"I love the chaos. That’s where I find the calm." After a year and a half filled with injuries, setbacks, and struggles, Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel made her grand return to the marathon — and crushed it. Molly ran the Chicago Marathon in a personal best time of 2:23:07, finishing eighth overall and as the second American woman of the day. In this episode, she talks about the comeback, about race day, about having something to prove, and about a major weight being lifted. (For more, check out Molly's Chicago Marathon recap on YouTube.) SPONSORS: UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (coming soon! you’ll just pay the cost of shipping!), and use code ALIUCAN for 20% off your next UCAN order. The Eugene Marathon: Register for the Eugene Marathon (April 28, 2024) and save $10 with code ONTHERUN. What you’ll get on this episode: “Molly seems really good!” (2:30) On expectations (4:00) Molly shares her goals for the Chicago Marathon (6:30) Molly’s favorite moment from the weekend (7:20) On running with pacer Rory Linkletter — and running with pacers in general vs. all-out racing (12:45) How Molly sees American distance women on the world stage (15:00) The importance of the boyfriend/coach relationship (19:15) On pre-race commitments, and how Molly has learned to manage her time and energy leading up to big races (21:30) How Molly was feeling on race morning (27:15) Molly breaks down her race at the Chicago Marathon (39:15) Molly talks about when the race started to feel hard (44:30) How Molly felt after crossing the finish line, and how she feels now (53:50) Molly’s mindset approaching the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials (56:45) “I think that is just my brain trying to be toxic” (59:50) What Molly’s excited about right now (1:06:30) Molly on the Ali on the Run Show: On Returning to Racing in 2023, January 2023 Everything You Need to Know About the New York City Marathon, October 2022 Girl Talk with Molly Seidel & Anoush Arakelian, February 2022 LIVE with Molly Seidel, Olympic Bronze Medalist, August 2021 Molly & Izzy Seidel, March 2021 FOLLOW MOLLY @bygolly.molly Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter 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!