1:07 at the Houston Half Marathon — coming just five seconds short of the American record. In April, Emily made her marathon debut at the London Marathon, where she ran a 2:23, finishing in sixth place and becoming the seventh-fastest U.S. woman ever at the marathon distance. It was also the second-fastest marathon debut by an American woman. This summer, Emily competed in the 10,000 meters at USA Track & Field Nationals, and landed a spot on the U.S. world team. She'll head to Doha later this month to represent the United States. On this episode, Emily reflects on her breakout year and talks about what's next, including where her head is at leading up to the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in February. She talks about what training at altitude is really like and what her training looks like right now, and she shares the game-changing marathon advice she got from Meb Keflezighi, Des Linden, and training partner Molly Huddle.

Thank you to the New York Road Runners Virtual Halfway There 13.1M for sponsoring this episode of the Ali on the Run Show! CLICK HERE to register (it's free!) and complete your 13.1-mile run between September 7 and October 13. Everybody's doing it!

What you'll get on this episode:

• How was Emily's run today? (3:00)
• What is training at altitude really like? (4:20)
• All about Emily's relationship with her husband and part-time pacer (10:30)
• Emily reflects on the highlights of her year on the run (14:30)
• What advice did training partner Molly Huddle give Emily before running London? (19:30)
• Why Emily chose not to run this year's NYRR New York Mini 10K, and how she came back to land a spot on the U.S. 10,000m team (21:50)
• Is there pressure surrounding the 2020 Olympic Trials? Plus, what it's like being an American female distance runner right now (28:00)
• How Emily and Molly became friends and training partners (38:10)
• What Emily's diet looks like (42:20)

What we mention on this episode:

Molly Huddle on Episode 66 of the Ali on the Run Show

Molly Huddle on Episode 51 of the Ali on the Run Show

Amy Cragg on Episode 97 of the Ali on the Run Show

Des Linden on Episode 100 of the Ali on the Run Show

Des Linden on Episode 64 of the Ali on the Run Show

Maurten

The Heart's Invisible Furies

Follow Emily:

• Instagram @em_sisson_
• Twitter @em_sisson

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• Twitter @aliontherun1
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• Strava

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