Welcome to the Allie on the Run show.
I'm your host, Allie Feller, and this is where I talk with people who are doing exciting things on the run and beyond.
From professional athletes and celebrity runners to the everyday amateur and back of the pack runner.
We are here to celebrate everyone and anyone who enjoys a life on the run.
Whether you are running towards something big or away from something that's been holding you back, I am here to hold your hand and help you pick up the pace.
My guest today is Melissa Jefferson Wooden.
Three-time World Championships gold medalist, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
This summer in Tokyo, Melissa won gold for Team USA in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the 4x100 meter relay.
She became the first American to win triple gold at the same world championships.
She became the first American woman in history to win the 100-200 double at world championships.
And she became the first American woman since Alison Felix in 2009 to win the 200 at the world championships.
Melissa went undefeated in the 100 meters this season.
And last year she made her Olympic debut in Paris, where she won bronze in the 100 meters and gold in the 4x100 relay.
Her list of accolades is long, and Melissa is just 24 years old.
This conversation was an absolute delight.
Melissa is enjoying some post-season downtime and, after getting married earlier this year, she and her husband are finally getting to go on their honeymoon.
We talk about it all.
Loved this conversation.
Please welcome the fastest woman in the world, Melissa Jefferson Wooden, to the Alley on the Run show.
All right.
By very popular request, my friends, we have Melissa Jefferson Wooden here with us today.
Melissa, what a year you have had.
I don't know how you were making the time to be here with me.
Thank you so much for being here.
Welcome to the Allie on the Run show.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing good.
Thank you for having me.
And to your question about how I made time to be here with you today.
It's all about planning and organizing.
So as long as it fits into the plan, we're good.
Well, thank you for having us as part of the plan today.
It truly is an honor to have you.
It has been so fun watching you race, you know, for the past few years, but especially this year, seeing all that you've done.
So now I have to ask, Are we are we going on a honeymoon?
Is that in the near future?
Yes, we're going on a honeymoon in 10 days.
I can't wait.
I'm so excited.
Where are you headed?
We're going to St.
Lucia.
Perfect.
You said you wanted to go somewhere warm, I believe.
So you're making it happen.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Good.
So, with all of this racing behind you this year, in this incredible season, how are you feeling right now?
I'm feeling good.
I'm looking back on it now, just from the very start of the year to where I am right now is just so like wow, like I really won.
I really got to do everything that I wanted to do or that I set out to do this year.
And then on top of that, it kind of just really felt like a movie in a sense.
Like looking back at it.
When you really take the time to look back at it, it really genuinely feels like it was a movie.
Okay, so if this year was a movie for you, in any given movie there's always, you know, there's the build right.
Then there's the conflict.
And then there's like the amazing grand finale.
Was there the conflict piece of it?
Was there this year, a setback or something that would be that sort of dramatic turn in the movie?
Um, so not really anything like very, very dramatic.
Um, I would say, if anything, the biggest thing that I had to deal with this year is just, you know, staying in my own lane, focusing on what I needed to do, and then just not letting any outside noise or anything else or any other person, you know, really distract me from what I wanted to achieve.
Okay.
So then what is the grand finale of the movie?
What is the big moment when we all cheer and celebrate?
Because I feel like there could be so many of those moments.
Yeah.
Which one are you choosing for your movie moment?
Grand finale.
Grand finale would definitely have to be securing the 200 meter gold in Tokyo for sure.
Yeah, good choice.
And then of course, as the credits are rolling, we see you on a beach in St.
Lucia, relaxing, enjoying and celebrating, maybe getting like wearing the medals on the beach.
You know what?
I might have to think about that.
Where are the medals?
You collected quite a bit of hardware this year.
Where do you keep all the stuff?
So right now they're kind of traveling with me for the most part because I have to do some appearances where I do have to have them with me and things like that.
So but they always are in their safe little safe little home.
I say World Athletics gave us a really nice wooded box with some like velvet, soft kind of thing overlaid to go over it, you know, to make sure that it's.
Still nice and neat and clean and smooth.
So yeah, that's where I'll be keeping them.
Okay, well, very recently, those medals traveled with you to be on the Jennifer Hudson show.
You got to walk through the tunnel.
How was that experience?
Let's hear all about it.
Absolutely insane.
So when I got back from Tokyo yeah, when I got back from Tokyo, I was going to be home for roughly about a week before I had to leave to go to LA to be a part of a Nike leadership conference.
And in me doing so, getting ready for the Nike leadership conference, I actually got a phone call from my publicist and he was like hey, like do you want to go into Jennifer Hudson show?
And I'm like, oh duh, like why wouldn't I want to go into Jennifer Hudson show?
He's like okay well, it's going to happen when you're going to LA.
And it really all happened within a week of me being home.
So initially, I just went to LA for a leadership conference.
And then I got the opportunity to be a part of her show.
Oh, and I also have a question.
When is this airing?
This week.
This week?
Or when this week?
Probably either tomorrow or Wednesday.
Oh, OK.
Do you have something to share that you can only tell me if it's a certain day?
Because I can plan for that.
Yes, so- yeah so like off record but not well yeah so like off record but on record even crazier the day before I was supposed to leave to go to LA I get a call from my agent and he's like would you like to race 100 men and I was like sure he says okay would really like to do something with you yeah So that's airing on Saturday.
OK, so you already did it.
Yes, I did it.
So I did it literally.
So I left for L.A. last Wednesday.
I found out Tuesday.
I found out Tuesday that I was going to be doing the shooting with.
And so I left Tuesday, and instead of going straight to LA, we changed our flights and I went to first and then shot with all day.
And then I left that night to go to L.A.
How was that experience?
Absolutely insane.
Like the last, what day is this now?
It's like the fifth.
Ever since it turned October, my life has been like crazy.
It's been so crazy.
It's been so crazy.
Okay.
So with the Jennifer Hudson spirit tunnel because, of course, like I watched all of those videos of people walking down the tunnel.
How do they prep you for that?
Do you, and do you just do it once or is it like, we'll do it a couple times?
Tell me about the spirit tunnel.
So they don't prep you at all.
You don't, you don't even know like what the song is going to be.
So you're like when you come around the corner you kind of wait to see, like what the beat is and things like that.
And then at that point, it's just like, okay, think of something, do something, don't look crazy.
And so that's what I did.
No, yours was so cute.
And I've watched it a bunch of times.
You look so genuinely happy to be there and just like taking it all in.
It was very fun to watch.
And I appreciated that.
Then, when you were chatting with Jennifer Hudson, that she kind of like how'd you explain Hey, what does it mean that you just made history at world championships?
So for you, what is that experience like?
Doing some of these you know interviews and appearances, knowing like this isn't just a track and field audience.
This is a much broader audience.
What is that like for you talking to people who might have no idea, might know nothing about track and field?
Well, it makes me feel so good because the one thing that I always say I feel like I have so much success because of my love for the sport.
And to be able to share my love with the sport, not only on the track but off the track, and then getting a chance or getting an opportunity to explain that to people who may not know, like you said, who may not know a lot about what we do, what it means to do what we do and the ins and outs of how it works.
And when it comes to making history, putting it into...
Either explaining it in a way that they do understand or finding a way for them to be able to really comprehend like, the magnitude of what you've done.
Like I really did appreciate that because one for Jennifer like she didn't necessarily have to do that, she could have just, you know, been like, oh yeah, she made history and doing the sprint double and just left it at that.
But there's a lot of people out there who don't even know what the sprint double is, let alone a sprint you know.
So it's like having an opportunity to explain that um, and on her platform, who reaches out to so many people uh, it was like you know what that, like that really made me happy oh, yay.
Well, one question that i always ask at the beginning of every interview is what is something that's making you happy today?
So what do you got Something that's making me happy today?
I get to kind of like just take this day and really like kind of decompress before I get into this week, because this week is kind of even crazier.
So I'm really just having like nowadays I'm appreciating the times where I do have like downtime or anxiety.
I'm not doing anything that's like so demanding or like on the point or like we have to be here.
We have to do this.
We have that.
Really just taking in the time and being appreciative of the time, I do have to just like settle down, spend it with family, you know, just have a good time.
So we have closed out the season.
You were going to be competing at Athlos.
You have said, I'm not going to be competing, but you will be there.
So you're traveling to New York, which I know people are super excited about, to get the chance to do a meet and greet with you.
What else is going on this week?
You said it's such a busy one.
What does the week look like?
Yes.
So another appearance on the way.
It'll be like, aren't you glad that you're getting all of this inside scoop?
I am.
I'm loving this.
Yes.
So Wednesday morning, I will be on the Today Show in the Plaza.
So I'm very, very, very, very excited for that.
Yep.
And then I'm going to be having some exciting news come out about me and my future with NBC.
Well, I would say on her turf.
So, yeah, it's definitely exciting.
Very exciting week.
Do you get nervous for any of that stuff or do it like for going on the today show?
Are there nerves that come with that?
Or is that just like a fun and easy part of the job?
So I think it's kind of not necessarily me being nervous, but it's kind of like Ooh, this is about to happen.
Like that's how I was before I went down the spirit tunnel at the J HUD show, the producer came around the corner.
She's like, okay, you're ready.
You're just going to walk down right here and then you're going to turn right.
And then we're going to all be right there.
And I was like, okay.
And they were like, excuse me, they came back and they were like, are you ready to go?
And I was like, oh my gosh, it's about to happen.
So I feel like when I go into today's show, it's going to be like oh my gosh, this is about to happen.
Yeah.
Which I mean very different but almost similar to being in the blocks and waiting for that gun to go off, which I want to ask because I've been, you know, in preparation for this.
I've been rewatching a lot of your races and there are some times where you are in the blocks and it feels like dead days go by before that gun goes off.
What is that like for you?
I mean, it really it's only a couple seconds, but sometimes it feels very long, especially for the viewer at home.
What about for you?
Does it feel long?
Does it feel short?
What's going through your head in the moments before that race starts?
Yeah, so most of the time, the thing that's going through my head the most is just me trying to be, in whatever moment it is at the time, like I feel.
Like in life we go, we're so um, focused on what's ahead versus what we're doing right now.
Like what's in front of us right now.
And so this year, I really prided myself on being a part or being present in each and every moment that I that I'm in right now, not trying to look forward to.
So like, say for instance, I wake up on race day and I don't race until 5 PM.
I'm not worried about what I'm going to be doing at 5 PM.
Once I get up, I'm being appreciative of the fact that one I woke up to, I get to go and have breakfast, say my prayers and just literally enjoy every single part of the day that leads me up to getting to that start line.
So when I'm on the line and you know, waiting for them to say on your marks and things like that, I'm really just taking it in because it's like, once they say on your marks, it's like here we go.
Like, Oh my gosh, this is about to happen.
Like literally.
And so, um, Like, kind of doing that now, too, just when it comes to doing stuff like that.
Like, you asked about the Today Show.
Like, is it any type of nerds or anything?
I really just going to feel like I'm just going to be like, okay, it's about to happen.
I'm not surprised to hear that that is your outlook, because anyone who follows you is a fan of yours knows that you are all about one day, one practice one, meet at a time.
Can you talk a little bit about where that came from?
I don't know if it's fair to call that your mantra or just your.
You know something that you stand by and that you say all the time.
So where did that come from in that mindset?
Yeah, so it actually came from me training for the Olympic season and And I started out with an injury from the previous year.
And I missed about two and a half months of training.
So no weight room, no training with the group.
So obviously, when I do get back to the point to where I can train correctly and then lift the way I need to and train with the group.
It was all about catching up.
And so, like I've been saying before, learning how to appreciate just being in the moment and being where you are, instead of looking so far ahead.
Obviously, I knew that there was a lot of working.
You know things that I need to do in order to catch up to the, to the pace of the group, but at the same time, I knew at the end of the day okay realistically Melissa, you really have to take this one day at a time.
And so the the start of the 2024 season, like racing and things like that, was me just learning to be a competitor again, me just learning to take where I was and making the most out of it.
And so that's where that came from just one day, one practice, one meet at a time, Because I remember the days where I couldn't get around the track.
And once you get over that, you don't take those days for granted anymore.
Because you know in a split second, anything can happen and it can be taken away from you.
So that's really now why I pride myself on just being in the moment, being in whatever moment it is.
Obviously, there's a lot of things to look forward to.
There's a lot of things to be excited about.
But I don't ever want to...
I don't ever want to take for granted where I am right now trying to look so far ahead in the future.
So how do you balance that with having big and exciting dreams?
You know, you told Jennifer Hudson that this season was a dream come true, that World Championships and getting those three gold medals was a dream come true.
So how do you balance staying in the present but also having these big and exciting dreams for the future?
Yeah, so you know obviously, as a track and field athlete like I, have all of these goals and aspirations that I want to accomplish.
But it's almost kind of like a building block.
Like you know, you have all these little pieces or big pieces that are going to help you get to where you want to be stepping stones.
And so it's okay to set out a long-term goal, like say Hey, like at the end, at the beginning of the year, this year I said I want us to be a hundred meter world champion.
And then as time went on, I'll be honest.
I said, as time went on, I want to be a 200 meter world champion.
Like one.
Not only was I setting that goal out for myself, I didn't know exactly how it would look for me to get to that.
But I knew that it was just going to take a lot of hard work.
It was going to take me being disciplined and things like that.
So once I set out that long term goal, like I'm not, I'm not going or I'm not going, to come to practice the next day and be like oh, I got to be a world champion.
Or if I want to be a world champion, I got to do this today.
Like, yes, in the same breath, but also no.
You need to worry about this.
Five four three two, one workout that you're doing right now in the fall.
OK you, you'll get to where you're supposed to get to, when it's time to get there for you to be able to achieve the things that you want to achieve.
But right now we need to focus on what's in front of us.
Okay, this is all very helpful for me to hear.
I love instant gratification.
So this is a good reminder.
My college roommate always used to say, she would always go, Allie, patience is a virtue.
And I was like, no, it's not.
Urgency is a skill.
I'm like, I can't with you.
And you know what's so crazy?
I would say this, because I agree.
I am only like this when it comes to the track.
Okay.
Anything outside of that.
Well, I would say yeah, the track when it comes to, you know, Maybe if I get overlooked for something or you know, an award, an accomplishment, like you know, like that's the type of stuff I'm like you know, it's all right.
Like eventually, eventually somebody will see.
Eventually they'll see.
Eventually I'll see, whatever the case may be.
But like regular everyday life in the store, on the road, I don't.
Patience?
What is that?
I don't know what that is.
It doesn't exist.
It's not in my vocabulary at all.
Now I feel validated because what I'm hearing is I have the mindset of a world champion that we agree on these things.
So thank you.
Absolutely.
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While talking about people noticing and paying attention and certainly taking note of all of your success, I saw that you had quite the welcome home after World Championships.
Can you talk about getting the heroes welcome and what that was like?
Yeah, so crazy enough.
We were coming back, we were coming down the escalator and I saw a camera and I was like wait, what's that guy doing?
And so then I saw a tripod and I looked around at Roland.
My husband and I said there's a camera here.
He said, well, you're camera ready.
I was like, you can't be trusted sometimes.
You know, I did marry you, but sometimes you really made me scratch my head.
But I was like, obviously he wouldn't let me go out there looking in any type of crazy or anything.
But when I came around the corner and then saw my family and And my friends, it was like oh, like you know, you guys, I should have known something.
So was he in on it?
I think he was a little bit.
Okay.
I don't think he knew all of the ins and outs of it, but I definitely think he knew he had an idea for sure.
So since arriving back, have you been taking a total break from working out?
What does that look like in terms of running, hitting the gym?
What are you doing?
Yeah, so right now I'm doing absolutely nothing.
We love to hear that.
Yes, I am taking advantage of the fact that I don't have to be ready to, you know, be somewhat in shape or anything until like, closer to the end of this year.
So maybe in about the next month and a half or so, something like that.
Hopefully we start like December.
Fingers crossed.
Dennis, if you see this, I love you, but I need a break.
Well, that was gonna be my next question do you enjoy this downtime or do you find yourself itching to get back to the track right now?
I'm definitely enjoying the downtime because they're throughout the year, like there's so many things that I can't do, there's so many uh, sacrifices I have to make where, as far as, like you know, me not being able being able to come home as much and see my family, or me not being able to um join in the festivities that you know, like they have planned, or things like that, or just missing out on those things because I might, I may, have practice.
I may have a meet.
I may be out the country somewhere.
So I really do take advantage of it.
And just like really taking it to be like vacation in a sense.
So one of the very fun things about track and field, in my opinion, over the past I would say like two years maybe is that we're hyping up these entrances.
There's fashion on the track.
It's very fun as a fan.
It's a very fun time for you.
You always look amazing on and off the track.
You look amazing at the Jennifer Hudson show.
Is that all you?
Are you into fashion?
Do you work like, do you have a stylist you're working with when you're doing these events?
And uh how, how are you putting it all together?
Yes.
So I am working with a stylist because my brain capacity for putting the pieces together.
God didn't give me that gift and I'm OK with that.
But that's why he put people in my life to be able to bring my vision to life.
Uh, so I actually work with Claire Henneberry.
Um, she's based out of LA, but she's really, really so sweet.
I actually met her uh, when she was at Nike and um, I got to work with her last year during Nike's experience at New York Fashion Week and then this year when I saw she had like launched her own thing and was like, you know, this is what she's going to be doing and so, with Grand Slam and everything they were doing a drip check.
So I was like oh, this would be a nice time for me to really like get to work with her and stuff.
So um, My drip checks for Philly, my warm-up outfits for Philly, Prefontaine and even US.
Trials were all styled by her.
And so you know it was just like me wanting to bring a different feel to myself and what I look like or how I appear in the track and field world.
You know, a lot of the times before, like, I wouldn't have my lashes done.
I wouldn't have my nails done.
I try to keep my eyebrows done, try to keep my hair done.
But it's like you know, I really want to have like feel more like a, you know, a little girly girl in a sense.
I don't want to always come off as like a tomboy or things like that.
Like I want to be cute, I want to dress nice, I want to look nice, but also within a wheelhouse.
That's going to work for me um, because I'm also not very flashy.
So like I find beauty in simplicity and things like that too.
So it's just uh, I feel like Claire really did a good job of like um, the first thing she always does is like ask, like okay, like what type of look are you going for?
Do you want something more chill?
Do you want something more flashy, more big?
And And whatever it is that we're going for.
You know, like she really helps me bring it to life.
So for Philly, I wanted to pay homage to the city in a sense, or give a Philly vibe with my drip check.
So that's where the sports bra came from, with the letterman jacket and the big cargo pants, you know.
It gives Philly.
And then also I wore a Phillies hat.
And everybody's like, oh, my gosh, you're a Phillies fan.
I was like, honestly, I don't really watch baseball like that.
I just wanted to pay homage to the city.
And that's what I did.
We just ran.
Now that Phillies hat is actually one of my favorites because it just pops all of the outfits that I want to wear, you know.
But then, like going into, I was actually going to wear for LA But I ended up wearing it at US trials.
But I wanted to pay homage.
So what I would have worn in LA, it would have been paying homage to Kobe because he has, you know, he has his Kobe things with the, with Nike.
And so which is crazy because it all this is how my brain works.
This is why I say I need people to bring my vision to life.
So I'm like, OK. maybe, maybe it worked out that I didn't get to wear it in LA.
And I was like, let's just save it for trials.
So the day of the hundred meter final semifinals and finals um, I wore this like kind of like sheer looking top that had um Kobe sign on there with some like breakaway basketball pants.
Um, and then these, like gold shades and my walk-in shoes were literally some air maxes, but they were Laker colors.
And so um, I walked in and I was like you know, like my meaning behind this was that you know, it's my Mamba year.
And I'm actually 24, but it's my Mamba year.
And when you think of Kobe like Kobe was everything about like no, I'm going to win, no matter what.
I'm not going to have to – I don't want to have to depend on anybody else to say like we didn't win because of what somebody else couldn't do.
If we're going to win, it's going to be because I did everything in my – in my power to make sure that we were set up in a position to win.
And even though obviously like it, it sounds crazier coming from him because he played a team sport, but that's just how he felt about it.
So for me running something that's so very individual and, That's how I feel.
I want to always make sure I'm putting myself in a predicament to win always, no matter what, no matter who's lined up against me, no matter what the circumstances may be.
I want to make sure that at the end of the day, I'm always doing what I'm supposed to do.
I'm setting myself up to be in the best predicament possible to be able to achieve the things that I want to achieve.
Oh, I love that.
One of my favorite moments last summer in running was at the trials when you should carry and TT all made the team together.
I mean, that was so fun to watch.
I didn't know if I should be screaming and cheering or crying.
It was a lot of emotions happening.
I'm curious in, in talking about, you know, basketball is a team sport.
Running is very much an individual sport.
Does running ever feel like a team sport to you?
Yes.
And it is because I'm in a training group now.
Um, but that's also how our coach coaches us in a sense, like we are family, no matter what may be going on, at the end of the day, or first and foremost, we're always going to be a family.
He instills that in us from day one when we come in the fall.
So a lot of the time, like people look at star athletics and when they see us at meets or anything like you know, they feel like we come off as if we think we're better than everyone or you know, it's kind of like a, it's kind of like a club, like you need a wristband to get in or something like that.
But it's really because, like that's just us, like We train, we train so hard.
We know the amount of work that each and every single one of us have put in.
So when we come to these meets like, don't be offended at the fact that we know we're actually ready to come out here and run, in a sense.
But then also just, I know what it feels like to be in the group versus being out the group.
I've experienced both.
When you're in the group you don't necessarily feel that you just you know you don't pay attention to nothing else that's going on around except for like, what's going on in star athletics.
Whereas when you're outside of the group, it can come off that way.
It does seem that way, but that's not the case.
Yeah.
Well, it is very fun to watch.
And then of course, when the relays come around, it's awesome.
Can we talk about the relays and we're going to go back and we're going to break down world championships and talk about each of these races?
But can you talk about with the relay specifically?
When do you find out that you're on the relay team, and then what happens next?
So this year, it was a little different in the past.
Well, I wouldn't say it was that much different in the past.
But for the most part, like the previous years that I have been on the relay, it's kind of like for the most part you do know what the order is going to be.
However, sometimes there may be things that change.
There's.
Sometimes there may be different factors that are still unsure um, but this year what they tried to do is they tried to have the, the order of who was going to run out, like before we even stepped foot in tokyo.
Um however, that didn't happen.
It didn't happen the order that was first initially out um, so then, as time went on, as we got to tokyo, started doing relay camp and stuff.
Um, that's when it was solidified, like hey, like It's going to be in the finals.
It's going to be Melissa to TT to Kayla to carry.
And that's that.
If anything changes, we'll let you know.
But that's that's what we're going to be practicing.
That's what we're going to be going with.
Obviously everybody else who's still in the relay pool or whatever alternates.
Like Jason, she ran first leg in the prelims.
So it's like whoever or whatever, like just at the end of the day, be ready because you never know.
Things can happen.
Things can change.
So just be ready at all times.
Do you have any say in any of that?
Like, is there an opportunity for you to be like, hey, I'd really like to anchor?
Yeah.
Yeah, I would say so.
Like, not necessarily to say like obviously you can always voice how you feel, and things like that.
But at the end of the day, it does come down to the coach and what they feel like is best.
And so, yeah.
Yeah.
How much time are you spending in that relay camp?
Is it like an hour a day, a couple hours a day?
How and what does that look like?
I'm practicing.
I'm imagining it being a lot of practicing handoffs.
Am I accurate?
Is that the focus?
Yes.
So what we normally do is because obviously most of us won't say most of us.
Good bit of times, the relay pool is made up of people who come from different training regimens, and coaches and things like that.
So what they'll do is, like in Tokyo, we would gather like at the beginning, before everyone got started, and say like OK hey, we're going to work these handoffs today.
We're going to start on a on legs two to three, but be ready at this time.
And then we break, so that that way everybody has certain amount of time to get in their specific warm-up and do like that, and so um, that's kind of how they worked it this year.
So they would start at second to third leg and then they'll go, and then we would move over to do first and second and third and fourth, because obviously you can run those both from the curve, no issues um, and then it kind of go like that.
I think for the most part the most amount of reps that each person got at their leg um, like practicing, was maybe they tried to do like two to three reps minimum, and then if there was any mishaps or like just um, not not what's the word i'm looking for, like any type of misunderstandings or like something wasn't going with the, with the um handing off of the baton or reading the mark, then that's when you, you know, put in more reps.
But for the most part it's like two to three.
Okay, so what's the trick to a really good handoff in a relay?
How do you nail it?
The trick to a really good handoff is to make sure always that the incoming runner has the baton.
So if this is the baton right here, you want to have all of this space right here for your outgoing runner to be able to get it.
And then also for the outgoing runner, making sure that you have a really good target for your incoming runner.
So you always want to have your hand out like this, not turned in, or back like this or anything like making sure you have really good targets so that When you put it in you can really just go like that.
And that'd be the case.
I didn't really do a good job of handing it off to TT in the finals, but it was raining.
I couldn't really see.
So it was just like, get it to her.
Are there ever any, I mean, it's so fast.
The speeds at which you are running are so fast and the handoff itself happens very fast.
Are there ever any words exchanged, even if it's just like, go, go, go, or you got this.
Do you ever communicate at all?
Yes, I do for the most part.
I'm like, the minute I get it to TT and she has it in her hand, I'm like, go TT, go TT, go TT.
And then I'm watching everybody else and I'm like, go Kayla, go Kayla, go Kayla.
And then when Carrie got it, obviously I'm talking now about the relay in Tokyo.
When Carrie got it, I was like, come on, come on, come on, come on.
So I'm like, instead of going back towards or where TT just ran from I'm going back to, I'm running back towards where the start line is, where I started.
So by that point, I'm meeting everybody like, we did it.
It is this like beautifully, it looks chaotic, but it's also choreographed.
Like to watch the relay and all of those moving parts, I'm always just so fascinated by it.
And, you know, it's always a very fun way to especially close out some of these big events.
But to go back to the beginning of Tokyo, you kick things off early in the meet with the 100 meters.
Let's talk about how you were feeling heading into the rounds and, of course, into that final.
Let's talk about the 100.
What do you remember most?
Yeah, so leading up to the 100, we were in Tokyo by that point for about a week, going on two weeks.
And so I remember literally feeling like, like how I say I always try to live in the moment.
I found myself kind of thinking too far ahead.
But then also, like I was kind of nervous of, okay, you know, I know I could come in here and win.
I know I have a really good chance of winning, but don't blow it.
Like I was trying.
I was on that fence of, you know, having the confidence versus running out of fear of what, not what, what could possibly go wrong for me which is not winning?
And so just trying to find that, trying to find a balance in that.
Physically though, my body felt great.
I took every single day.
I came out there and warmed up every single day.
Like it was literally the first or the second or the third round of the hundred and just you know, setting a tone for myself that Hey, this is not going, this is not going to be the meat that you're denied.
Like this is going to be the meat that everything clicks at the right time when it's supposed to, but just let it come naturally.
Do not, do not overdo it.
Melissa, do not mess it up for yourself.
That was the biggest thing.
I just didn't want to get in my own way because I knew that I was very capable of doing it.
And so at that point, it's just like, like I said before, like just trying to find a balance.
And just going through the rounds and things like that, like how you said, you felt like they was holding us forever.
OK, I will say personally, I felt like for the hundreds.
When we got to set, they held set for a very long time.
So everything around, I kind of felt myself sitting a little bit, instead of having that really like poppy reaction that I normally try to have.
But then also, once again, I didn't want to get in my own way and play it safe and false start.
Right.
So I'm like, not that I have never fallen star in my life.
Knock on wood.
Hope I never will.
But yeah, so I didn't want to have, you know, that instance be a thing either.
So I'm like, in my mind, I'd rather just sit in the blocks or sit in the blocks a little bit.
But also, you know, I trusted my acceleration.
I trusted that at the end of the day, I still was going to be able to put together a really good race.
And yeah.
And you did.
Yes.
Spoiler went pretty well.
So obviously, you know, we're at a world championships.
These fields are incredibly stacked.
They're as good as it gets.
And a lot of people are saying your name heading into, especially into that final.
Did you feel that?
Did it feel like I'm here as the one to watch the one to beat?
What does that feel like?
No, I did not feel like that.
I'm so serious.
I'm not even lying to you.
I didn't feel that way.
I felt like and that's I say going back to you know, like you say, were there any hiccups or anything like in your movie?
That would come out and be like Oh, you overcame that.
It would literally be that you know not paying attention to the outside world, and things like that.
Cause there was times there was a lot of times this year where, you know, I felt like I don't know what it is about me, in a sense, but sometimes, like when it comes to certain people, like I feel like whenever I do something, like it will never be enough for them or like it'll never be um.
Or like for a long time, I felt like some people and I won't say all people obviously, but like for some people, it felt like, you know, I've only had the type of success that I've had because of somebody else not being able to perform the way they normally perform, or somebody else not being in a race or things like that.
And so I think that's kind of why, when I came into world championships, that I didn't think that I was the one that everyone was watching.
I knew that everybody was interested to see what I would do, especially with me being in the race with so many other amazing competitors and ladies and things like that.
But it's like for some people, it's just never enough.
Granted, I don't really pay attention to that.
But then it's also like the reality of the situation.
Like no yeah, that you know.
Like that's crazy.
You know you can do every single thing you're supposed to.
You can surpass the expectations of some people and it's just it.
Sometimes it will just never be enough.
But I also feel like that's the thing that motivates me the most.
It's like okay, if you're, if you think like this is the only reason why this is happening, and cool fine, I'll show you why it's not.
I don't care.
Like like we could do it like.
So when I got there, I definitely did go in as the, as the one who uh, was hunting because, like I said in some interviews before, like I didn't, I didn't have um, I'm not a reigning world champion in a hundred or a former hundred meter world champion or even a hundred meter Olympic gold medalist.
Like I don't have those accolades.
And so I'm striving to get there.
So why?
Why in the world would I go into a meet like worlds and think like, oh yeah, Everybody knows that I'm going to win, so let me go out there?
You know what I'm saying?
I feel like for me, that's when things will go wrong.
Yeah.
Now you're going to go into races and you'll forever have this after your name as three-time 2025 World Championship gold medalist.
So how does that feel, and does that change anything for you?
It definitely does because it's going to be something I have to navigate.
And just I think my biggest thing next year is –
Well, not next year.
Well, yes, next year, but it's an off year.
But kind of like, you know, going into 2027 or just the years to come, I'd say.
It's just me not trying to make.
Me not looking at what I have, what I've already accomplished and getting caught up in those things.
Not that I have before.
I never have.
Some people is like, has it hit you yet what you've done?
I'm like, absolutely not.
And, if I'm being honest, I think I prefer it that way, so that that way I can, you know, stay hungry, keep working at the things that I want to work um, and still wanting to go out there and improve, like there's so there's still so much more things that I want to do, that I want to improve on, I want to run faster, like there's so many other things that I want to do um, and so I feel like obviously, like that's the thing that's going to keep me going, but then also being able to handle that pressure of, like you said, being the one to beat now.
So yeah, Definitely going to be different for me trying to navigate that, but I'm up for the challenge.
Oh, I love that.
Yeah.
So did you even get any time to celebrate the 100-meter gold?
Because you still had more races ahead.
So what did that look like that bit of time between getting that gold medal and getting the next one?
Yeah, so that night, I actually did get about six hours of sleep, which I was very surprised.
But I think it's because my body knew that I still had so much more to do.
And so the next day, I went to Nike and got celebrated there.
And then did the medal ceremony.
And then the next day, it was practice, like, you got to get ready to run this 200.
Coach was like, I was like, Coach, so I got some strides today.
He said, no, you got pre-meet, you race tomorrow.
And I was like, oh yeah, you're right.
My bad.
I'm sorry.
Thanks for keeping me in check, coach.
All right.
So let's go to the 200 meter final because earlier, like you said, you never want a false start.
Well, 200 meter final, right away we see a false start, not from you, obviously.
What does that do for you as an athlete who is ready to go?
The race is starting and then it's, you get called right back.
What was that like?
So-
Crazy enough, when the gun went off, I didn't see her false start.
But when the gun went off, I was thinking to myself, like, man, that was a really good reaction.
And I heard the second one said, dang, was it that good that I false started?
Like, was it me?
I'm so serious.
But that's how I felt getting out the block.
Like, I felt like my reaction to the gun was really, really good.
And so afterwards, I realized it was Antonique down in lane one.
And I was like, OK, well, just refocus like you.
This isn't something that, you know, it's happened to you before.
There's been so many races that I've been in in the past that have had to be called back because somebody false started.
I'm like at this point OK, it's almost like I'm kind of used to it and it doesn't really faze me because I know like at the end of the day I'd have to stay locked in.
Like I can't get, you know, sidetracked from the from what I'm trying to do.
Okay.
So you go back, take two.
It's time to run this 200 final again.
What do you remember from that race?
So I remember getting out and.
Sharika was in front.
Yeah.
Sharika was in front of me.
So I remember getting out in my plan.
I actually wanted to drive crazy enough.
I'm laughing because it sounds insane, but I really wanted to do it.
And I almost kind of did it.
I wanted to drive for about 80 meters.
And I didn't want to start running until I literally got to like the 120 mark.
So what I did was when I got out obviously I could see Sharika a little bit, but I was like nope, I need to catch somebody on the curve.
Like I got to.
Sorry, Sharika, if it's you, but I got to do it.
And so we get to coming off the curve and I just remember pinning another gear.
But in my mind, I felt like everyone was closer to me than what they were.
So that's why I was running the way that was.
I wasn't running like scared, but I was running to try to get away from everything.
Well, you did.
By a lot.
In the 100 and the 200, I mean, do you watch your races back?
Have you watched either of them?
I have.
I have.
And having done that, well, first, let's set the scene.
Do you watch them right away on your phone?
Is this like a week later you're going back?
What's the rewatch process like for you?
So that night like I watched it a couple times and I went to bed and then, but that night, crazy enough, my adrenaline was really, really pumping the night after the 200.
So I definitely didn't get as much sleep as I did after the 200.
And then also I had the next day off.
Not really, I had to go back to Nike.
You know this medal ceremony long day.
But it was like okay cool, whatever.
At this point we're at the finish line like come on, let's do it so, so.
I wake up the next morning, I watch it some more.
And then when the days go by, that's when I really start to like watch it, watch it, watch it.
But I have yet to watch it since I've been back in the States.
So actually, probably when we're done with this, I'm probably going to go inside and watch it, just because we were talking about it.
You're going to love it.
It's a great outcome of both of them, of all of them.
When you're re-watching, are you watching yourself?
Are you watching other people?
How do you approach that?
So-
Crazy enough.
You say that I watch me and that's why I watch it so many, so many times.
I watch me.
And then I go back and I watch every single person run their race.
So I watch it at least nine times.
Wow.
And what is the reasoning for that?
In a sense, like I'm studying my competitors, but I'm also studying me in a sense too.
So actually like I've done that the whole year.
I'm starting from my very first race in Kingston all the way to like leading up into into tokyo every single every single week i'd like that's what a lot of people don't know about me either is that i watch a lot of film i watch a lot of races like i've even watched i've watched the 1061 race that was ran in tokyo in the olympics like i've i watched elaine point at the scoreboard pulling up through the line i watched um shelly egg come back from having her baby and winning in 1071 like i've watched elaine go out there and complete the sprint double at the olympics in 2016 and then come back and do it in tokyo like i've watched all of those races like that's they don't understand like i've watched literally all the races on youtube that you could possibly watch women's 100 women's 200 i've watched all of them i watched daphne skippers win i watched uh um allison win have to pull up because of injury and Shellyann wins and like I've watched all of it they don't like they don't understand so I've seen every single scenario that could possibly happen I have mentally seen it in my head and I also think that's why I do it too so it's like okay if something like this were to happen how would you respond to this or how do you think you would react to this happening if something like this would happen right next to you just things like that playing out different scenarios and seeing you know what could be possible That's very cool.
You're such a student of the sport.
I love hearing that.
Can I hire you to come work for the Valley on the Run show, help with some research?
And you're like an encyclopedia.
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It was very cool to see you know you were the first American woman since Alison Felix back in 2009 to win the 200 at world championships.
And you've talked a lot about the inspiration.
You know how she's been an inspiration to you and you've looked up to her.
And then it's so cool to see that she's like the first person in the comments to congratulate you on Instagram.
What's that like?
What is your relationship with Alison Felix like?
So it's amazing.
My first time meeting her was in 2022.
And she came down to a small meet at the university of South Carolina and And we're in the 200.
And I was like absolutely freaking out two days before when I found out that she was going to be there.
Because my coach was like, come here.
And I was like, what?
He's like, Allison's going to be running there.
I said, I literally pushed him.
I said, shut up.
No, she's not.
I said, shut up.
No, he's not.
No, she's not.
He said, no, she is.
And I said, okay, give me a minute.
I'll be back.
And I went to the bathroom.
We were in the weight room.
I went to the bathroom and I absolutely freaked out.
And I was like, You know how you do that thing where you're like, and then you go back.
And then I came out and I was like, all right, I'm ready.
I had to get that out because I'm like, now she's a competitor.
I can't be psyched out that I'm racing against her while I'm racing against her.
I still did it in the race because I love you, Allison, but I probably should have won.
But I was like, I was once again scared of the pain and the agony of the 200 at that time.
So, instead of making the move on the curve where I should have, I tried, I wanted to conserve energy, but then I didn't have enough to to wheel her in at the end.
So it was, it was okay.
It was fun and beautiful.
And that was like the start of it.
And then after, actually she texted me after I won the hundred.
So a couple of nights before, and she was just like, congratulations.
So proud of you.
Like, can't wait to go and see you achieve the devil.
And I was like, Yes, literally like, oh my God.
We both just put our hands over our hearts at the same time.
So it was amazing.
And it is also still so early in your career.
You are so young and having this great success.
But do you ever think about stuff like that, about your legacy in the sport and about what sort of person you want to be in track and field?
Yep, absolutely.
It's just like I said before setting those long-term goals and you know them always being there, but you're focusing on what you're doing right now.
Like I've said it time in and time out, I do want to be the greatest to ever do it in our sport.
And I mean that wholeheartedly, because I feel like I genuinely feel like it's something that I can do.
I feel like it's something that I've been called to do.
And in due time, it is going to happen.
But it is going to start with me, just you know, taking it one day, one practice, one meet at a time.
And I could definitely say Right now, after Tokyo you know I am in the words of Shelley Frazier Price I am well on my way.
Yeah, how do you see yourself where you're at in your career right now?
What does that look like for you?
I think it's crazy because, and I say I think it's crazy because I did it in my own way.
I did it in, how do I put this?
I did it in my own way.
I did it in a way that over time, like I've, I saw all of this happening, didn't know exactly when it would happen, but I knew that it could happen.
And then just going back and looking at certain things and like things that I've said or things that I've done maybe there's been a rep that I've done that like indicates like hey no no, this could happen, right.
But doing it Like I said, doing it in my own way, is allowing for me to be able to enjoy it the way that I am.
It's not under the expectations of everyone else expecting me to do what I'm doing.
Like if anybody had a bingo card for 2025 that said Melissa Jefferson Wooden would walk away from Tokyo with three gold medals.
It would have been on nobody's bingo card.
Nobody.
Well, except for my people, but nobody.
Like, it would literally be on nobody's bingo card.
And that's okay.
But it's just like you know, looking at my success, looking at the things that I'm doing, the things that I'm achieving and how I'm doing it, it just makes me sit back and like wow.
Yeah yeah, you know, to look back at this year between obviously, these three uh world championship goals we keep talking about, but beyond that, diamond league, diamond league win at the prefontaine classic uh grand slam you were the three-time slam champion.
There were also so many other huge races and huge wins and really fast times and seasons, bests and personal bests and championship records like Absolute banner season.
Would we call this, is this a breakout year?
Would last year have been a breakout year?
Because last year you also made your Olympic debut.
So that was a big deal.
But this just felt like an absolutely, I mean, pretty unbeatable season.
I feel like we can use that word.
This was definitely an introductory year.
I like that.
This is like, hello, my name is Melissa Jefferson Wooden and I'm here.
Hell yeah.
If we were to go back to last summer, your Olympic debut, your first time on an Olympic team representing Team USA.
Do you remember when you first had Olympic dreams?
Was that like a five-year-old Melissa thing or was that a 2023 Melissa thing?
I think it was 15 years old.
15 in a year.
Yeah.
The year of 2016.
Wow, Melissa, you really have done yourself without it.
In my head, I'm just like nodding.
I'm like, yes, I believe that sounds good to me.
No, in 2016, for sure, is probably when I had my first like yeah, you know, I want to be in the Olympics someday.
What did life look like at the time for you that made you have those dreams?
Um, so it was my freshman year of high school.
I had just went to the state meet for the second year in a row, but my first time individually.
And I got three gold medals.
I won the hundred, the 200 and the four by one.
Well, this is a beautiful full circle year then.
Isn't it?
Isn't it?
Yes.
Here we are, nine years later.
Who would have thought?
Like you said, last year you were dealing with injury heading into an Olympic year.
No professional athlete wants that.
Did you ever doubt your Olympic dreams?
Or did you always believe that you would make this happen?
I always believed that I would make it happen. always.
I love that.
And I feel like that's rare.
You tell me you spend more time with professional athletes than I do, but I feel like so often we hear about people having times where it's like Ooh, I didn't know if I could do it.
Or then I doubted myself or this injury made me question everything.
Even in times of injury, you always knew you would make this happen.
I said well, here's the thing I told.
I told myself because I had just moved to florida.
So i just moved.
I like picture this you just, you bought a house, you moved to florida.
You didn't even know if you was gonna like it for real, but you moved, you bought a house um, you joined a new training group and then boom, you can't even get around the track and i'm, like you know, having a little question of like well dang, is this, is like, am i supposed to be here?
Like is this, is this what's supposed to be happening?
But then after a while i was like Well, at this point I don't care.
It has to happen.
It's going to happen.
I don't care at this point.
I don't know how.
I don't know when things are going to start to turn around, but it is.
And I'm going to figure out a way to be on this team.
I'm not going to not be on this team come June.
And that's what happened.
So is there any advice that you would offer to the everyday runner listening, just the person who loves to run and has goals and dreams and races they want to do and is in the tough time, whether it's an injury, an illness or some sort of setback?
How do you help people regain that belief in themselves?
So word of advice to anybody out there like always, number one, I feel like it always comes down to The people in your circle or your corner.
My mom doesn't really like circle.
She's like she feels like the people in your circle always are only there to get from you.
They're not there to, you know, pour into you as well.
So she likes to say, like the people in your corner.
And so I feel like it starts there.
Having a good support system means everything. world it trumps everything it makes your life that much easier and especially when you have the people who are in who are in your group um they understand the common goal they understand that you know some days there might be days where i can't necessarily give myself but i i'm relying on you to pour into me to remind me that hey this is what you said you wanted to do this is where you said you wanted to go i am here to help you make sure that you get there even though you're mad right now in 30 minutes you need to be over it because at this point you're just talking about it you're not you're not doing anything differently you just like there's been so many days i've been coming home for practice bad because like man why did coach kill us like that like that was so uncalled for don't even get me started about practicing on christmas i don't even want to talk about it i'm like like what are we doing people want to see their families and they're like melissa this is what you want to do, like, we gonna be here after you get done with practice, it ain't like you're gonna be at practice all day, I'm like, yeah, mama, but that's not the point, Melissa, listen, I'm like, okay, mama, like, but just having those type of people around you make a difference, and for me, it does nothing but fuel me to want to do good for them like the success that I have the things that I want to accomplish it isn't for me like I don't I do none of this for self-glory it is it is to make my family proud because they have sacrificed so much for me to be where I am and I feel like me being successful or me doing the things that I'm doing is my way of repaying them for how much they believed in for how much they believe in me um so that's that's the first thing surround yourself with people who are going to be there for the good the bad and the ugly Two, discipline.
You have to have the discipline to tell yourself on the days, even when you don't feel like doing anything, that eventually it will be worth it.
There's been so many times this year where, once again, coach killed us and he's like time to do a cool down walk.
Well, our cool down is literally a lap.
I don't feel like walking this lap.
Melissa, get up, go walk the lap.
Like it's just things like that.
But me keeping myself honest, making sure that I don't get to world championships and say when I crossed the line that I had any regrets, that I could have done this, that I could have done that.
So yeah, discipline and surround yourself with good people.
So now will you have practice on Christmas this year, or do three world championship gold medals get you out of that?
Oh no.
You know, it's so crazy.
I feel like three gold medals at a world championships gets you into more stuff than get you out of it.
Like, especially when it comes to the coach.
Cause then now I'm like, I can hear him now.
He going to be at practice.
Like what's up?
Oh, you think you better than everybody now?
You got three gold medals.
You think you're too good to work out?
Yeah.
Yes, I do.
Yup.
I'm taking Christmas off.
Well, your mindset, your approach, I mean, there's so much to take away from all of this.
And I could listen to you all day.
But in the spirit of respecting your time, I will bring us into our sprint to the finish round.
So basically made for you.
This is our, you know, this is when you just pull away from the competition like you're a slingshot.
So some rapid fire questions for you.
What would your last meal on earth be?
Oh, man.
Rice collard greens, chicken and cupcakes.
Oh, love that.
Love the cupcakes thrown in.
Favorite movie uh, transformers.
Favorite tv show.
Scandal oh, so good, i'm due for a scandal.
I re-watched scandal, like once every other year.
And I'm like once every year.
Yeah.
I'm, I'm due for a rewatch.
I feel you.
I feel you.
It's about time at the same time.
Actually.
I love this plan.
What food reminds you of your childhood?
Chicken, chicken legs.
All right.
We talked about your life being a movie.
So if it's not you playing yourself which it totally can be who would you want to play you in a movie?
Ooh.
Um, Dang, I have two people to choose from here.
Okay.
I would either want it to be Kerry Washington or Sanaa Lathan.
Nice.
Kerry Washington was on my mind too, but I think recency bias from, you know, the scandal of it all.
What is your favorite pasta shape?
Rigatoni.
What was your very first job?
McDonald's.
How old were you?
I was 17.
Nice.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Crazy enough, I wanted to be – I started out – no, I think I wanted to be a singer, I think.
You know, you would think that I remember this type of stuff.
I wasn't – it wasn't that long ago.
No, I think I wanted to be a lawyer.
I wanted to be a lawyer.
Very different than a singer.
Yeah.
Yeah, very indecisive.
All right, first concert, best concert okay.
So i've only been to two concerts and it was the same person, so i'm just gonna have to say rod wave.
Okay, first and best.
I love it.
Favorite ice cream flavor vanilla.
I'm such a plain jane, simple girl like give me a vanilla ice cream.
I actually had a sugar, no sugar added vanilla, country vanilla ice cream yesterday and it was so good.
Biggest pet peeve Oh, my biggest pet peeve would have to be people who drive in the fast lane.
That needs to be in the slow lane.
Thank you.
That for sure is it.
That's it.
Thank you.
Pass and move over.
Thank you.
Yes.
If you could take a class in anything, what would it be?
Swimming.
I don't know how to swim.
Oh, that's a good answer.
Yeah.
If you could go for a run with anyone, who would it be?
I want to go on a run with Faith Kipiegon.
Okay.
I love that.
You can, I mean, you'll destroy her in the home stretch.
You got this.
I don't know.
She got that.
She got that kick at the end.
I don't know.
She does, but you've got the, you've got the sprinter speed.
Yeah.
But see, look, if we've already ran.
Yeah.
Okay.
Good point.
If we already ran over a mile, it's wraps for me.
Okay.
So maybe it's a short run together and it's just a hundred meters. you know but short run but see you know it's so crazy when i thought like who i who would i want to go on the run with i thought like you know like us just chilling oh yeah yeah thank you okay yeah you don't have to race each other it's a friendship run okay yeah yes what's your favorite candy i used to eat a lot of candy but now i don't really um oh it's this um it's um like in the shape of a mint but it's like the the caramel swirl it's like a caramel type candy i cannot think of the name of the rolos i'm just picturing rolos in the little gold wrapper wait is it is it like yeah because it's like hard and you can bite on it and it's like oh oh gosh no not not raising um oh my gosh what are they called i went through a phase I used to keep them in my desk drawer and eat them all day.
Yeah.
We're going to hang up and I'm going to think of it.
There's people who are going to listen to this, just screaming into their devices, knowing the answer.
I call it my church candy.
I love that.
Church candy.
Perfect.
In one word, how does running make you feel?
Happy.
All right.
Last thing I need from you is to give everyone listening a reason to go for a run.
Okay.
For all of you out there who are listening, Even depending on how long you go and run, for I feel like once you're done, you'll feel so much better about yourself.
Like there's just something about maybe.
Maybe when you go on your run like you can, it's your way of like releasing stress or, like you know, trying to decompress, not be, you know, all tense and things like that.
So, yeah, it'll make you feel better about yourself.
Great answer.
Melissa, I have loved chatting with you.
This is so fun.
I'm such a fan.
It's been great watching you race so well this year.
And I hope you enjoy some downtime.
Enjoy your honeymoon and enjoy the Today Show.
Thank you.
So exciting.
You're the best.
Thank you for doing this.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for being here for this episode of the Allie on the Run show with my guest, Melissa Jefferson Wooden.
I don't often have sprinters on this show, and I was just so excited about this episode.
I loved watching Melissa race all year all summer, and loved getting to have her here so that we can all be even bigger fans.
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode.
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Go ahead, leave a rating, leave a review, share it with a friend, whatever feels good to you.
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I am headed to Chicago this weekend.
Really looking forward to seeing so many of you in the windy city.
I will be hosting a live show on Friday afternoon.
I will be walk, run, jogging the 5K Saturday morning.
And then, of course, on Sunday, I will be at the finish line cheering in the morning.
And then I will be announcing finishers between 2 and 5 p.m.
So if you're coming in during that time frame, I will be on the stage to your right.
Throw up some heart hands.
I'm super excited for you.
What else can I tell you?
Oh, how about thanks to Shox and thanks to New Balance for supporting this episode.
Go check them out.
As always, promo codes links offers discounts, deals in the show notes for this episode, wherever you are listening.
You've got this.
You're doing great.
And thank you for joining me on the run.
