Elise enjoys competing at CrossFit events. When training, she goes into a timeless flow state. It's the feeling of sweating, increasing her heart rate, and zoning out that completely clears her mind.

As an athlete who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; a connective tissue disorder that manifests as lots of laxity in joints, building muscle means that she no longer experiences pain when working out. but its in training that she finds space and time by herself.

“Everyone just loves getting a sweat on and doing something hard. And it's kind of like a mental game”.

For Elise, the shared experience of training pushes her and makes her work harder than when training alone and it’s the community aspects of CrossFit that proved to be the main attraction to give it a try. She feels part of a community that supports and cares for each other, bonding over 'brutal' training sessions.

Check out more on Elise’s story on @umbro social media channels or follow #itsatrainingthing.