Eryn Lewis: Hello! Good to see you.
Nadia Ruiz: You too!
Eryn: Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. We’re just gonna jump right in..and again, I so appreciate you talking with me. For back story here, my colleague Tracy and I are curating a newsletter around the theme of resilience. As I was considering the people in life who really mirror the true definition of resilience, you came to mind. So, I’d love to hear what comes to mind for you to be thought of as so closely connected to what I consider resilient. And also could you describe a little about what you do and about who you are?
Nadia: Yeah, so my name is Nadia Ruiz. I’m an endurance coach and also a biology educator. My background is in education, endurance sports, and also in [sports] competition. I’ve been teaching for 10 years - biology. And I’ve been a competitive athlete for 22 years and have been coaching for 15 years. So, all of them have meshed together and created who I am over time. In regard to resilience or resiliency, when I saw that word, I definitely remembered that moment when we were at the retreat - that self-development retreat where you had to choose one word that you feel best represents yourself. And it was really interesting how we were kinda close together and we were both like “Resiliency, yes!” We personally know our journeys but sometimes others may not know about our struggles. And coming out of those struggles is really important. The word resilience definitely has a significant meaning for me.
Eryn: A little background for those you don’t know…I know Nadia because she was my coach for my first LA marathon…or first marathon. So, in that time when were training, we were able to go to different retreats with our team of 10, and we were able to do a lot of mindfulness exercises practices. That’s what Nadia is talking about…a time when we were able to go to Joshua Tree as a team, and we found that word that felt so fitting to describe our running experience. So..what inspired you to become a runner? Can you tell us a bit about that?
Nadia: It was by accident. It was in middle school; around that age. I did not come from sports. I didn’t do team sports. I had two left foot. Really any team sports was kinda difficult for you. So, I was doing my homework one night and I saw the Ironman World Championship on TV. And I was like “What is this!?” People are basically racing all day from sunrise to sunset. I just didn’t really understand…wow, what is this?!? It’s a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run. And when I actually thought about it, I was like, “Wow, the human body can actually do that! That’s amazing.” Professional athletes have always inspired me. They are amazing people. But what really touched my soul was the real stories of the real people who had full-time [non-athletic] careers, who were parents, who were overcoming a divorce, who were overcoming such struggle in their life, and they gave themselves this goal to complete an Ironman. I felt really inspired and thought I think I could do that. If these real people who are struggling with something in their lives can make this goal for themselves without having any particular ‘talent’ or career as a professional athlete, then why can’t I? Why can’t I try at least? So, I started doing the research. I found that it was an expensive sport. I had to be 18 years old to compete. I thought, let me start with one of the three sports that might be the easiest to get into so that I could go ahead and start. So, I started with running. And I thought, okay, marathon, let me sign up! I did my first marathon when I was 14 years old. I had just started cross-country [running] in high school. I hadn’t run anything more than 5 miles. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just signing up [for the marathon] completely blindfolded. I told my parents about a week before the race - the LA Marathon in 1999 - that I signed up for it. I said, “Someone else on the cross-country team is running it with me, and I think I can do it.” My dad was 40 years old at the time, and he was like “How? And why is my daughter doing this? I’m not gonna let her do it by yourself?”
Eryn: How old were you again?
Nadia: 14! And my dad was 40. We did our first marathon together, and we had not run more than 5 miles ever. And it was only two days before the marathon that we had our longest training run. These are all the wrong things to do when you train for a marathon! (laughs) That first marathon was the absolute biggest enlightening experience of self-discovery, of my mind, of my mental strength, of the physical pain that I can endure as a 14-year old. The more you’re unprepared for something, the more it becomes painful to go through. Sharing with my dad was even more special. It was at mile 12 that I finally just sat down at the curb, and felt like I was defeated…completely emotionally defeated; physically defeated, everything, and I said “I’m not going to reach my goal.” I was so used to be an over-achiever and for me to feel defeated and e to hug my legs and start crying of pain….My dad just kneeled next to me and he said: “Mija, we’re in this together. I’m here with you. We’re gonna finish. If you put you’re mind to it, you can do anything. You can do anything.” I had no excuse. If my dad, someone who loves me, is counting on me, then that really counts.
Image source: https://nadiatherunner.blogspot.com/
Eryn: He really believed in you!
Nadia: Yeah, I stood up and we finished that race together, hand in hand, crying. And that’s when I fell in love with running. I fell in love with running.
Eryn: That was your first race?
Nadia: That was my first marathon.
Eryn: Okay, wow, what an experience — and one to run with your father! It sounds like it’s such a beautiful perspective — that running is a mind, body, and emotional experience. And you as a 14-year old were able to say, “Oh my goodness, these IronMan athletes are able do this even considering all that is happening in their lives.” You were consciously considering that. And you saw that it wasn’t a barrier for them and how there’s a true resilience in that. And we will get into that later about how obstacles have influenced your running career and life. Yeah, I love that perspective. We’re gonna shift gears a little bit. This now a career for you. You’re training people now…and you’ve been doing this for years now. You started running as an athlete at 14. How long has this been a career for you?
Nadia: Coaching? For 15 years.
Eryn: Oh, that’s right.
Nadia: I was able to pick up coaching while I was teaching. So, I first started coaching cross-county and track and then I started coaching for LAUSD and for Students Run LA. And then I started coaching for companies; brands, and it kinda evolved from there.
Eryn: Has your gender or racial identity impacted your experience in the running world?
Nadia: Yes. In very unique way. I was trying to think about this concept in light of what’s going on today. Over time, maybe the more competitive I got, I think I was made more aware of my gender. It was hard to be a competitive female. Because sometimes females don’t want to be as competitive or they feel challenged in a way and want a safe space. And they don’t feel like high competition for females can be a safe space. But it’s mining the right way to communicate about it; finding the right way to connect people in order for it not to be an issue and be something that helps uplifts you. Same thing with racial identity. Even when I was competitive in the Boston Marathon.. Typically, for most races it’s mostly 60% female and 40% . But for Boston, it’s actually reversed. So, it’s a race where you have to qualify so anywhere between 60-65% are male and then the rest is female. I even reached out to the BAA [Boston Athletic Association] to ask why is this so. And they said, “Well, we’re trying…we’ve had to change the qualification times to encourage women to qualify more; to be part of the field. And we want more women representation. So, the standards are a little more relaxed for females.” So, that’s great and that does encourage women…But whenever I run the Boston Marathon, I do notice the racial [makeup] is different, minorities aren’t really represented as much. There’s a lot of factors to that, it’s not only just race, it’s also socioeconomic. It’s also the cost of the race, the cost to travel. Going to Boston and New York are probably one of the most expensive race weekends, because everything usually is hiked up for the city. Again, there’s a lot of factors that play into it. I do feel, just having a science background, even when I used to be in my lecture halls, there was an under-representation of minorities. And it wasn’t just Latina, it wasn’t just one particular race. It was minorities that were underrepresented. And I’ve had to battle with that my whole life, whether it’s in running, whether it’s in academia, or whether it’s in my work. But I don’t allow that to be a factor that holds me down. Instead, it motivates me. It motivates me to keep working hard. Even if I have to work harder, that’s ok. I can’t let myself down. I can’t let my family down. I come from an immigrant family, where my parents have left everything. They left everything in their country and came with nothing and they built something. And they made that sacrifice for their children. So for me, if my parents can do that, then I can overcome this obstacle. I can find a way, even if it is hard. Even if I sometimes feel like I am struggling. So, resiliency does come into play there, too.
Eryn: You said “battling through it” or “pushing through it,” was there anything that helped you in moving through that? Whether you used your voice to advocate for yourself and your racial identity? Or have you felt like you could have a voice behind the struggles that you’ve experienced?
Nadia: I do know that the more a person struggles, the more important it is to find a support group and find someone that can help you get out of it, because there were times that I felt “I’m just going to tuck my head in, and try to grind through it by myself” - but it’s not a safe way. It could work sometimes, but most of the time, if you’re really struggling, it’s important to connect with people who might understand your story, who have already overcome that same obstacle and can guide you and help you. I’ve realized every time that I feel like I’ve hit a real low in my life, or a real big challenge or struggle, maybe I’ll try to overcome it alone, but it’s not easy. The moment that people reach out to me, or I find that support group to help, it’s a lot more heartwarming and I’m able to overcome it.
Eryn: It’s a good reminder that we can’t do this life alone, especially with these significant obstacles, and that it’s really important to connect with the people who are struggling with a similar thing. I’d say that ties in really well with what’s going on in our communities today. Not only if you’re not experiencing it, being from a learner perspective, but people who have experienced it firsthand, it’s really important that they have a community of people who have experienced it. A shared experience can really be healing. So, thank you for sharing that.
Have you faced setbacks or obstacles in your running, life, or career? What has that looked like? And how have you gotten past that and pushed through those obstacles?
Nadia: Definitely yes, obstacles have happened throughout my life. Whether it be through the smaller ones in high school, the more challenging ones in college, grad school, developing your life, teaching – I think the most vivid obstacles this year have been a big challenge. I feel like I’m getting every obstacle thrown at me over the last year. It’s a learning period, it’s a period of taking it one day at a time and understanding what’s happening. But I’m still remaining to the core of trying to be positive, proactive, and trying to see the end of each obstacle and try to tackle them and not put them all on one plate and not think that I can do it alone. So the obstacles have definitely been there, and a whole lot recently, as many of us are challenged with what’s happening in the world.
Eryn: You’ve been doing this for 15 years, and all of the sudden in this past year, things have shifted dramatically for you in your career. I’m curious how those 15 years have set you up to be able to survive and live through this pandemic. Do you feel set up to bear all the obstacles of COVID-19 and everything that has come your way? Has that been a good foundation for you?
Nadia: Definitely, yes. One reason is my dad has always said “Make sure you plan for a rainy day.” Make sure you plan for when there’s a storm coming, not just for a day, or a week, or maybe months – there’s going to be lows for a period of your life. And I thought previously that there were lows and challenges that I’ve had to overcome, but nothing like what I’ve had to overcome this past year, and especially in the last 6 months. This 6 months have been a very trying period. Everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve built, everything I’ve saved, everything I’ve gone through in the 35 years of my life has allowed me to take on the tsunami of obstacles I’ve had this past 6 months. It’s all in the mindset, it’s all in skills, it’s all in saving. Then another key aspect is creativity and being creative and positive. So many coaches and people in the creative field and independent contractors have been challenged at this time. We’ve lost everything. Either our entire business or a significant portion of our business. We’re trying to find a pivot. How can we evolve with what’s happening? How can we still remain positive with what’s happening? How can we continuously be informed of what’s happening, but also plan not only for 3 months ahead, 6 months ahead, but for the coming years, and as things keep changing every day and every week, it’s just staying in that creative and positive mindset and trying to flourish.
Eryn: It’s such a crucial time to make sure your mind stays healthy. Especially with all these obstacles and a lot of unknowns that are happening. The mindset and keeping your mind sharp and creative sounds like it’s pulling you out of the muck as you continue to experience and bear these obstacles that are coming, whether you know its coming or not, you keep your mind sharp, and you can finish this long, long race that we just don’t know when it’s going to end and what it’s going to look like.
Image source: https://nadiatherunner.blogspot.com/
So, thank you! Thank you so much for your vulnerability and your honesty and taking this time. I know that it’s hard to find time, especially through this new normal, and trying to find a routine and trying to find opportunities to still tell your story, because I know that that’s been something that these last 15 years has truly been about – being that inspiration and that coach and being in big communities and sharing your voice. I know that you’ve impacted a lot of people. So I appreciate you carving out this time in your crazy schedule now. I want to give you an opportunity to share one last message of encouragement with our community. I’m curious what that would be considering what we’re all going through, what you’re going through, what’s one message that could collectively support our community in this time that you would want to leave to end our conversation.
Nadia: I think the one thing I can definitely resonate with right now is – it’s ok to feel what you feel. Emotions are real. If you’re feeling weak, if you’re feeling sad, whatever it is that you’re feeling, it’s ok to feel it. Know you’re not alone. Know that you can get through this, but you have to reach out to that support circle in your life of people that love you. Because there are people in your life that love you, that want to see you achieve and succeed and overcome the obstacles you’re overcoming. Recognize those feelings and embrace yourself. I know sometimes it’s very, very hard, and you’re in a low moment, but embrace those emotions and reach out.
Eryn: I love that. Thank you so much! I wish I could give you a hug. I’ll air hug you from here!
Nadia: Well, we’ve shared so many memories together and it’s been such a pleasure. Even just to hear your voice, it’s just a reminder of the joys that we’ve shared together. It’s just always been a pleasure.
Eryn: Same. You’re an inspiration to me, so I really, really appreciate you. I could hear your story multiple times and hear something different and hear something inspiring and motivating. SO I’m encouraged and I hope others are as well!
Nadia: Thank you!
Nadia Ruiz, MA, is an educator, endurance athlete, and coach. By the age of 28, Nadia earned the title as “The Youngest Latina to Run 100 Marathons in the World.” She can be found on Instagram here: @irongirlnadia.
Eryn Lewis, MA, is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, IMF #186959, working under the professional supervision of Gabrielle Taylor, PhD, Psy #22054. Eryn works with individuals, couples and families on a broad range of issues including anxiety, depression, parent-child challenges, trauma, sexual abuse, and marital issues.