795. Jinger Gottschall, New Balance Director of Sports Research

"To go out on top — there are so few athletes that can say that, and that really wasn’t my plan! I just wanted to know when it would be over so that I could put everything that I had into each throw." Kara Winger had long planned for 2022 to be her final javelin season. And what a final season it was! The four-time Olympian capped off her 18-year international career by winning her first global medal (silver, at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, OR), and becoming the first U.S. woman to medal in the javelin at a world championships event. She set a new American record. She took the win at the Wanda Diamond League final. And, after 12 years, she finally broke her own personal record. In this conversation, Kara reflects on her career and on what it means to go out on top. She talks about the support she has felt in the track and field community, and about when she made the decision to retire. She talks about being chosen to be the Team USA flag bearer at last summer's Tokyo Olympic Games, and talks about the struggles she's faced with injuries (two ACL tears and a labrum tear in her left shoulder) and setbacks. Now, the Tracksmith-sponsored athlete will begin the next chapter of her career as the senior director for Parity, an organization dedicated to closing the gender pay gap in sports. SPONSORS: UCAN: Click here and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. Napa Valley Marathon & Half Marathon: Click here to register for these races — taking place March 5, 2023 — today! What you’ll get on this episode: What Kara says to everyone who wants her to keep competing (5:00) When and why Kara decided to retire, and what her mentality was like heading into her final season (6:50) The first thing Kara pictures when she thinks about her final season of competition (13:20) Is it possible to get into a flow state when throwing? (18:35) What Kara’s childhood was like, and how she found the javelin (20:40) How Kara actually learned how to throw a javelin (27:00) What it was like becoming an Olympian while still in college (29:15) What life was like at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA (32:45) What Kara’s training is like lately (38:15) Kara’s decision to get her MBA (41:45) How Kara became the flag bearer for Team USA during the Tokyo Olympics (45:20) The support Kara has felt from her community this year (54:00) What Kara wishes people understood about throwing, field events, and the javelin specifically (59:00) Any chance Kara will compete at World Championships in Budapest next year? (1:03:00) Follow Kara: Instagram @KaraThrowsJav Twitter @KaraThrowsJav Website Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

22 Sep 20221h 15min

"I have to enjoy this race. I really just need this one to be uplifting." Deena Kastor has run (and won!) many marathons during her career. She's the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the marathon, she has won both the Chicago and London Marathons and the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and until this past January, she was the American Record Holder in the marathon (Keira D'Amato holds that title now). And this weekend, Deena will race the Berlin Marathon! Here, she explains why this race is so special (she'll earn her Abbott World Marathon Majors six-star finisher's medal!) and what her goals are for the day. Plus: why she ran her first marathon, where she keeps her Olympic medal, her real feelings about race broadcasting, and why her greatest running weakness involves...baby eagles? SPONSOR: Tracksmith. Click here and use code ALI22 to get free shipping. Plus, Tracksmith will donate 5% of your purchase proceeds to The Trevor Project. For more, check out: Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor Explore.org live cams Follow Deena: Instagram @deena8050 Twitter @deenakastor Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

20 Sep 202257min

"I’ve worked really hard and I’ve put a lot out there, and it’s been really good to the point that it terrifies me." Welcome to Ask Ali, a twice-a-month series where I answer all of your questions. This time around, I’m flying through 29 listener questions, sent in via Instagram Stories (I’m @aliontherun1), about my current goals and dreams, the New York City Marathon (lots of questions about the New York City Marathon!), the song that always makes me cry (and I cry just talking about it!), the lessons I've learned from my best and worst races, and so much more. SPONSORS:  goodr. Click here and use code ONTHERUN15 for 15% off your entire goodr order! Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. You asked: How are you doing? (3:30) What is one thing you would like to do before the end of the year? (6:35) What are you most excited for at the New York City Marathon? (9:00) What is your favorite song you ever danced to? (11:25) Can you give us any hints for the NYC Marathon live shows? (13:20) Team Edward or Jacob? (14:35) First-time marathon advice (14:55) Can you please share the reason for using “and” but never “but?” (17:00) What song always makes you cry? (18:55) Your favorite pre-run fuel (20:05) Biggest advice for balancing entrepreneurship and parenting (20:15) Boston or New York City? (22:05) Have you ever had a guest on the podcast that you were fangirl-nervous to speak to? (23:10) Do you know when you are announcing at the New York City Marathon? (27:30) What was your favorite place to write for when you were in the thick of freelancing? (28:40) If you had to host a podcast about something other than running, what would it be? (32:30) What do you think is overrated in the running world? And what is underrated? (34:35) What did you worst race teach you? What did your best race teach you? (38:10) What have been your takeaways from therapy? (42:45) What do female friendships look like these days? (43:10) What are your PRs? (45:45) What’s your bedtime / morning routine? (48:35) Best souvenir to buy at the New York City Marathon? (49:50) Taco night or pizza night? Favorite season? If you had to change your first name, what would you pick? (50:45) Which pro runner would you most want to have at your Thanksgiving? (52:00) The episode with Emily Durgin, you asked about her shoes. Was that agreed to per her sponsor? (52:35) What is your favorite bagel flavor? (53:30) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

16 Sep 202255min

"I struggle every day. I am just committed to not letting those little moments take me out of the game." As the founder and CEO of Thrive Causemetics, Karissa Bodnar has been included on Forbes's 30 Under 30 list, was named as one of Marie Claire's Most Powerful Women, and she was on Inc.'s Badass Female Founders list. But what matters most to Karissa, she swears, isn't the accolades: It's the people. In this conversation, we get to know the woman behind one of the most game-changing brands in the beauty industry — a woman who, naturally, happens to be a runner. (We recorded this conversation just a few days before Karissa ran the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon!) Karissa talks about how running makes her a better leader and business owner. She talks about the days when she would sit at her kitchen table, mixing formulas and dreaming of working her way up the beauty brand ladder. She talks about launching Thrive Causemetics in the wake of losing her best friend to cancer. And she talks about giving back. (For every product sold, Thrive donates products and funds to organizations and causes that support and empower women.) Plus: imposter syndrome in running and in business, what keeps Karissa up at night, and what it means to be "bigger than beauty." SPONSORS: UCAN: Click here and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. Bermuda Triangle Challenge: Click here and use code ALIONTHERUN15OFF to get 15% off your race registration. What you’ll get on this episode: How Karissa was feeling the week of her half marathon (5:00) Why Karissa wanted to run a half marathon this year (9:30) What young Karissa was like (18:00) Why Karissa names her products after women who inspire her (23:50) How Karissa found her purpose (25:50) How — and why — Karissa started her own company, and how it grew from mixing formulas at her kitchen table to a multimillion-dollar company (30:10) What keeps Karissa up at night (40:00) Karissa’s “wear sunscreen” PSA (44:15) When Karissa works out, and what her half-marathon training has been like (46:30) Karissa’s race-day playlist (52:00) What makes it onto Karissa’s highlight reel (57:35) On learning how to be a CEO (1:00:00) Follow Karissa: Instagram @karissabodnar Thrive Causemetics Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

15 Sep 20221h 20min

"I’m very excited to see where I’m at and to test myself. And I’m really having fun so far with this!" OK, right off the bat: You're getting more than 26 questions. Welcome to this new series on the Ali on the Run Show, where I sit down with some of my favorite people to ask a series of running- and non-running-related questions. Think Vogue's "73 Questions," but for runners — all of whom are currently gearing up for fall marathons. And what better way to kick things off than with Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden? Des will run the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, and she's here today to tell us what we don't yet know about everyone's favorite runner. (Including: a peek into her new book, the last time she cried, the last time she cried because of running, all about her candy-rating system, and whether she Googles herself. Plus, a LOL-worthy recent airplane story.) SPONSOR: Tracksmith. Click here and use code ALI22 to get free shipping. Plus, Tracksmith will donate 5% of your purchase proceeds to The Trevor Project. For more, check out: Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 Listen to Des on the Ali on the Run Show: Episode 522 Episode 462 Episode 363 Episode 205: Love on the Run with Des & Ryan Linden Episode 100 Episode 77: Live in San Diego Episode 64 Follow Des: Instagram @des_linden Facebook Twitter @des_linden Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

13 Sep 202236min

"Don’t just celebrate the final finish line. One of the ways to get through a training plan successfully is to make sure you’re stopping along the way and celebrating." Chris Bennett is on a mission: He wants runners to have more fun! (There's a reason he's been called "the real-life Ted Lasso.") The Nike Running Global Head Coach — known by hundreds of thousands of runners as simply "Coach" — takes a no-BS approach to running. He might dish out some tough love, but he always has a plan and a reason. He'll never tell you that you suck (and he really doesn't want you to say that to yourself, either), but he might tell you to "calm down," and he'll definitely tell you to "slow down." In this conversation, Coach Bennett talks about the importance of finding purpose on the run, explains why kindness is a secret weapon, and shares his take on run streaks (and whether or not he's doing one). SPONSOR: New Balance — Click here to learn more about how New Balance is supporting conversations around mental wellness in running. (And check out the SuperComp Trainer! I’m obsessed!) What you’ll get on this episode: What is the purpose of Coach Bennett’s run today? (8:25) Finding purpose on the run vs. having a goal (11:40) Is it unrealistic to expect every run to be fun? (18:20) How to turn a bad run around (24:30) “I’m not a run streaker, but I have a run streak” (33:00) How can runners be more kind to ourselves? (42:15) What it’s like being “The Ted Lasso of Running” (56:00) Coach Bennett’s love letter to New Jersey (1:02:40) Follow Coach Bennett: Instagram @CoachBennett Twitter @bennettrun Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

9 Sep 20221h 11min

“I’m in this whole new world of what they call marathon training. I don’t know. I’m still in denial!” Emily Durgin is having one heck of a year on the run. The adidas-sponsored professional runner lives and trains in Flagstaff, AZ (though, she says, "Maine will always be home home"), and 2022 has been good to her. She kicked off the year at the Houston Half Marathon, where she ran a personal best (67:54), and became the sixth-fastest American woman ever in the half marathon. And then, the personal bests just kept coming: Emily ran PBs in the 10,000 meters, the 5K, the 10K, and the 15K. But in some ways, she's just getting started. Emily is moving up in distance! She's gearing up for her 26.2-mile debut at the TCS New York City Marathon in November! In this conversation, Emily talks about why she wanted to make her marathon debut this year, why she wanted to do it in New York, and what her training looks like. Plus, how she's gained confidence on the track and the roads over the past year. SPONSOR: UCAN: Click here and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. What you’ll get on this episode: Where is “home?” (2:50) All about Emily’s run today, and how she’s feeling about marathon training so far (3:40) Why Emily always runs the Beach to Beacon 10K (7:55) Why now? Emily’s decision to make her marathon debut in 2022 (10:40) The women Emily loves racing with and against (15:30) Emily’s reflections on her summer of racing, and the races that boosted her confidence (17:30) What Emily pictures when she thinks about the New York City Marathon (20:20) Is there pressure that comes with making a marathon debut? (26:45) What pre-race Emily is like (29:35) Emily's earliest memories of becoming a runner (33:50) Emily's road to becoming a professional runner (40:45) What a day in the life of a professional runner is like (49:50) For more, check out: Eventide Oyster Co. Aliphine Tuliamuk on Episode 556 of the Ali on the Run Show Follow Emily: Instagram @em_durgin Twitter @emily_durgin Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

8 Sep 20221h 10min

"I saw a lot of people, especially on social media, saying, ‘She’s not gonna make it.’ And in my mind, I wanted to prove them wrong. And I think, honestly, that might have been my biggest downfall — trying to do more too soon, to prove to people that I could do this." It would be putting it lightly to say that the past two years have been a whirlwind for professional runner Aliphine Tuliamuk. At the beginning of 2020, she won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon, earning herself a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics. Then, when the Olympics were postponed due to the pandemic, she and her partner, Tim, saw that as an opportunity: Instead of going to Japan and competing at the Olympics that summer, Aliphine was newly pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl, Zoe, in January 2021. Then, with the Olympics just seven months away, new-mom Aliphine went all-in on marathon training (with a plus-one!). She traveled to Tokyo, lined up at the start of her first Olympic race, and had to pull out after 20K due to an injury. Today on the show, Aliphine talks about taking a much-needed break after Tokyo, and about how she knew — physically and emotionally — that she was ready to get back on the run. The Hoka NAZ Elite athlete is currently happy, healthy, and ready to light the fall racing scene on fire. (Her words!) This weekend, Aliphine will race the USATF 20K Championships, and then she will line up for her first marathon since Tokyo at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in November. SPONSORS: UCAN: Click here and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. THE FIRSTENERGY AKRON MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, & TEAM RELAY: Click here to register, and use code ALI20 to get $20 off your race registration. What you’ll get on this episode: How Aliphine is feeling, 70-ish days out from this year’s New York City Marathon, and what her training looks like right now (4:40) All about that photo from this year’s NYRR New York Mini 10K, and what Aliphine is like on starting lines (7:05) Aliphine’s fight to get to bring her daughter to the Olympics (16:55) Aliphine’s favorite — and least favorite — marathon training workouts (24:35) How Aliphine approached her post-Olympics break (29:15) How Aliphine follows the running industry (36:15) Aliphine’s goals for this year’s New York City Marathon (40:30) Aliphine shares her favorite parts of a marathon (47:00) Who is in Aliphine’s village? (50:50) Behind-the-scenes with the women of Hoka NAZ Elite (53:55) “How does 73 days feel to you?” (57:00) Follow Aliphine: Instagram @aliphine Twitter @aliphineT Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava 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!

1 Sep 20221h 1min