The Origin Story of shut.up.and.run.2011
What name do you use on the Internet?
I use shut.up.and.run.2011 or variations of that wherever I can. For example, my IG is shutupandrun11. Of course, on professional sites I use my real name. On Twitter, I use @elizwise2point0 because my email name is too long.
Do you keep the same name everywhere?
For sites I don't necessarily want to be searchable by my online persona, I tend to switch to another variation such as run2live.
Where did it come from?
In January 2011, my marriage was breaking up. It was BAD. I found myself spiraling downward very quickly, so despite the relative cold in DC at that time, I decided to get back into running. It was cheaper than therapy and truly helped me put everything in perspective. At the same time, my old email address had my married name in it. I wanted to remove all connections to him at the same time (like ripping off a band-aid, I thought at the time), so I created a new email address for myself -- one to remind me every time I wanted to complain, every time my brain wouldn't leave me alone about all the issues it seemed to have with my life at that point, that I could whine or I could shut up and go for a run. I added the date to remind myself when I woke up to my own life again.
What does it mean to you?
It is a daily reminder of my own strength and evolution. It also still works to get me out of my head.
Why did you choose it?
I wanted something a little easier to type, honestly. But really, gmail has no normal email patterns left. So, lots of dots were a requirement.
Do you ever think of changing it?
When I'm applying for jobs or looking at freelance clients, I think about changing it. I did create a more professional Outlook address for those exact situations. But when I'm applying for jobs or networking, I tend to share the shut.up one -- if the person on the receiving end can't handle my persona, he definitely won't be able to handle me. So, it's better to find that out at the beginning.
Why do you / donât you use your real name?
The gmail struggle is real. Also, as a woman I don't think it's safe to put my real name out there for every internet interaction.Â
What was your first internet screen name?
Um... oh wow. Does my college one count? It was just ewise, can you imagine? I feel like a dinosaur.
What is your favorite name youâve seen in your travels across the net?
Tumblr is full of AMAZING screen names. bigstupidbaby, deck-the-halls-with-jensen-ackles, eloquentvibes -- Tumblr names speak volumes about the users. So brilliant! There are tons of plays on Harry Potter alone that make me giggle every time I see them.
Whose origin story would you like to hear next?
Hmm... very selfishly, I want to hear my friend David tell the story behind @Mulatto_Mass :-)
Now that people have heard your story, where can they go to find out more about you?
I keep a personal blog (that I really, really need to get back to) calledwiseinhealth.wordpress.com.













