907. Alana Levy, 2:34 Marathoner

"I think one of my biggest problems is I finish every race and think, 'I think I can go faster!'" If you follow the sport, you probably recognize Alana Levy. The New York City-based runner and member of Brooklyn Track Club is seemingly everywhere these days. From local staple races like the New York Mini 10K and the Fifth Avenue Mile (where Alana just won the open division in a personal best 4:38) to major marathons, like the 2025 Chicago Marathon where Alana earned her Olympic Trials Qualifier, running 2:36:53, to this year's Boston Marathon, where she improved her personal best by more than two minutes, racing in the pro field and finishing in 2:34:50. She's logging 100-mile weeks, winning races, and qualifying for the Olympic Trials Marathon — while working full-time as the director of product management at Pearl Health. In this conversation, Alana talks about her relationship with running and how it has evolved over the years, and about what it's like being a part of the ever-evolving New York City running community.  FOLLOW ALANA @yo_lans SPONSOR:  New Balance. Click here to get your hands on the just-released SC Rebel. You're going to love it! Lagoon. My favorite pillows and pillowcases! Click here to get the limited edition Ali on the Run x Lagoon Cool Flex Performance Pillowcase (!!!), and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off. IN THIS EPISODE: What's making Alana happy today, and what she's into right now (3:20) All about Alana's job as Director of Product Management at Pearl Health (14:55) What Alana's relationship with running is like right now (16:55) Alana reflects on "Young Lans," her childhood in Chappaqua, NY, and her experience running in college (18:40) On graduating from college and trying to figure out what to do next (29:00) How Alana has found her place in the New York City running community (35:30) How Alana became a 2:34 marathoner (41:25) Alana's OTQ journey (44:50) What it was like racing the 2026 Boston Marathon in the pro field (56:40) What Alana's relationship with running looks like right now (1:04:20) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Don't let anyone or anything make you feel like less of a runner." There's a chill in the air. It's officially fall. And that means it's officially fall marathon season. Whether you're gearing up for your first or your 50th, it's likely that your weekends right now are consumed by long runs, your shopping cart is filled with gels and Body Glide, and you're eagerly awaiting the day your race city's weather is available in the 10-day forecast. (You can keep checking, but trust that it'll keep changing.) In the spirit of the marathon, this is a crowd-sourced episode sharing the best advice, the biggest regrets, and the race day must-dos from the greatest community around: the Best Running Friends (that's you!). Plus, the pet peeves that really set you off on race day, your favorite things to listen to on the big day, and what you wish you would've known before your first 26.2. (You've got this!) SPONSORS:  Shokz" My favorite headphones! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) Vuori: Click here to get 20% off your first Vuori purchase. (Get the Halo Essential Wide Leg pants!) IN THIS EPISODE: Your best running tip or piece of advice (4:25) Wish you wish you would've known before your first marathon (20:00) Your favorite way to celebrate a race well run (34:50) Your race-day superstitions, traditions, must-dos (44:25) What are you listening to on race day? (55:00) The vent session: your biggest race day annoyances and pet peeves (1:02:40) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"It's running friendship in true form. We would not otherwise be friends. We're different ages, our kids are different ages, we live completely different lifestyles. She's as organized and type A as it gets, and I could not be further from that. And it works. Running brings people together, and it's so special to have that connection. We make fun of how different we are in the rest of our lives, but in running, we jive." On the day we recorded this episode, Arielle Chernin dropped her three daughters off at school. She has three girls ages five and under, with three different drop-off and pick-up locations. Then, she completed her 20-mile training run for the upcoming Chicago Marathon before putting in a day's work at the Brookline Food Pantry, where she is the organization's operations manager. The Newton, MA-based 3:02 marathoner is booked and busy, but she's having so much fun along the way. In this conversation, Arielle talks about finding her mom strength, and how that's changed her life on the run and beyond. She talks about running a personal best (3:02) at the Boston Marathon earlier this year, when she was six months postpartum, and about the big goals she's ready to share for next month's 26.2 in Chicago. Plus, all about her career path, her wild first birth story ("baby born on bathroom floor!"), and how she approaches training and racing. SPONSOR:  New Balance. Click here to get your hands on the just-released SC Rebel. You're going to love it! IN THIS EPISODE: All about Arielle's friendship with fellow runner Emily Oster (2:55) What's making Arielle happy today, and what she's into right now (7:40) How Arielle's relationship with running has evolved over the years (10:25) Arielle's earliest Boston Marathon memories (16:15) What motivates Arielle on the run (19:20) Arielle's wild first birth story (29:30) How Arielle's Chicago Marathon training is going (36:00) All about Arielle's job as the operations manager at the Brookline Food Pantry (44:15) Arielle talks about why she loves running whimsy (48:00) How Arielle ran a marathon PR six months after having her third daughter (51:50) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"But I'm really grateful. I had so much time to make mistakes, look stupid, look cringe, not know what I'm doing — so that when the opportunity arose, I was ready to go. I knew who I was, and I was ready to hit it." Cody Rigsby is undoubtedly one of the most popular — and most loved — fitness instructors on the planet. With a big personality, endless sass, and pop-heavy playlists, it's not surprising that Cody's Peloton classes are taken by millions. (From Pink to Prime Ministers, you're likely to see some buzzy names on the leaderboard during any given Cody class.) Since rising to superstardom, Cody has published a book, competed on Dancing With the Stars (he and pro partner Cheryl Burke finished third in 2021), and become a celebrity in his own right. In this conversation, Cody talks about his love/hate relationship with running, about his perspective on relationships in 2026, and about how he got the job at Peloton.  SPONSOR:  Lagoon. My favorite pillows and pillowcases! Click here to get the limited edition Ali on the Run x Lagoon Cool Flex Performance Pillowcase (!!!), and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off. IN THIS EPISODE: What's making Cody happy today? (3:55) What Cody's consuming right now (5:35) Getting to know Cody via Google Search (12:45) When running came into Cody's life, and what his childhood was like (18:30) Cody's plans for turning 40 (June 8, 2027!) (26:00) How Cody got the job at Peloton (30:20) How Cody has found his voice on the platform (38:00) Cody's reflections on his experience emceeing at lululemon's SeaWheeze 2026 (45:20) When Cody realized that Peloton — and he — were making a massive impact (49:45) Cody looks back on his experience on Dancing With the Stars (52:00) The role running plays in Cody's life right now (55:00) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Sometimes you've gotta just get a little messy." Caroline Moss has long had a dream: to run the New York City Marathon. As a New Yorker, it's her favorite day of the year. The catch: Caroline has never been a runner — until recently. In this series, we've been following author, creator, theater producer, Saved by the Bell super-fan, proud millennial, and professional shopper Caroline Moss as she embarks on a quest to start running and run the race of her dreams. Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 1 Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 2 Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 3 In Episode 4, Caroline updates us on whether or not she still does, in fact, want to run a marathon. Plus, the usual pop culture chatter, talk of root canals and colonoscopies, and Caroline's read on the running community after attending a live show during NYC Marathon weekend last year.   FOLLOW CAROLINE @geethanksjustboughtitpod SPONSORS:  Lagoon. My favorite pillows and pillowcases! Click here to get the limited edition Ali on the Run x Lagoon Cool Flex Performance Pillowcase (!!!), and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off. Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. IN THIS EPISODE: What's making Caroline happy today (4:30) What Caroline's into right now (12:50) How Caroline's life has — and hasn't — changed in a year, and what life has been like with a puppy (20:30) An update on Caroline on the Run (30:00) Caroline's experience at the New York City Marathon Final Finishers celebration (34:15) Caroline shares her perspective on the running community (54:35) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"It's such a rewarding job because you're working on things that affect your actual community. Some of the big stories are down the road from my house." When Tara Rincón was in college, she needed an internship to graduate. She was a communications major, so she decided to apply for an internship at her local news station, News 12 Long Island. Now, more than two decades later, Tara is still very happily at News 12, where she is a senior content producer. In this conversation, Tara — one of my best buds from Quinnipiac University, and a fellow journalism major / Spanish minor — talks about what her job entails, about what has kept her at News 12 for her entire adult life thus far, and about what a day in the life looks life. Tara wakes up every day at 1 AM, is at the station by 2 AM, and works until 11 AM. Then, she heads home, gets a run in, and is ready to transition to mom mode by the time her 6- and 9-year-old kids get home from school.  SPONSOR:  Oofos: The best in the recovery footwear game. Click here to check out Oofos's new CLUB+ line! Your feet are going to be so happy! IN THIS EPISODE: What's making Tara happy today, and what she's into right now (2:55) What Tara was like in college (8:15) Tara's road to working in broadcast news (11:30) A day in the life of Tara (18:25) What it's like being on the receiving end of viewers' phone calls (24:55) The importance of local news in 2026 (28:10) The biggest stories Tara remembers working on (33:40) What Tara does after the show wraps for the day (40:00) How Tara became a runner! (44:40) How Tara met her now-husband, thanks to being a New York sports fan (56:45) What's next for Tara on the run? (1:00:20) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Don't let bodily things make you not show up." Welcome to the fourth episode in a new series on the Ali on the Run Show called "No Stupid Questions." This is where experts come in to answer everything you've always wanted to ask about running. Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught Leer kicked off the series answering questions about professional running (and so much more); Jinger Gottschall, New Balance Director of Sports Research, answered questions about shoes and sports bras; and professional runner and coach Kim Conley offered loads of advice about how to be a better, stronger, faster, happier runner.  Today, we're talking TMI, with the always honest, always unfiltered Ashley Desanno, content creator and cofounder of the Creepy Book Club. Ashley is a mom to two teenage boys. She lives in Oregon, and she's been running for more than two decades. In this episode, we're here to assure you that with runners, there's no such thing as too much information. But if you have questions about bathroom emergencies on the run, chafing, underwear, and more — and we know you do — this episode aims to talk about it.  SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to get your hands on the just-released SC Rebel. You're going to love it! IN THIS EPISODE: How to deal with GI stuff on the run (10:00) Underwear, going commando, and more (32:25) Skin, sweat, and chafing (41:00) …and more (54:00) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"The days leading up to this race were rough, and the days after have been bright and full of sunshine." For the first time since 2019, lululemon's SeaWheeze half marathon and festival were so back! I had the honor and privilege of hosting a live show during the PreWheeze pre-race festivities with lululemon pro runner Phily Bowden, and was one of the start and finish line emcees on race day alongside Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby. The best part: I got to bring my daughter, Annie, along for all the fun. This is my recap from a few days in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Also: Welcome to EPISODE 900!) SPONSOR:  Shokz! My favorite headphones! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) IN THIS EPISODE: My history with lululemon, how I got the job at SeaWheeze, and my great post-surgery crashout (1:45) Thursday: the 2:15 AM alarm, traveling to Vancouver, and an afternoon exploring (16:00) Friday: a run along the Seawall, a live show with Phily Bowden, and a silly dinner at Sequel (27:30) Saturday: SeaWheeze Half Marathon day! (42:00) Sunday: the long way home (1:01:30) Answering listener questions about SeaWheeze (1:03:25) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Chaos can be a part of the journey." For the first time since 2019, lululemon's wildly popular SeaWheeze half marathon and festival returned to Vancouver, British Columbia — and I was there! I hosted a live show the day before the race with lululemon professional athlete and fan favorite Phily Bowden, who went on to win the race the next day. We talked about big dreams and goals, dealing with disappointment, and managing the very real post-race blues.  Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"That's part of the loss. It isn't how it was. But that doesn't mean it's not worth doing." This past weekend, Kara Goucher ran her first half marathon in seven years, and her first since being diagnosed with runner's dystonia in 2022. The former pro, author of The Longest Race, cohost of Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara, broadcaster, analyst, wife, and mom has had a long road to getting back on the run. From being told she'd never run again to breaking the tape at the City Tri Half Marathon alongside longtime friend Carrie Birth-Davis ("CB"), this is Kara's poignant race recap. She shares what it took to get to the start line, how she handled herself when things got tough with five miles to go (and really tough with three to go), and why this race was about so much more than 13.1 miles. SPONSOR:  Lagoon. My favorite pillows and pillowcases! Click here to get the limited edition Ali on the Run x Lagoon Cool Flex Performance Pillowcase (!!!), and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off. IN THIS EPISODE: How Kara is feeling after 13.1 miles (5:00) All about Kara's friend, affectionately known as CB! (8:30) Why Kara ended up running this race, and how it all came together — and the mid-race encounter with a car (19:25) What Kara's training was like leading up to this race, and what the emotional side of dystonia is like (29:30) Why Kara kept this race mostly under the radar (40:30) What Kara's relationship with the half marathon is like now (43:35) What was the goal for the day? (47:15) What it's like racing with the whole family (49:40) On being anonymous at the start line (52:45) The familiar pre-race nerves Kara felt on race day (59:00) Was it fun? (1:03:20) What helped when it got hard? (1:09:45) That finish line moment, and why this course was so meaningful for Kara and her family (1:11:10) How much was Sunday about running, and how much was it about so much more? (1:16:15) All about Stride & Story, Kara's writing and running retreat with co-author Mary Pilon (1:31:40) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!