Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruth Atkinson.
Ruth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began working out with Beachbody on Demand home videos in April of 2017. Shortly after, I started going for one mile jogs every once in a while at night. It helped me let off steam! Slowly I started realizing that I actually loved running, fitness, nutrition, etc., and I began diving deeper. Fast forward to February of this year, and I was running my first half marathon! I had been running consistently for about four months at that point. It was after that I committed mentally to signing up for my first full marathon which I am almost ready to run! This November I will run my first full marathon.
In this process, I have started a youtube channel where I post ‘Marathon Monday’ videos with some footage of me running, talking about how I feel and what I eat, along with many other things. My goal started out as documenting my own journey in Marathon training and running, but has slowly turned into having a channel where people who are also new to running can come for some laughs, support, information, and just to talk about the crazy journey that running is! It is such an individualized sport, but the community is amazing. My Instagram account, @runwithruth, is where I post most of my material aside form my youtube channel. I love interacting with friends and strangers, I love the encouragement we can provide for one another in a world that can sometimes be a sad or lonely place, and I love using social media to provide that space for people if they choose to reach out! I get to document my journey, and I have started bringing some others along for the ride! I am LOVING it!
I am considering getting certified as a personal trainer, particularly to help runners who need specific crosstraining programs for their goals. More on that at a later time, though 🙂 I’ve got a marathon to run first!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been hard at times, and seemingly easy at others. The hardest days for me have been when my body does not physically feel 100%, but I know I should get out there and do the workout anyways. This often happens in the middle of really stressful weeks at work (I teach middle school choir!). When I get to work at 7:20 am and get home at 7:20 pm, it means I was up at 3:30 am to run at 4 am.
Those days have been the hardest. I always feel like a beast at the end of those really tough days because they make me mentally tougher, but the days that follow are always when it catches up with me. It gets hard managing the emotions of teaching, running and training, home life, etc. Overall though, the four-month journey to building my endurance base and going for it with as much gusto as I can has been fun, rewarding, and made easier by the friends I have made along the way.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
My goal eventually could become to have my social media pages be my business, but I think a more realistic goal is to become certified in personal training or sports nutrition so that I can help individual clients in that way. I really just want to be an inspiration for other music teachers who lead crazy lives to say hey, you, yes you! You CAN do hard things. you can push your limits and still function in your life and job. You CAN have a hobby that you take seriously. You CAN do things that make you feel happy. You can choose to love yourself enough to make time for things other than what you do to make money. Embrace your journey, love the path you are on, and let yourself find joy.
That is what I am all about. I post to inspire, not to brag. And hopefully, people will see that and join me in my journey so that I can help, encourage, and join them in theirs. I have so many YouTubers and Instagrammers that I follow for the same reasons. I would love to give back in the way that those people give to me through their content.
What moment in your passion do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment is the first 17-mile run I had in this training cycle. I remember hitting all of my paces, I remember smiling to myself as I finished it up, and I remember thinking, “this is that journey part people talk about…this run is just a training run, but for me, it is also one of the proudest running moments I have had.” The beauty of running is that race day isn’t always your best day. I love that every day is a new run, and I am proud of myself for digging deep, training through the Texas summer, and continuing even when work picked up to full swing. I feel strong, and I am ready to run my own race this November. Regardless of how the race goes, I am a better runner for it, and I know I will continue to get better after. I can’t wait for the future. I can’t wait to run, vlog, inspire, learn, and grow. I am so thankful for everyone who has supported me in my first year of running.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-NQhbVJno30ODL-L8HX7Lw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runwithruth/
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