Meet the R4R Runners: Revisited #2

Welcome to the second edition of the Meet the R4R Runners: Revisited. This week, we get to continue the trend and meet our second runner, Lili.

One of the best things about the Meet the Runners is the dose of vulnerability we see each week, that normalises what it means to struggle. Lili helped set this tone in her first time round, and she does it again this time round. She has contributed so much to our community and her responses to the questions are a cracking read.

So, without further ado, let’s re-meet Lili!

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How have you been? 

Been sliving (hoping at least one person gets the Paris Hilton reference 😊) 

Knocked off any running events recently?

I am a big fan of entering runs, and then thinking about how to prepare for them after, so have ticked off a few already this year. Looking forward to City2Surf, Sydney Marathon and Melbourne 1/2 in a few months. (#kudosplease)

What's been your favourite thing about R4R since we met you the first time?

Seeing how the community has grown and the enthusiasm that people have is pretty cool. It’s very different scenes to the early days back in 2020 and I love that it’s become a staple in so many people’s weeks. 

Your original answer to "What does resilience mean to you?" was "being resilient means being able to bounce back from the curveballs that life throws at you. Being able to learn and grow from tough situations and continue to move forward in your life."

Do you still think it is? Would you change it at all?

I think what I said still resonates with me, but reflecting recently on resilience, I have some further thoughts to add:

• You don’t have to forget to move on, it’s okay to accept a situation and move forward. Also, feeling happier again does not mean you have forgotten - you can’t punish yourself forever over a past decision.  

• Painful situations do not last forever. Being able to reflect on past states you’ve been in is both sad to think how lost you were, but positive as you will have more tools to help you in the future. 

• Keep that Just keep moving phrase at the front of your mind.
  It’s no secret I love exercise, particularly running, and often run to clear my mind, but the ‘moving’ part doesn’t have to be linked to exercise. Sometimes it does feel easier to hide away from the world, and day-to-day life feels unmanageable. Keeping on ‘moving’ is the best way to pull yourself through those periods, even if the ‘moving’ part is just getting through the bare minimum for a while. 

You were brave enough to share that you suffered from an eating disorder in your teens and early adulthood. It really set the tone for people sharing their vulnerabilities through the rag and in my mind, has no doubt helped many people... So, thank you.

Is there something you've learned in the past two years that has helped you comprehend your struggle more, that might shed light for others going through a similar thing?

To be honest, I am frustrated with how much of my life my struggles took up, so my advice for anyone suffering from an eating disorder, body dysmorphia, or disordered eating is to make it a priority to do whatever it takes to get into a better place both physically and mentally. It will feel worse before it feels better, but the longer you allow certain behaviours and actions to thrive, the stronger they become. 

Everyone deserves recovery and everyone’s recovery journey looks different, so finding and focusing on the things that work for you is so important. The Butterfly Foundation has a range of resources and support, and is a great place to start if you are looking into what help you could get. 

You've been a massive part of the R4R community so far. How do you think we can achieve our goal of making Canberra suicide-free?

Keeping the conversations going about Mental Health Awareness is super important so no one feels alone, ashamed, or embarrassed by what they might be experiencing at that time. Hard situations or periods in life do seem like forever when you are in them but are rarely permanent, whereas suicide is. By continuing to build a community whose core message is about suicide awareness, I believe those who are contemplating a certain path will have the place to come and hopefully feel supported to make different decisions. 

Lili, thank you for your openness and all that you’ve done for R4R.

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There are less than 10 tickets available for the Running 4 Resilience road trip to the City2Surf! It’s a great day with great people, and the cost will be $120, including the bus trip, recovery session, and lunch (race entry and drinks aren’t included). If you have any questions, please email Benny A by clicking here

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