Housekeeping first:
See you at SeaWheeze! I am so excited to be headed to Vancouver next week for lululemon’s SeaWheeze weekend. I have always wanted to experience this race, what a way to get to do it: hosting a live show with Phily Bowden (!!!) on Friday, August 7, at 1 PM, and on the mic at the start and finish on race day. I am so excited for a fun Canadian weekend!
Welcome Superhero Muffins to the Ali on the Run Show brand fam! You already know that these are my favorite muffins. I’ve eaten them for breakfast daily for years now, and the new mixes are absolute game-changers. You add butter, eggs, and water (and chocolate chips…), bake for 24 minutes, and yum. Joy. Happiness. Packed with whole ingredients, delicious, and you get to support an awesome small business in the process! Use code SUPERALI15 to get 15% off your order. (The Chocolate Banana are my favorite.)
I got to work with the Lagoon team on special Ali on the Run pillow cases! They’re saving my life right now (holy hot flashing at night), and it’s been so fun hearing from so many of you as they start to arrive! Check them out here, and use code ALI for 15% off!
OK, let’s catch up!
I had surgery on Monday, July 20.
(I’ve mentioned it 400 times by now, but I had my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to reduce my risk of ovarian cancer. I have the BRCA2 gene, and my breast cancer is hormone receptor positive, so this surgery serves multiple purposes. It was a preventative surgery, and it actually feels pretty empowering in the aftermath. Like hell yeah, I just took really serious steps to hopefully ensure a better future for myself. Knowledge is power, science is great. “Yeah Mr. White! Yeah science!”)
I was home-bound for several days afterward. The recovery has gone mostly as expected. The first few days were hard. I was in a lot of pain and discomfort. There wasn’t any real drama beyond being debilitated for a bit.
Now, 10 days later, I’m feeling better — and worse!
On the better front: the bloating has gone down (I looked many months pregnant in the days following surgery), my small incisions are healing beautifully, and I’m not in pain anymore. Great news!
On the worse front: I’m in instant surgically-induced menopause now. And that’ll be another newsletter for another day, on how it feels being 41 and in menopause, and the narrative in my head around that, and the acceptance of it all so far. But the effects from it are relatively intense. I cannot sleep. My body temperature at night is wild. I am achy as hell. And, new as of the past two days, my hands, wrists, and fingers absolutely ache. It might be for the best, because it’s forcing me to scroll less. But it’s something I need to troubleshoot, because I can’t let this get worse. (I haven’t so much as Googled this yet, so feel free to advise in the comments!)
Six days after surgery, I left the house for the first time. Annie and I had a surprise party to attend for a friend turning 40 — a really solid mix of her friends and mine, and I was really happy to be feeling up for it. One amazing beautiful wonderful friend (and her daughter, Annie’s bestie) drove us to the party, and another drove us home (I am back to driving now, but wasn’t at the time).
We were the last people to leave the party, as we almost always are.
In Seema’s SUV — her husband driving, me in the passenger seat (they insisted; I would’ve crawled in the back!), Annie and Seema’s youngest in the middle row, and Seema and her oldest in the way back. Absolutely blasting “drop dead” by Olivia Rodrigo. We were on the windy roads between our two houses, all of us (OK, maybe not her husband, so Randy, please learn the words for future mandatory group activities) scream-singing at the top of our lungs.
It was the moment I felt the happiest in the past two weeks, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I spend a lot of time thinking about making moments special. About making sure Annie’s life is filled with magic and memories. About doing whatever I can to support her and set her up for success and happiness.
But it’s the sneaky simple moments that tend to make the most magic.
I don’t know if Annie will remember that car ride home from the birthday party. And sure, my hormones are probably as up-and-down as the roads home from Concord, which we call the Rollercoaster Roads (welcome to rural New Hampshire, and godspeed on the back roads).
I just keep picturing it and smiling: “The most alive I’ve ever been.”
(Would genuinely love to hear about a little unexpected magical moment in your life lately. Tell me!)
This week on the Ali on the Run Show:
Jay Holder, USA Track & Field Chief Content & Communications Officer: Our friend Jay returns to the show, this time in his role as USATF head comms guy (unofficial title)! It has been awesome watching Jay thrive in this role over the past year, and especially at USAs this past weekend, where he got to hang with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, among other stars. Jay has a deep love for the sport, and I always appreciate his perspective as both an industry insider and a fan.
Reading:
Strangers by Belle Burden. The much talked about “marriage memoir.” I tore through the first 100 pages, then took a bit of a break during surgery recovery. (I was already dealing with enough!) I had of course heard (and consumed) all the buzz around this book, and I ordered it as soon as it was available. It sat on my nightstand for months (as most books do), digesting the mixed messaging of “You have to read this” and “You may not want to read this.” And it is, indeed, all the things: infuriating, validating, inspiring, gripping.
Watching: I made a list of things I wanted to watch during my surgery recovery, but I didn’t spend as much time on the couch as I expected. (Shocking. I don’t love sitting still.) I’m also not proud to admit that I committed to taking a Vanderpump Rules break after completing Season 6 (a real banger of a season! wow!), but eventually I got sucked back in, and I’m now, unfortunately, painfully aware that Jax and Brittany get married. So here we are. But also:
Not Suitable for Work (Hulu) was cute! I liked the first half of the season better than the second half.
The Five-Star Weekend (Peacock) was my favorite surgery-recovery watch (devoured it with my mom!). I haven’t read the book, but I enjoyed the series, and I would very much like a Nantucket mansion for future girls weekends and sexy romances.
The Dink (Apple TV) was really funny. Great cast, great writing, the Ben Stiller character cracked me up, Jake Johnson is very lovable. An easy, enjoyable watch that will appeal to the pickleball-lovers in your life, and beyond!
Missing:
My vibration plate, which people ask about constantly. It’s my little daily obsession. I stand on it for 10 minutes every morning, just as a routine to start the day. Does it do anything? Who knows! Do I love it? Deeply. I’m not quite back into my plate routine post-surgery, but I think I’ll be ready to get back on soon!
I am so grateful for the wonderful brands and partners I get to work with on the Ali on the Run Show. Supporting them = supporting me!
Shokz: Click here and use code ALI for $10 off your next purchase.
Lagoon: Click here to get my favorite pillows (I sleep on the Otter every night), and use code ALI for 15% off.
Superhero Muffins: Click here and use code SUPERALI15 to get 15% off my favorite muffin mixes!
New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance’s latest releases for the season.
Oofos: Click here to check out the new Club+ line. Comfy and supportive = a dream!
Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori order.
Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Be the good. Have some fun.
(You’ve got this. You’re doing great.)
Love,
Ali
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