Carrie: Elise, welcome back to the show.

C Tolle Run: Hey everyone, I'm Olympian Carrie Tellson and welcome to the C Tally Run Podcast. Today we're chatting with Elise Cranny. It's been a while. She's been on the show, but it's been a while. Elise is a two-time Olympian. She runs professionally for Nike. She's an American record holder. She's won four USATF championships. She's also an advocate for the health of athletes' minds and bodies, especially when it comes to Red S, relative energy deficit in sport.

Elise Cranny: Thank you. I'm so happy to be back. So happy to be chatting with you. I feel like I've seen you at several meets over the last couple of years and obviously heard you commentating, but it's nice to be here speaking with you.

Carrie: Yeah. I know, it was so fun last year when we got to see each other a few times and I think the last time I saw you, I can't remember where we were, if it was Philly or Miami or where, but your mom was with you. And you two were just having a blast.

Elise Cranny: Yeah. I I know it was the best. I was with Jared was coaching me at the time, but he was obviously in full swing with the collegiate season. So my mom was my like, you know, coach.

C Tolle Run: And she most recently was runner-up to Emily Venters at the USATF six K, which was her first competitive road race in like 10 years. And I don't even know if you can say her first one. Well, it was a mile, so it was competitive, but this is her true kind of debut at running 6K at least on the roads. Emily is one of the best that we've ever seen here in the US. She's got a two-flat 800-meter PR, a four sixteen-mile PR. She's run fourteen thirty-three indoors for the 5K, which is

Carrie: Yeah, that's pretty cool. So congratulations, runner up at the six K. You did it. I mean, you did your road race. How was it? Did you love it?

Elise Cranny: Thank you. I did actually. Yeah. You're the one that pointed out to me, I think, before when we were chatting of like I've only done a couple road races. and mostly just when I was

C Tolle Run: an American record and she's run 3013 for the 10K outdoors. So much range it has been so good for so long. In this episode we basically just catch up with Elise. We hear where she's living now, what she's doing, her training, her health, her journey with Red S, racing on the roads, and what's next. So let's get after it.

Elise Cranny: I don't know how old I would have been, like 14 or 15 running the Boulder Boulder just when I was, you know, living and growing up in Boulder. And then I think I did like one Pearl Street mile, probably like 10 years ago. ⁓ so it was fun to do like a f like really be in in the road racing scene. and I was telling people this sounds so silly, but I think just as a track runner, like I think when I think of the roads, I think like half marathon and full marathon, but there's just so many opportunities.

C Tolle Run: Thanks so much for joining me today on CTOLIRN. My guest was Elise Cranny. You can find her on Instagram or at other socials at Elise.cranny. Before we go, a big shout out to Rundot for supporting the show and to Andrew Harley and Sarah Bernie, the amazing producers behind the Try Dot, Rundot, and CTOLIRun podcasts. Also, if you're a fan of Tailwind Nutrition, I just want to mention: if you go to TailwindNutrition.com and go shopping, you can use the code TOLLY20. That's T-O-L-L-E-20.

Elise Cranny: to be on the roads and be doing a ton of different distances. You don't just have to full send all the way to the marathon. And I think that's been really like eye opening and fun of like there's all these races and they're so ⁓ you know what I love about, you know, spectating and going to marathons is like the whole community feel. And so it's cool, you know, the six K was amazing. It's like a woman's only race and just like the community there. And then they had

C Tolle Run: For 20% off your order. So check that out. If you're a fan of the pod, all you have to do is visit ctelirun.com slash review, and it'll bring you right to our social page. Please let other people know how you like the show. We are on YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram at CTallyrun and at Carrie Tolson. And you can also visit us anytime and hear all of our episodes or watch any of our episodes at ctlyrun.com. Thank you so much for joining me today. And don't forget to get after it.

Elise Cranny: you know, a like mini lap for young girls to run. I think it was like point six K after and it was just like the whole atmosphere is ⁓ is really, really cool.

Carrie: I think that is what a lot of track athletes like you talk about with the roads. It's like there is this different mentality. And it is like a breath of fresh air at times. Especially I think when you're on the the track and it's so intense. And you know, there's just lap after lap. You gotta chase the clock, you gotta chase everybody. But when you're out there on the roads, like you hear the fans, you see the houses. Like I can remember Dina Castor saying, I love real estate, and that's what I look at when I'm

Elise Cranny: Ha ha ha.

Carrie: Racing on the road. So you think you'll go back and race some more?

Elise Cranny: Yeah, I'm gonna do beach to beacon this weekend. ⁓ and then I'll do Fowmouth mid-August. So that will be my little mini road racing season for the year, but I'm like really excited, especially because doing the 6K, I feel like it was it's definitely like different than the track, so I feel like in a good way, but I'm excited now to be like, okay, I have, you know, one road race, you know, under my belt, so I'm excited.

Carrie: Yeah. So beach to beacon is a ten K. Right? And so, okay, so Beachabacons ten K, then Felmouth is a seven miler. But are you gonna do the double? 'Cause I used to do the double it well, the set I would do the mile the night before, and then we'd run the seven mile kind of as like ⁓ extended workout.

Elise Cranny: Yep. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, I've gone back and forth because I was talking to Courtney Ferricks, who did both last year, and she was like, it's so fun. but I think I'll probably just do the seven miler this year. I think I'm kind of like had a lot of fun the last couple of weeks of even just doing a lot of road workouts. So I don't know. I feel like a mile would be quite a shock to the system right now. So I think I'll stick I'll stick to the roads for the next couple of weeks, but then I'll be back to the mile eventually.

Carrie: It is fun. What was different about the roads, Elise? Because I mean, you were a stud on the grass. Like everyone you know, when you first were starting to running, I think that's where we really noticed your well, those of us that kind of research the sport, it was on the grass that we noticed your two talent. And then when you got over to the track it was like, Well, yeah, obviously she's great over everything, eight hundred meters on up. But, you know, what was it like going back to that? Like, did you have a different mentality? Did you know where you were gonna try to make a move? Like, was it sit? No, it wasn't sit and kick. You led for a lot of it. So like what was the strategy going into it?

Elise Cranny: Yeah, it's so funny. I was talking to so many people before the race and we were all like, wow, six K is such a random distance. Like we haven't run this since college cross country. But then it's funny, like you're saying, 'cause it is the same distance as cross country, but for some reason it feels different on the road, obviously, than being on the grass. and so yeah, I definitely would say it's funny. I feel like it's what you're saying, it's nice 'cause it's different than the track in terms of like you're not getting a split and you have to be way less kind of concerned about the time and more just competing, which I found really fun. but I definitely found myself the day before quite nervous because I felt like, wow, this is like I've done a six K before, but this is like feels so out of my comfort zone. ⁓ which is fun. but yeah, and I think that is something that I've heard from a lot of people, which is fun too, of

Carrie: Yeah.

Elise Cranny: It kind of feels just le less sit and kick in general. Like it kinda felt like, man, we're all like running in a pack. and yeah, no one's really s it just feels like, ⁓ we're like kind of this contingent of like really good energy and vibes and ⁓ really talented women running together. And so that I definitely like fed off the energy of the pack for sure. ⁓ yeah.

Carrie: You were off the line pretty quick though, Elise. Like, was it hard for you to to hold back at all? Because I kinda got a little like internal giggle 'cause I was like, that's totally the track star in her

Elise Cranny: Ha ha ha Ha ha It is so funny. I kind of felt out of the line. I was like so nervous to like get off the line and then I was like, okay, I think it's like a little bit easier to like, you know, quote unquote find your position in a road race. Like it's like you don't have to, you know, it's not gonna be a, you know, single file line situation where you're trying to get off the line. So that was very funny. I I will say I like talked to

Carrie: Right.

Elise Cranny: my partner Charlie and then my parents about that. They were like, just be super chill the first half and then yeah, like four hundred, eight hundred meters in, I was like, okay, I'm like at the front. What am I what am I doing? ⁓ which is funny. Yeah.

Carrie: I loved it. So you're living in Boulder right now, but you've split some time the last year. So tell me a bit about your training situation and and who you're training with these days.

Elise Cranny: Yeah, yeah. I joined ⁓ last fall, probably in like October, ⁓ I joined M11, which is a group based in ⁓ Manchester in the UK. Keeley Hodgkinson, Georgia Hunter Bell, Sarah Healy, Aaron Wallace, so many incredible women in that group. yeah, I just felt like I really was missing the the team dynamic. I think that's something that's always been a really important part for me for ⁓ ⁓ you know, since I got into running from my high school team to being at, you know, Stanford and have a r having a really close knit team and even as a professional, I feel like the years that I've really like loved running the most and really thrived is being a part of a team. And so I was kind of missing that after a couple of years of of being on my own. and so yeah, I was there probably from October to February, ⁓ and then ran indoor USA's and kind of the last couple of years for some reason I feel like I get to March and my body is just I think I just like train for three or four months and then feel like I kind of just stop adapting. And I think that kind of just goes back to probably like 2022. I had a little bit of a bout with Red S and then I feel like I just never fully took the time. I'd take, you know, the classic one to two weeks at the end of the season, but then you're full back into it training for eleven months. And so I kind of found myself in ⁓ February slash March thinking like I was really, really excited for, you know, the off year, like not having a world Champs or or Olympics ⁓ to try some different things. but then I was like, man, I feel like if I just keep pushing through, I feel like each year I'm kind of just hanging on for dear life, so to speak, and I just didn't want to do that. I feel like there's a big couple of years coming up with 2027 and then you know, LA Olympics in 2028, and another world champs in 2029. So I've been back in Boulder since just kind of taking a big reset, ⁓ spending some time with family and friends, and then going I'll go back to Manchester in the fall. But yeah, just wanted to like be here, do some road races, just yeah, do something a little bit different and kind of like do a full like reboot, so to speak.

Carrie: Yeah, and I think like those of us who know you, like we could tell the last couple of years you would have we we saw the old elise here and there, but it wasn't quite as consistent as you were in twenty twenty-three, twenty-four. You know, it just was kind of like is is she a bit injured? Is she tired? And you were pretty vocal about it as well. So let's kind of talk a little bit about that. Like what have you been going through? What does Red S feel like? I don't even know if I've ever had anyone on the show that's actually experienced it. And you know, even your last one of your last posts was just amazing. Everything that you kind of threw out there for everyone to read, whether it was injuries, red s, learning about your nutrition, following along with the the nutrients that you need to pay attention to. It was in one post I learned so much, Elise. And as a older athlete, like looking at you and knowing you have so much left in you is really, really inspiring to see. how much you've learned about yourself and and where you're gonna go from here. So tell me a little bit about this health journey.

Elise Cranny: Yeah, yeah, I think it's a thing that's hard 'cause I you know, in college I was injured quite a bit. In the last few years, like knock on wood and like very, very lucky I haven't been injured. And I think sometimes that makes it harder 'cause there's not like a blatant injury or like, okay, you need to take eight weeks off. ⁓ But kind of like I was saying, I feel like I would train consistently for three to four months. And yeah, I'm so I feel so grateful that I've gotten to the point where I feel like my body is quite resilient and can handle a lot. But in some ways that's almost like a double edged sword, you know? Cause it's like you can keep pushing and keep pushing, which is good. Like I'm not having that mechanical breakdown, but it's almost like, yeah.

Carrie: Sure.

Elise Cranny: just continuing continuing to push and it feels like I'm handling it and I'm handling it and then whether it's kind of ⁓ you know it's very hard to tease apart, whether it's under recovery, just a teeny bit of underfueling and, you know, that's what I wanted to get across in the post is like sometimes it's in intentional, but a lot of times I feel like with distance runners, ⁓ it's unintentional. It's like we just don't realize how much we need for, you know, what we're like the demand we're putting on our body. ⁓ and so that's kind of how I feel like it would be for me. I would do I would string together three or four months of training and then suddenly just feel not like myself at all. And I think you know, as you mentioned, it's it's frustrating because it led to a lot of inconsistent results and I feel very ⁓ grateful for incredible coaches and a support system that I feel like would help me get ready for those US champs and be able to make teams the last several years. But It is quite like it takes quite a toll like on on your confidence and well being too to be like, you know, you show up for one race and it goes really well and then you do a race a couple of weeks later and you just feel like you have nothing at all in your legs and you're sinking into the ground and you feel like a totally different athlete. And I think that you know, I think for so many of us there's always that uncertainty of, you know, how's the training gonna translate? But when it feels like so uncertain, I was explaining to someone this to someone the other day. It's like I felt like my margin for error got to be so large because my body was just, yeah, like I said, not quite recovering or not quite, you know, getting what it needed to fuel. So it's it would be kind of scary to stand on the line and, you know, instead of being like I'm confident and I'm fit and it's like my A plus day versus, you know, my C minus day. There's a very small margin of what that could be. It's like, okay, maybe it's not gonna be the best, most insane day of my life in this race, but I know probably within a couple seconds what I can do. but I feel like I was getting to the point where it would be like quite a large like margin of error where s you surprise yourself in not a good way. Like you're so you're shocked at like kind of how. Bad the race wind.

Carrie: Well Yeah, and I think what we saw on the outside is we're used to you ⁓ being up in the front and we're used to you dictating paces and and what was happening in races and there were moments where you would, but then it was the second half or the last quarter of the race where it was you could see what's happening. You said sinking into it or maybe like running through mud. And I think that's what people that don't know what Red S at Is they're like, what are the symptoms? What happens? And I think there's a lot of symptoms, right? Like how did you figure out you had that?

Elise Cranny: For sure. Yeah, I think you know, I think when I had my first kind of bout of it in twenty twenty two, the biggest thing was I was missing a period for several months. So I think that's an indicator. But I do think what I've learned over the years is like you can still be getting a regular period and it can still happen in some ways. And so that's what I would say, like I said, is You know, it can be small things is like maybe I wasn't missing a period, but like you can get ⁓ you know, your cycles like becomes really longer or a lot longer, becomes lighter. Like it almost feels like your body's getting to the edge where it's kind of like starting to shut down some processes because it's not getting what it needs. But I would say I mostly notice it in my ⁓ in my ability to recover and ⁓ yeah, like my sleep. gets bad and work I feel like the the effort that it takes to run certain workouts or paces becomes much greater. And that's not just, you know, one off day where you're like, okay, yeah, I'm carrying a really high training load. I'm a little bit more fatigued today. It becomes kind of like getting progressively worse day by day. And to your point, I think sometimes it's like you can make it through some of these workouts when you have rest. But for me it would very much be like the last one third or quarter of a race. It's like I show up and it's okay. ⁓ but it it feels like if you go kind of over that line, ⁓ when you have red S, there's like no coming back from it, if that makes sense. Like it would feel like if I do anything that's just slightly over what my body can handle. It's just like

Carrie: Yeah, yeah.

Elise Cranny: the wheels fall off and there's no you know which usually is like maybe you can go over the line a little bit and then you can fall off and kind of like regroup and recover, but it kind of felt, yeah, to your point of like you feel like you're running through mud now and you just yeah, you kind of can't get back on the train.

Carrie: So it's interesting because like when I was racing, you know, the first thing when we would have workouts that the last interview interval or two would go south, or in the last eight hundred meters of a race if that would go south, we always sought iron issues. But with Red S, is that is that always an indicator with Red S that you have low iron or is not is it not always the case?

Elise Cranny: Mm. Not necessarily, but I would actually say I had some issues with with low iron in high school and I would say it actually feels quite s like some of the symptoms are quite similar. Yeah.

Carrie: Yeah. So I wonder how they can differentiate. I guess they just don't they don't give you iron if you don't have low iron. You don't want to take iron.

Elise Cranny: It's really hard. It's Yeah. Yeah. I feel like that is You know, part of the reason is like that I hope to, you know, help some people through some of those posts because it is something that's so complicated. And like I feel like I you know, I put that post together, but it's like I'm thirty years old and it's taken me like years to try to tease it apart myself or, you know, get help from people. But even then, especially something like Red Us, which I know, you know, a lot of other people have talked about in the sport, but it's ⁓

Carrie: Yeah.

Elise Cranny: There's not like one blood marker for it either, you know? So it's it's quite yeah. And then that's where I've started saying is like, okay, you don't need to figure out exactly, you know, the terms. I feel like red us, under recovery, under fueling, overtraining, overreaching. It's all to me kind of like similar symptoms. Yeah.

Carrie: I know. It's all under one big umbrella. Yeah. So things that you do now as an athlete that you would like to share with younger athletes or athletes that are in the situation that you are, or even older athletes like me, because red S can happen to anyone, right? ⁓ but what do you like when you start to get fatigued or when you are speaking to others, what are you doing now that's different now that you're really aware of this?

Elise Cranny: Yeah, I would say the consistency of my fueling is big and I think this is really cool that I think the sport is really starting to change and go come has come such a long way. ⁓ but you know, even the use of even if you're not a marathoner, using, you know, gels and fueling within workouts, within runs. I know growing up I thought like you only do that if you run a marathon, but now I'm realizing just how useful that is in most sessions and you know, even in the shorter like volume sessions on the track, ⁓ just the amount of power and glycogen and fuel that you need, even if the volume isn't high for that high intensity. and then I would say, yeah, like listening, I'm becoming much better at listening to my body where was saying you know it's not just one day where you feel more fatigued but being more aware of a pattern. So it's like if I'm if I've gone a week to ten days feeling super super tired ⁓ paying attention to that. ⁓ which I remember having a conversation actually when I was you know first became a pro with Emily Infeld and she we were talking about how you know when you get injured or you get overtrained or something we were like it just comes out of nowhere and then we stopped and we were like it actually does And if you go back through your log, sometimes you can see, hey, I was writing super tired, super not myself, you know, for a week or ten days. So I think just paying more attention to that and you know, writing that down in my log sometimes, not over, you know, thinking how I feel, but just being cognizant of of a couple markers. And I think it's different, you know, we're talking about how red s can be really complicated. And I think it can manifest for different people in different ways. But I feel like I know kind of my like telltale signs for myself now. So even just taking a minute and writing those down and knowing, you know, for me what that looks like. So it's like, okay, if I if easy runs start to feel super hard and I'm counting down the minutes and I can't wait for an easy run to be done, like that's a f kind of a first sign for me. If my sleep starts to feel like it's not, you know, as good or or I'm waking up and I'm not as motivated to train, like those sort of things that I feel like I've identified are kind of uncharacteristic for me. so kind of looking more for For patterns like that. Again, not on like a you know panic day-to-day basis of I feel tired from my workout. ⁓ but yeah, kind of trying to, that's what I'm trying to work on is not going two to three weeks of pushing through workouts where the paces feel so much harder. And it is that cycle though. I mean, you know this well. It's just I feel like that is a really hard thing with ⁓ a lot of athletes in general. It's like, but then you they feel more effortful. So then what is our first thought? Is like,

Carrie: No.

Elise Cranny: Like, I'm out of shape, I gotta push harder. And so it's like trying to change that, you know, internal dialogue and narrative too of okay, yeah, if something's feeling harder, you're not just suddenly out of shape two days later. It's probably more of a fatigue and recovery issue.

Carrie: Well, and the interesting thing is is an I wish that I would have trusted this more. And, you know, I was pretty much done racing, probably around thirty two years old because I started having my family. And but at thirty years old, I just remember people saying, Carrie, you have had all these years. There's a lot in the bank, right? So recovery is more important as you get older. Like you don't ⁓ necessarily have to do more as you get older. And I wish I would have trusted that. It sounds like That's kinda how you are. You had to kinda learn it the hard way though.

Elise Cranny: For sure, for sure. And I feel like it is so hard. That's what, you know, I'm still working on day to day exactly what you said of saying, you know, I've put in so much consistent work. And I think what goes along with that too is ⁓ still having that, you know, long term mindset and long term approach. Of it's not one workout, one day or one week. It's how can you you know, that's I think a big shift that I've made is how can I make the training sustainable. Sustainable. So instead of being so focused on, you know, can I crush this one workout? It's like, can is the training that I'm doing sustainable where I want to keep coming back week after week after week after week? Not I'm gonna do it for a month and then I'm gonna feel so roasted and toasted. Yeah.

Carrie: Yep. Yeah, you need to stack those bricks every week rather than just one one day here and there. ⁓ how do you think you've changed though, maybe th mentality wise, like are you a different runner now that you've gone through this? Like is it are you trying to keep it light? Are you still as intense as ever? Like, do you feel like you've changed at all? Or is it just that you are more aware of what's going on?

Elise Cranny: Yeah, that's such a good question. I think both. I think I'm more aware, but I definitely think I've changed. I think ⁓ something that I've really worked on is, you know, I think the things that maybe got me to where I am aren't necessarily the things that are gonna get you to where you want to go. I think that's been a very big realization for me of like, okay, being super, you know, dedicated and locked in in high school really helped me get to that next level. And, you know, I'm still very like meticulous and driven, but I've also found that ⁓ you know, when I go too far

Carrie: Yeah.

Elise Cranny: that way is like I lose a lot of the joy and in turn I lose a lot of the motivation and you know for me the biggest thing that I've realized I think through all of this too is ⁓ you know showing up to the line healthy is so important but also showing up to the line not mentally fried. Like if I show up to the line and I'm excited and motivated to race is You know, that sounds so cliche, but like that I'm going to be able to dig way deeper than if I show up to the line, you know, two percent more physically fit, but like just absolutely fried, not able to kind of go to that dark place, ⁓ where you want to be able to go in a race, you know, where you can really dig deep. And so I think that has probably been a really big part of it. yeah.

Carrie: Yeah. I think that's really cool. And that's how I I've already recorded your ⁓ intro for this ⁓ podcast. And I said, like you've just been such an advocate for athletes' minds and bodies. Like you really do. You you share that about the ups and downs, but physically we can maybe watch that, you know, with you or just watch it on Instagram or whatever. But I think the mental side is so important. For athletes of all ages to hear that even you, Elise Cranny, American record holder, two time Olympian, you have to figure out how to find the joy again in the sport.

Elise Cranny: Yeah, for sure. It is something that, I mean, I would say even other athletes that I look up to that came before me, or even other athletes in the sport now that I really look up to, I've found myself ⁓ stopping and thinking of like, wow, okay, this person really inspires me, or ⁓ I love what this person is doing. And usually I feel like the common thread there is like this person is just having the time of their life. Like, ⁓ Tara Davis, Nikki Hilts, for example. I'm just like, wow, they are just out there like having such a fun time, you know? And it's It's cool because it's like they're also performing so well. And I I truly believe now at this point that it's like they're performing well because they're having so much fun. ⁓ and so I think that is something, you know, when you ask about changing too, that I'm really yeah, I think I've like lost at times along the way, and I think is something that I'm really trying to still work on like getting back and and tapping into that. ⁓

Carrie: Yeah.

Elise Cranny: 'Cause it's yeah, I think it's very powerful.

Carrie: It's hard though. I mean, I think this is a thing. We as athletes, it is so hard to just kind of be loose about anything in life. Like, wait till you get a little older and maybe the running is, you know, not the the forefront of your life. But we are intense no matter what. You will be intense when you're I've never mowed a lawn. I just haven't. I grew up with all girls in my family. My dad had the boy next door to mow our lawn. But like

Elise Cranny: Ha ha ha Ha ha ha.

Carrie: I can remember people saying they would try to beat their time mowing the lawn from the last time they mowed the lawn. Like I try to see how fast I can put the dishes away from the dishwasher. Like you manifest that competitive edge throughout your entire life. So I do think it's important for us to hone in on that, but also to be able to set it aside and to find everything else that makes us happy besides just the run. And it seems like you're doing that. Like you just seem happy now. Like on the start line, I see you smiling.

Elise Cranny: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Carrie: I mean, it was so fun to watch you run that road race. I mean, there was still that grit, that determination. You had your race face on and you were right there. You were right there.

Elise Cranny: Yeah. ⁓ thank you. No, I think it's, you know, to to your point about the rest of life too. I think you know, I was talking to someone about that a couple months ago 'cause I was kind of frustrated, like thinking, man, like I feel like running is kind of bringing these like traits out of me, you know, like these super intense traits or these things that I don't really like and I'm trying to deal with. And it hit me so hard because they were like, at least this

Carrie: Okay.

Elise Cranny: This would manifest in any area of life. Like it's not running. Like if you were working a full-time job, if you were, you know, back in school. And so I think that was actually really freeing for me. Basically, what you're saying is like that's always kind of something that we're gonna have to work on and manage. And it's not, you know, running to be ⁓ mad at.

Carrie: Ha ha. For sure. Yeah.

Elise Cranny: per se because of these things are coming out. It's like it's just a matter of like whatever I would be doing in my life right now. Would that's you know the intensity and the and the drive and needing to find that like balance and that combo of kind of you know being locked in but being loose and fun and excited and joyful is like that would be, you know, manifesting in in any area of life.

Carrie: For sure. Mm-hmm. Well, I think it's brilliant what you're doing this year. I think it's great that you're stepping away from the track and having fun on the roads. You're still getting that stimulus of racing really hard. And then you're you said twenty twenty seven is kind of all about the world champs. Do you have a certain event you want to try to really look to? You're so good at everything. So I think everyone still is like, What is her event? You can make the team in the fifteen. You can make the team in the eight. You could go and make it in the

Elise Cranny: Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Carrie: Ten K, you could also go and run a half marathon or a marathon. Like, what do you think?

Elise Cranny: That is very sweet of you. I ⁓ that's a great question. I was actually just doing a a workout this morning and I feel like I'm having I was just thinking in my head and I literally was like, wow, I feel like I'm having an identity crisis with running. Like I've I feel like I changed day to day. you know, I think at joining M11, which is a very like mid-distance heavy group, and seeing just how fast, you know, Keely and George are. I'm like, wow. I

Carrie: Okay. Fish.

Elise Cranny: You know, my roots, my true roots are in the 1500. I love the 1500. It's so amazing. Like maybe I should just fully commit to that and see what I can do. And then some days I'm like, ⁓ but I don't love running 25 laughs, but I do like the challenge of the 10K. And then I'm like, ⁓ the 5K is a perfect in between. So so honestly, I I'm still working to figure that out.

Carrie: Okay. Well we don't need to push you one way or another. The last thing I wanna do with you is do some run dot, rapid fire, lightning round. It's not necessarily my this or that. It's just like a lightning round. And I think this'll be a good way for us to get to know you, even as you've aged a little bit since you've been on C Tally Run. So favorite type of workout. What do you like?

Elise Cranny: Okay. Ooh, I love love speed workouts. I just love like fast fast like four hundreds with a decent amount of rest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Carrie: So like six of them or is it okay. Six, pretty hard. And like what would the ideal workout be? Like sub sixty for all six?

Elise Cranny: Honestly, yeah. Yeah. Something like that. It's hard when you ask that though, because then I'm like, I feel like I'm kind of on two ends of the extreme. And then I I love a good long-run workout where you just finish and you, you know, like refuel and take a nap after, and you just have this like feeling in your body that you just like worked so hard. So I do love that too.

Carrie: Frushed it, yeah. I do too. I love that. What's your least favorite workout? Like what are you not like you just gotta do it, but you don't really love those days.

Elise Cranny: honestly, just like a normal long run with no workout in it. Like just like a time on your feet long run. I just like oof, I would rather do a workout. Yeah, I do. That makes it so much better. Yeah, when you have just like a group of people, you're just trying to having a great time. ⁓ but yeah.

Carrie: It's boring. You need do you like to have people with you on those where you can just chat about whatever, or are you okay. Okay. Yeah. Where's your flav favorite place to run? 'Cause you get to run all over the world. Do you have a certain place you're like, I can't wait to get back to it?

Elise Cranny: I feel like this is such a basic answer. I was just telling someone the other day, before I ever went to St. Meritz, I feel like I listened to so many podcasts from runners and they St. Merritt Meritz is my favorite place. And I was like, This place is so overhyped. And then I went there, but it's like it truly is so wonderful. And being,

Carrie: Like so beautiful.

Elise Cranny: from Colorado and being in the mountains, but also having the lakes there and yeah, probably that or Rollinsville outside of Boulder. I just love too. It's at like eight thousand feet and ⁓ just a great dirt road up in the mountains.

Carrie: That's super. I love it. Okay, favorite post run meal because these are super important. You talk a lot about carbs and a lot, you know, your posts and things. So what what do you go to for your post run meal?

Elise Cranny: Ooh. I feel like I've been struggling recently because it's been so when it's so hot and humid, it's like all I want is just smoothies and and a bunch of fluids. ⁓ but I love honestly, yeah. A smoothie. I've been very into the Arizona iced teas in the can. I feel like I hadn't had them since I was in high school, and the last like week they've been hitting.

Carrie: I know. Hm butt. Which is okay. That's a good answer too. You like a smoothie?

Elise Cranny: But then Vanessa Frasier got me on ⁓ Annie's mac and cheese kick a little bit ago. So that's also always a very easy lunch. Like you don't know what to do. You get your carbs, protein, ⁓ and fat, and it's like you don't have to think about it. So maybe I'll go Anna a bowl of a good bowl of Annie's mac and cheese. We were just, I was

Carrie: There you go. ⁓ that is so good for people to hear. So good. ⁓ tell me a little bit Yeah, go ahead.

Elise Cranny: I was just up in Park City training with her before the 6K and we were joking about how I was like, man, all my favorite foods and snacks recently I feel like are so are they're just kids' snacks. They're fruit snacks and rice krispies and Annie's mac and cheese and you know applesauce packets for carbs. So I feel like my I'm just become a child again with my with my diet.

Carrie: ⁓ my gosh. It's so bad every like I don't know what. Like I I don't think that any f food is really that bad, especially at the level of activity that we do. But every now and then, like once every three, four years, it's not often 'cause I just don't think of it, but I like to have spaghettios with the meatball.

Elise Cranny: ⁓ my gosh, that's so good. I haven't had those in so long. ⁓ my gosh. Yeah, okay, I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to try that.

Carrie: It is so good, but it's also like I know, and it actually tastes really good. It just brings me back to the nineties, baby. That's where it was. ⁓ tell me a hidden talent of yours. I always think this is so interesting because there are a lot of professional athletes that they play music or they are very good at cooking or like it's just fun to hear. What do you do besides run?

Elise Cranny: That's such a good question. I would probably say country line dancing. I wouldn't say it's like a crazy talent, but I love it. It's so, so fun. I ⁓ yeah, I usually like to try to find a place I can go. It's not like the most ideal sometimes with running to be like, you know, dancing for three hours. So you have to be careful about when you choose. But when I am not able to go somewhere, I ⁓ like to

Carrie: Yes.

Elise Cranny: just pull up youtube and like learn and do dance maybe like once a week or once every other week so I will I will so I'm yeah I'm always trying to add some to my to my repertoire

Carrie: Why are you not posting these, Elise? Every week we need Yes. Cowgirl Cranny ⁓ that is so fun. And does your partner do that with you?

Elise Cranny: I've recently got him on board. He probably knows. I don't know, maybe three to five now. ⁓ so yeah, he wa he at one point I was like, we have to learn another one. He's like, I'm getting too many in my head, they're getting all confused. But he's quite good. I have yet to take him out in the wild, like to take him to, you know, a country bar or something, but

Carrie: ⁓ Hey.

Elise Cranny: But we we do it in the in the comfort of our home and he's quite good, so. He hasn't learned that one, no. Yeah, that's a good one.

Carrie: Love that. Has he learned the achy breaky yet? That's an old one. But the achy there you go. Next one. ⁓ that is so fun, Elise. Hey, I can just see that you are in a really good spot. And I hear it in your voice. I saw it in your racing. And we are rooting for you every single step of the way. So thank you for being such an advocate for so many people and and for sharing your story. Cause it has been, we can tell there's been That little bit of a roller coaster ride, but that's what life's all about. And you're on the up and up. So we're cheering for ya.

Elise Cranny: ⁓ well thank you so much for ⁓ you know having me on and you know as we were saying like getting to be at some of the same meets with you last year. I just you're always so supportive and it's so nice. ⁓ you know, you've been through it yourself. So to have someone that understands the ups and downs and you know is still so encouraging, it's ⁓ it's really nice to have you have you in my corner too. So thanks for having me on.

Carrie: Always. Yeah, we'll keep getting after it.