Liz’s Steps to Running Success

Tuesday, 29th October 2024

Have you met Liz?

Liz is one of our talented physiotherapy coaches with a passion for running. Although like many of us, this was not always the case. It has been a journey of dedication and discovery for Liz to have completed the Sunshine Coast half marathon in July this year.

Liz has been an avid crossfitter and triathlon fanatic for many years but never considered herself a runner. She was inspired by the athletes and coaches at PEAK who motivated her to run further than she had ever run before.

Read on to learn more about Liz’s running journey.

When did you first get into running?

So, I have been doing CrossFit for six and a half years now and triathlon training for three years. That’s lots of high intensity and strength work, and I was also really enjoying the endurance aspect of triathlon, although I wanted to challenge myself to run further than I had ever run before. Also because I never thought of myself as a runner!

I was getting so motivated by everyone at PEAK who was training for the Sunny Coast marathon, with lots of people doing halves and full marathons. I thought it would be a good time to give it a crack.

I took it slow at first, running twice a week and building up my mileage over time. I really enjoyed it and found it was great stress relief. Also I love that I didn’t need much equipment compared with triathlon cycling and swimming, I could just walk out the door and be on my way.

Are you training for an event at the moment?

After completing the Sunny Coast half marathon, I’m looking forward to tackling the Mooloolaba full triathlon in March 2025. I have never done a full triathlon by myself, only sprints and full triathlons as a team, so this will be the first.

What has been your greatest challenge with running, and how have you worked towards overcoming it?

Managing shin splints for sure. I also rolled my ankle a couple of years ago and managing pain and being smart with my training load was my main focus. I eased into it and built up progressively, making sure to give myself rest days and recovery days.

What motivates you to keep running?

To be honest, everyone else does! Being around so many at PEAK who run and train for events – those who were working towards the Sunny Coast marathon, those who participate in Stride Club – it really helped me to be surrounded by these people. It reminded me that you just have to get yourself there and then you run! That’s it.

What have you learned from your running journey?

This sounds cheesy but I have learned that if you are consistent and dedicated to a goal you have picked then you can do anything.

When I think about my journey, I never thought I would have been able to run for two hours non-stop. It just goes to show how powerful being consistent is. I have a whiteboard on my fridge at home and I write my kilometres on there; seeing it build from 4km to 15km was really empowering and helped me stay on track.

What advice would you give to those wanting to start running?

Don’t compare yourself to other runners – Comparing yourself to others is what kills it.
Don’t worry about your pace.
Make sure your runs are enjoyable and you’re finding pretty places to run in.
Just run for yourself and your own goals.

What are you most proud of through this journey?

I had never run over 10km before training for the Sunny Coast and now I’m sitting at over 18km! I’m so proud of that. Also managing a busy work schedule, social life, and setting aside time for running and getting to CrossFit - being consistent overall!To best support your own running endeavors, check out these other blogs :

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