August Athlete of the Month 2012 - Liz Cooper

Reddog AOTM, how do you feel about that?

Amazed! I've been getting a real buzz from improving my technique and

my times and achieving an honour like this has made me even more

determined to keep improving.

What attracted you to the squad?

I had been swimming at the Valley Pool and saw the Reddog squad

training - it looked hard, but fun. I knew that the challenge would do

me good and it's great to train with other people.

If you were Reddog coach for the week, what would you do differently?

I'd introduce a couple of two hour sessions.

How much training do you do at the moment?

I'm swimming five sessions a week and do five or six sessions at the

gym: a mixture of weights, aerobics, pilates and yoga. I also do some

cycling but I shouldn't really mention that because my pace is rather

recreational!

Least favourite session and why?

Friday's 25m session - because it's not 50m. But having said that,

once I'm in the water I always enjoy it.

If you had one wish, what would it be?

To take a 50m pool back to the north of Scotland when our time in Oz

is over. But I'd also need to take the Brisbane weather - I hope

that's not two wishes - as nobody would want to train outside in a

Scottish winter (or summer)

Favourite motivational quote?

"A diamond is just a lump of coal that stuck with it"  I don't know

who said it but I love the sentiment that success doesn't always come

quickly and you don't know what you can achieve unless you keep

trying.

What advice would you give to other Reddogs who would like to be AOTM?

You can do it! You might need to step out of your comfort zone but

we're all capable of more than we imagine.

What are your goals?

The first is to complete the Straddie 1k swim without being eaten by a

shark! Then I'd like to aim for some of the PBs that I set at Masters

competitions ten years ago.

Who would be your ideal training partner?

I already have the ideal training partners - just trying to keep up

with faster people in my lane and the lane next to me has helped me

improve my times.