Runner, Triathlete, Nutritionist and MUSIC LOVER!

Elizabeth Inpyn has enjoyed a long and successful career as an athlete and nutrition coach.

An NCAA Division I distance swimmer and water polo player, she transitioned into running and triathlons after college.

Moving to Atlanta from San Francisco was a huge culture shock but there are plenty of running trails and biking routes to keep her happy.

A monthly contributor to top health & fitness publications like Ironman.com, Men’s Health and Runners World, she is also a Certified Sports Nutritionist working to complete her Master of Science in Sport & Exercise Nutrition in 2016. You can follow her training and racing adventures on Instagram @inpyn !

Let’s see how Elizabeth answered our run questions:

What is your favorite post run treat?

Post run I love my super smoothie – mix of protein powder, collagen, MCT oil or nut butter, chlorella, ginger, cordyceps, 1/2 a banana and unsweetened cashew milk.

What is the most motivational song on your playlist?I am obsessed with music – I have about 200 different playlists, all with themes, matching workouts and varied intensity. Incredibly difficult to pick just one. I’m a hardcore rap girl at heart – RunDMC was the first concert I ever went to. The song that I’d call my racing anthem is “All The Above” by Maino and T-Pain. It reminds me that I love the struggle, that my destiny is a choice and that I may not appear to be the fiercest of competitors but behind that smile is a girl who loves to fight for the finish.

What is your first run memory?

The first time I remember running (aside from just playing as a kid) was with my dad – he knew it would help me in soccer to be faster so he took me out to run around the neighborhood. My dad has been always been my hero and I’d do just about anything to spend time with him. I was less than enthusiastic about running, but he told me I could be great as long as I ran with my heart. I’m far from great but 30 years later and running is now a part of my soul.

What was your last run?

My last run was yesterday – nothing extraordinary – a 90 min MAF run – which I find way more challenging than speed work. I used to hate running slow but I’ve seen such great results its hard to argue against it. Slower runs some days make me stronger for the training that really counts.

What is the hardest run you’ve ever done?

Hardest run- that’s a great question. The one that really sticks out is called The Accordion. Its 90min – mile intervals broken up into half mile pieces. It’s what you’d call an aerobic strength session. 8 x1 mile repeats with the first half mile at 10K pace and the 2nd half mile at Ironman marathon pace. The hard part is its a continuous run, the ‘rest’ is your half mile back to the start.

What is the BEST run experience you can remember?My favorite run experience – was years ago in my very first triathlon – an Olympic distance race in San Diego. The run part was 6.1 miles – which now seems like nothing but on that day I was just exhausted and hadn’t really trained correctly for triathlons. My entire extended family were all there cheering and when my brother saw my face I think he just knew. He had on running shoes and just jumped into the race and ran beside me; quoting Will Farrell movies and saying cheesy motivational stuff to make me laugh. He ran every step of that 6 miles with me and I’ll be forever grateful.

What is your biggest struggle with running to date?

My biggest struggle is definitely avoiding injury. I’ve spent the past 2 years recovering from multiple stress fractures. Every doctor, PT person, and run guru has a different opinion as to the cause but at the end of the day I think the key to coming back has been a combination of patience, listening to my body and incorporating Nate’s strength tips – a strong runner is a happy runner.

What is your proudest run moment(s)?

My proudest run moments happen in very non-exciting ways. It would be a great run with a friend, a long solo run when life feels overwhelming, my first run back after being injured, making an interval I never thought I could hit or hearing my then 5 year old niece say, “I’m going out for a run so I can be fast like Auntie Buffy” and watching her run around the backyard for over an hour.

Thanks for sharing Elizabeth! Cheers to many more miles of running strong!

Are you also interested in being a strong and happy runner? The 30 Day Running Challenge provides tools to running healthy, running faster, and running as far as you want for as many years as you want. It includes a LOT of work (we’re not gonna lie), but athletes who follow our simple video progressions, mobility assessments, strength exercises, and run workouts see pretty crazy results.
But fair warning: we want MOTIVATED runners only!