Aisha and Eric are back for a classic Sunday recording session on International Women's Day edition. There's gym gossip, a dog that went to outer space, a week packed with road running drama, and a voicemail that made Aisha cry on the pod.

In this episode:

🧴 Gym Glow-Ups & Skincare Discourse

🐕 Leuven's Eye Surgery & His Origin Story: Aisha's nine-year-old lab had a minor eye procedure this week — a "thingy" (not a cyst, too ugly a word) on his eyelid, removed successfully. He doesn't even have to wear the cone. He loves his three-times-daily eye cream. This leads to the telling of a legendary story: a few years ago in Crested Butte, Louvin unzipped a suitcase pocket and consumed 300 milligrams of THC edibles belonging to recently-married houseguests. He went on what Eric calls "a spiritual journey."

🏃‍♀️ USA Half Marathon Championships — Follow-Up

⚡ Jacob Kiplimo Breaks the Half Marathon World Record: A clean 57:20 in Lisbon — no car, no pacers, just Kiplimo being Kiplimo.

🌡️ LA Marathon — 88 Degrees and the 18-Mile Option: It's unseasonably hot in LA on race day, and the marathon offers runners the option to finish at mile 18 officially and still receive a medal. Eric thinks stopping at 18 makes you a coward.

⚖️ Fred Kerley's Two-Year Whereabouts Ban: Fred's ban runs through August 2027 — leaving him time to return for the LA Olympics. Fred is contesting the third and going hard on social media — hinting he's prepared to expose information about other athletes' doping practices.

💉 Rita Jeptoo Banned Again: The Kenyan marathon star tests positive for anabolic steroids — her second doping ban, after a prior suspension for EPO.

📞 Listener Voicemails:

– A Caller on speed suits and the pro-amateur gap asks whether certain technology should be reserved for professionals.

– Dorothy from Savannah, Georgia calls in with no question but to say thank you.

– A Caller asks about coaches: How many have they had, which have had the biggest impact, and what matters more: the training or the relationship?

– A Caller asks about the national anthem mid-workout.

– Matt from Maryland — a dentist — calls in after a tough day at work, having been blindsided by several minutes of what he describes as "anti-dentite rhetoric" on a previous episode. He offers two PSAs

– A First-time caller reports that her ten-month-old burst out laughing upon hearing Aisha's laugh during the Ali on the Run episode

– Caller asks for a ranking of Mondo's four songs: Feelin' Myself, Man's, 4L, and Bop

– Yoga class caller reveals she was the stranger on the mat next to Aisha at the Yoga Box on Broadway last fall

– A Caller calls to defend Dick Woods Road in Charlottesville, Virginia

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.

🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha

Follow your hosts on Instagram:

🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

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⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.

Championship weekend delivered the chaos and at least one all-time organizational blunder as Aisha and Eric unpack everything from USA Indoors to USATF Half Marathon heartbreak + plus cavities, grills, and why track is never simple.

– A full breakdown of the 2026 USA Indoor Championships and why championship racing is gloriously unpredictable

– The men’s 1500m chaos: big names vulnerable, NCAA stars stepping up, and how tactical racing flipped the script

– Why explaining qualifying windows to casual fans (and grandparents) is basically impossible

– Nikki Hiltz continues to deliver in the women’s 800m while Gracie Morris punches her first Team USA ticket with a perfectly executed race

– Breakout performances from names like Lindsey Butler and Sean Dolan

– Cooper Luckenhouse’s commanding men’s 800m win and why he suddenly looks like a serious global medal threat

– Emily McKay’s statement victory in the women’s 3000m and the nuanced conversation around “upsets”

– A razor-thin men’s 3000m finish featuring Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Nico Young

– How U.S. distance running has shifted from hoping to contend globally to expecting medals

– The return of grills as an unexpected fashion trend

– The strange tension between team scoring and individual championship prep at the NCAA level

– Aisha’s first-ever cavity saga

– The shocking lead-car error at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships that sent top athletes off course in a race with world-team implications

– The emotional fallout for athletes who lose career-defining moments

– Diribe Welteji’s doping case and the controversial refusal-to-test ruling

+ Voicemail questions from listeners

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.

🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha

Follow your hosts on Instagram:

🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

----

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.