I knew right away when I decided to start this piece who would be the perfect spotlight for the first installment. She is one of my absolute hero's and truly one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out.
Ruth is a dedicated wife to Ken and mother to 3 beautiful girls Abbey, Lindsey, and Kelsey. She is an amazing nurse, and pretty much is headed for canonization I'm quite sure. Ruth came into my life in the disguise of a neighbor to my parents. I say disguise because I truly believe she was an angel sent to help my family through the most difficult period of our lives. As my Mom lived with cancer, and all that comes with that, Ruth and her generous family were there every step of the way. She did things that you could never ask a friend or neighbor to do, and she did them without us asking. She has this uncanny ability to know exactly what you need at the exact time you need it. She is constantly thinking of others, and how she can serve. The picture above is Ruth and my Mama, shortly before she passed on.
Ruth is an avid runner, having completed 11 marathons. Just last month she flew to Texas to run a half marathon with Abbey, where she finished in 1:41:32, first in her division. Have I mentioned she is over 50! The very next weekend traveling to Tennessee completing another half marathon with Kelsey,who was running her first. Kelsey was so grateful for her Mom, and said to me "she stayed with me the whole time, even though I run much slower than her".
It wasn't always like this for Ruth, she tells me she was a heavy child, and that physical activity wasn't part of their family's lifestyle. It was only later in her teens and into young adulthood where she began to run and incorporate fitness. These days she works out for at least an hour, EVERY day, mixing it up between running, yoga, bike riding, and the elliptical machine. She combines fitness with a low fat diet and watches portion control. Her motivation is two fold; she doesn't ever want to go back to that overweight teen, and her goal is to always be able to run a half marathon without training, or notice.
I feel very strongly one the most important parts of being well is our connection to our spirit. Ruth is a Catholic, and attends mass each day, a habit she picked up from her Dad. She comments to me, "you know, there are 9 kids in my family, 8 of us are girls, with 23 grand-kids between us. There is not one instance of cancer, no serious illness at all, what are the chances of that?" She attributes this to their strong faith. Running she says keeps her very connected to her spirit. It's in those early morning runs when she is saying her prayers and feeling enormous gratitude.
She is reluctant to give advice but contends when it comes to nutrition and fitness you gotta do what works for you. You will hear a lot of experts give all kinds of tips and tricks. She admits in the past her weight has yo-yo'd a bit, but what she knows now, is that ultimately, it's a balance, and what works for you, and your body is the best advice you can follow.
She doesn't use a mantra when she runs, through laughter she explains though when her and Ken are coming up on a big hill they say, "it's not a hill, it's scenic". I think that pretty much sums up her outlook on life. It's all about how you view the path that impacts how WELL you live.
Thank you so much, Ruth, for being such a great role model and mentor to me, inspiring me to run, and to be a better person.
If you are interested in running a half marathon this year, the Rock and Roll Series is a terrific option, they have races all over the country!
Do you have a champion in your life that embodies great wellness? Let me know about them and maybe they will be Whole Pieces Champion next month. julie@wholepieces.com
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