I am thrilled to welcome Adidas-sponsored professional marathoner Neely Spence Gracey to the Ali on the Run Show! Neely lives in Boulder, CO, with her husband and their Vizsla, Strider. Neely was born to be a runner—literally. She was born on Marathon Monday while her dad was running the Boston Marathon. (He ran a 2:16:40 and finished in 19th place, and went on to make the 1992 Olympic team and become a world championship medalist.) On this episode, Neely talks about what it was like growing up in a running family—including the time she joined her grandma for a Turkey Trot and out-kicked her when the finish line came into view! She also shares what it was like being home-schooled for most of her life, and opens up about how running went from something she did because her parents did it to something she really discovered for herself. Neely made her marathon debut at the 2016 Boston Marathon, where she ran a 2:35:00 and finished ninth (and was the first female American finisher), and followed it up with a 2:34:55 finish at the 2016 New York City Marathon, where she finished eighth. (If you’re gearing up to run the NYC Marathon in a few weeks, get ready to take notes: Neely offers her best tips for tackling the tough course!) Neely also opens up about how both she and her husband have Lyme Disease, and she talks about the challenges they’ve both faced with the unpredictable disease. She shares how she deals with injuries as a professional runner and how she stays mentally strong at every point in her training, and dishes out her best advice for the everyday runner. Stuff We Mention on this Episode: Shippensburg University: http://www.ship.edu/ Boston Marathon: http://www.baa.org/ Adidas: http://www.adidas.com/us/ Get Running: https://www.neelyruns.com/meet-the-coaches/ Bart Yasso: http://www.bartyasso.com/ IGeneX: https://www.igenex.com/ ElliptiGO: https://www.elliptigo.com/ Runner’s World cover story: https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/young-american Competitor magazine cover story: http://running.competitor.com/2016/03/boston-marathon/neely-spence-gracey-takes-on-boston-in-marathon-debut_147289 New York City Marathon: https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ Rock ‘N’ Roll Arizona: http://www.runrocknroll.com/arizona/ Momentum Jewelry: https://momentumjewelry.com/ Iron Doggy Hands-Free Leash: https://irondoggy.com/ BolderBOULDER 10K: http://www.bolderboulder.com/ Gwen Jorgensen: https://www.instagram.com/gwenjorgensen/ ProForm 9000 treadmill: https://www.proform.com/treadmills/pro9000 Meb Keflezighi: https://marathonmeb.com/ Meb Keflezighi video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzL67lVbULE Follow Neely: Instagram @neelysgracey: https://www.instagram.com/neelysgracey/ Twitter @neelysgracey: https://twitter.com/neelysgracey Blog: https://www.neelyruns.com/blog/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neelyruns/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliontherun/ Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!