Feature Friday: 10 Most Inspiring Podcast Episodes & I'm Getting EXCITED!

Happy Friday! I’m still sick, but optimistic that I will be able to get my speedwork in this afternoon either outside or on the treadmill. Alex is away for a boys weekend, so it’s just me and the furry ones Saturday into Sunday. I’m hoping to get my packing for Vegas done, a long run in on the trails, gettng a mani/pedi on Saturday, and finishing another book! It’s supposed to be a rainy/ cloudy/snow showery weekend so lots of indoor activities will be had (and hot cocoa consumed). I also cannot WAIT for the NYC Marathon on Sunday morning! Is anyone else excited?! Who is racing! Someday (even if I’m 100 years old) I hope to get into the NYC lottery!

PS Think this is why Alex just happens to schedule “work trips” around my half and full marathon tapers????

Since my race-day is coming up soon, I wanted to share with you some of the most inspiring Podcast episodes I’ve listened to (and will be re-listening to this next week)!

I’ll Have Another With Lindsey Hein Episode 145: Sally Mcrae. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this episode. Sally is so relatable and such a hardworker. She is so inspiring and I honestly could listen to this episode over and over again on repeat.

Ali On The Run Show Episode #92: Laura Anderson, 2018 Buffalo Marathon Winner. Laura is so inspiring and works full-time, while also being a running coach (I would LOVE to have her be my coach!). She is really relatable on so many levels and if she can win a marathon while doing so much outside of the running world, I believe anything is possible!

Rich Roll Podcast January 7th Episode How Charlie Jabaley Lost 120Ibs & Overcame a Brain Tumor To Become An Athlete. We listened to this episode on our drive to Lake Powell and Charlie’s story is absolutely amazing. He is so open with his weight loss journey, his future goals, and so down-to-earth. So much respect and admiration for him.

Finding Mastery: Conversations with Michael Gervais June 27th Episode with Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon Winner. I’m sure that I have listed this episode here before, but it was just SO GOOD. I think this is my favorite interview with Des. I listened to it on my drive to my 50k and remember thinking how quickly the time went by because I was just so inspired and in awe of this interview. Really really good.

Oprah SuperSoul Conversations with Tom Brady Part 1 & Part 2 (June 17th & 19th). I have never been a huge fan of football just because of the way that most of the professional players act and their overall persona, HOWEVER these two conversations with Tom Brady showed me how incredible he really is and he gained a lot more respect from me. He has worked really hard (and continues to work really hard) to get where he is today and is one of the few professional football players that is certainly not like the others.

Rambling Runner Podcast Episode # 106 Janae Baron “Hungry Runner Girl”. I’m a huge fan of Janae’s and have loved so many episodes that Matt has done, but this one was so inspiring. I’ve been following Janae’s journey to get her sub-3 hour marathon for some time now and hearing her race recap when she did finally get that goal was incredible (and gave me CHILLS!).

I’ll have another with Lindsey Hein Episode #122 Teal Burrell. Teal’s story is incredible (she was also on episode # 58 of this podcast) and so inspiring. She is so down to earth and relatable. This episode focuses on her second OTQ marathon time that she secured (this tie post-baby) and her blog is really well done.

Ali On The Run Show Episode # 45 Andrea Barber AKA Full House’s Kimmy Gibbler. This one is inspiring in the sense that it gave me (a classic 90’s child) all. the. feels. I was never interested to watching the reboot, Fuller House, on Netflix until after listening to this episode. She is also really open and honest about her experiences with anxiety and depression and what it was really like growing up in Hollywood. Super funny and makes her seem so much more relatable.

Rambling Runner Podcast Episode #74 Sarah Canney. I’m a huge fan of Sarah’s journey and her openness and honesty on her blog. She does a great job of showing you the ‘unfiltered’ parts of her life and has accomplished so many great things in the running world.

Another Mother Runner Episode #326: 2017 NYC Marathon Winner & Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. Co-author Shalane Flanagan. So normally this podcast isn’t one of my favorites. They usually lose me in the first 5 minutes of their conversation recapping their weeks (maybe it’s because I don’t listen to every episode, but it just has me feeling lost), but I did fast forward through that and listen to their conversation with Shalane (whom I have a major girl crush on). She’s so inspiring and such a hardworker. I love following her journey and know that big things are still ahead for her!

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What’s the most inspiring Podcast episode you’ve listened to lately?!?

Who is going to watch the NYC Marathon? Anyone else going to enter into the lottery this year besides me (and hope that you’ll be one of the few selected to run)?!

Favorite pre-race tradition? ——> Manicure/Pedicure. Hands down. I look forward to it every single time. Hey, it could be some other more expensive tradition right?!?

Run recap & 10 favorite podcasts

This mornings run was magical. It was one of those perfect overcast (and fairly warm- low 50's) morning and I headed out to Strawberry Park- a pretty hilly run with not much traffic (there are more cows than cars) and a favorite of mine. 

By Thursday, it's always hard to wake up early as I'm tired and drained from the week, but when I remind myself that I get to "sleep in" (relative term: I wake up at 6:45) tomorrow morning that gets me out of bed and when I experience mornings like this it makes it all worth it. 

While I was running (and listening to one of my favorite podcasts...we'll get to that in a minute), I started thinking about how I was planning to go to hot yoga tonight because I feel like I needed that zen-like-feel that you only get (or well maybe I only get..) from yoga and then I GOT that same feeling on my run. It was so quiet and peaceful out, the air felt wonderful, I was relaxed, and when I finished- I felt refreshed (almost exactly like what I feel after leaving a yoga session)! 

Love when my recovery time is on-point for my next run!

Love when my recovery time is on-point for my next run!

Easy-paced miles to get me ready for my last double-digit run before Revel Rockies in 17 DAYS!

I did a few strength training workouts (2 x 10 dips on the assisted pull-up machine (20 Ib weight), 2 x 10 single-leg calf raises (10 Ib weight) on the seated leg press, 2 x 30 side squats with band, 2 x 1 minute planks) then finished up with 10 minutes of soaking in the hot springs (so thankful to be able to rejuvenate in a natural hot springs!). I was super hungry so I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and coffee before heading into work. 

Now, onto my top ten favorite podcasts to listen to while on the run!:

  • Runner's World Podcast : This is one my favorites! I honestly look forward to my Thursday morning runs where a new show is released and their stories are always really entertaining and thought-provoking. Also, I've loved listening to David Willey's Moonshot series and can't wait to hear his hopefully BQ-qualifying story!
  • Ali on the Run ShowThis show is so amazing and I never thought I'd meet another lover of Celine Dion, but Ali is one! She combines both personal stories regarding running and includes some great interviews with well-known runners (can't wait until her interview with Natalie Morales comes out). This show is great for shorter runs (since most of her podcasts are ~25-30 minutes) and it typically comes out twice a week!
  • Sounds of the TrailThis podcast isn't running-related, but that's why I love it! It follows different thru-hikers each year as they attempt to finish their trail (CDT, PCT, AT) and overcome obstacles and interview fellow hikers. I love how honest and funny they are and their being out in the woods brings me both peace and envy of them. 
  • Another Mother RunnerYes, "technically" I'm not a child-mom, BUT I am Stella's mom and this running-related podcast is great for long runs. They interview many different runners on varying topics (favorite one that I just recently listened to was interviewing Elyse Kopecky from Run Fast Eat Slow) and they're normally at least an hour long. 
  • Wait Wait....Don't Tell Me!This game-show based on news that happened throughout the week is funny and helps take my mind off of the run (when I'm struggling or need something more upbeat). They also have celebrities on a guests every week and I actually try not to listen to live on the air on NPR so I can have the podcast to listen to on my runs later that week. 
  • SerialYou knew it was coming! When a new season is out, I CANNOT put it down! I will listen to it non-stop on my runs, in the car, when I'm cooking, etc. until I finish. Alex loves to listen to it too so I'll try to wait until we have roadtrips together, but often times I can't wait and then just listen to it again. If you haven't started listening to it, you have to. It's like a real-life mystery unfolding in each podcast. 
  • S-TownThis one is put-together by the same producers as Serial and was pretty good (and similar mystery-drama), but honestly didn't come close to how great Serial was (they set the bar PRETTY high). I listened to this one on mid-length runs and it also helped the time pass on long drives (when we went to New Mexico). 
  • TED Radio HourComprised of TED talks about everything from the 7 Deadly Sins to How Things Spread and each podcast is really thought-provoking. If I want to get "in the zone" on the run, I'll choose a topic and download it or if we're going on a roadtrip (or backpacking/camping) , I'll go through and download a few topics that interest us. 
  • Outside PodcastThis one has so many great options to pick and choose from and is great for a short (typically 30 minutes) run. They just launched their XX factor series that focuses on women in the outdoors and they are really amazing and inspiring stories. Their first story in the series was about Arlene Blum (my idol) who led an all-women's ascent of Annapurna (the world's tenth-highest peak) in 1978. Her book Annapurna: A Women's Place is definitely my top-five favorite books ever. 
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  • The Bernie Sanders ShowMaybe not always the best podcast to listen to while running, it's nice to switch it up once and a while and well...because it's Bernie. He has guests on his show that shed on light on important political topics (favorite one was with Bill Nye talking about Climate Change). It's a great thought-provoking show to help get your mind out of the gutter on the run. 

There you have it! My top 10 favorite podcasts to listen to while running, driving, cooking, hiking, camping, etc. You can listen to the podcasts on the links that I provided OR you can download them via iTunes or apple's podcast app (which is what I do). Happy Thursday and go download some new podcasts!

Favorite podcast to listen to?

What do you listen to when you're running?

Favorite way to relax and unwind? Yoga? Running? Meditation? Walk?