Liz Wittenbach on Running, Family, and Starting a Podcast!

We are all busy.

Finding time to balancing our running with all of the other plates we have spinning is a challenge, and each of us have to find out what works best for us and our unique situation.

My guest today is no different, and Liz Wittenbach recently added a new plate to spin with the release of her podcast Real Runners Chat.

Running is a Family Affair

You won’t have to listen to much of this episode to realize how much Liz loves her family.

Liz Wittenbach and Husband Corey

Liz and her husband are both runners, and while running can be a great activity for them to participate in together it can be difficult to train for longer races as they also have two small children.

One of the reasons that Liz’s current favorite race distance is the 5k is that at this point in her life it just “fits” better.

But there is another familial component that I think makes the 5k special to Liz at the moment: her oldest daughter recently ran her first 5k with mom and dad!

As much as I’m not a 5k fan, I know when Adi gets to the point of running a 5k with me I’ll be loving every second of that race.

So as much as I normally want to argue against the 5k, I simply couldn’t push back against Liz in this case!

She’s Run a Lot of 5ks, But Has Dabbled at Some Longer Distances as Well

While Liz has run more 5k races than any other distance, she does enjoy the chance to go longer when she can.

She recently ran her 3rd half marathon and she’s also run a couple of 10k trail races.

She wouldn’t mind eventually running some longer distances, but running more half marathons (and potentially longer races) won’t become a reality until the kids get a little older.

Running is Still New for Liz Wittenbach

Liz is still new to the running scene, but she’s definitely hooked on our sport.

After having a couple of kids and gaining some weight during her 20s and early 30s, a friend suggested that they go to the gym together.

She reluctantly agreed (positive peer pressure for the win!), and even though that first workout was tough she stuck with it.

Over time, she started to see some progress with her fitness, and those little bits of progress started to snowball.

A few months later, she talked her husband into signing up for their first 5k: a local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

Her main goal for the race: don’t quit! Success!

Not only did she finish the race in one piece, but she blew her own expectations out of the water and she was officially bitten by the running/racing bug!

Liz Wittenbach

Running really transformed my body, & transformed my mind too. ~@realrunnerschat #runchat #podcast Click To Tweet

Real Runners Chat

Liz has recently launched her own podcast, but she’s been a podcast consumer for many years!

She jumped into the podcast waters quickly, and continues to learn as she goes, but she’s having a blast so far!

Like me, Liz has seen many parallels between running and hosting her own podcast. Among the similarities she’s seen:

• Fear of failure
• Very rewarding experience
• Fun!

Liz isn’t sure how long she will keep going with the show, but she’s definitely happy that she took the leap and has no plans of stopping any time soon!

Real Runners Chat Hosted by Liz Wittenbach

Future Goals

Liz is definitely planning on going longer distances in the future, and with her youngest child starting school next fall her schedule may allow for her to train for longer races in the not too distant future.

But more importantly for her, she wants to continue to set an example for her daughters about the importance of good health and self-confidence as they grow up.

If you’d like to connect with Liz, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram. And make sure you check out her podcast, Real Runners Chat, on whatever your podcast platform of choice is!

As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!

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