Member Profile: Jess Ruiz, 35

Jessica “Jess” Ruiz first trained for the marathon with Brian Clarke before the Covid-19 Pandemic, while she was preparing for graduate school. Now as a licensed physical therapist, she recently rejoined the BC Community and reflects on the value of training in an inclusive community of diverse ability levels. Here’s Jess, in her own words:

I first met Brian in 2015 at the Great Aloha Run, which was the only running event that I used to do regularly. I remember seeing this really tall guy who came up to me and asked, “Do you want to run the marathon this year? No experience necessary…” For me that idea was really exciting, because I was just starting to explore running and what it means to be an athlete, but I had never thought I could run the marathon. 

I did end up running the marathon that year, and I remember it as a great feat. I hit a wall around 26 miles, and had to really dig deep to figure out how I could push through. The things that Brian had taught us came into view then; concepts like pacing, how to manage breath, replenish your energy, and that last bit of fight to cross the finish line. I think I would have probably injured myself if I hadn’t done the marathon with Brian’s guidance.

I was 25 years old at that time, and it was hard for me to juggle training with all my other work and study commitments, so I dropped out of the training after 2015. But I did eventually get my physical therapist degree and just came back to the training this year. It was really nice to see some old friends and rejoin the community. With my training as a physical therapist, I’ve had a lot of practice assessing different walking or running patterns. Brian’s been doing this for so long that I see how he breaks down certain concepts for folks, especially with older people, where you have to be careful about prescribing how to stretch or tolerate certain levels of endurance. I appreciate his viewpoints and there are some things I can apply to my clients. 

For me personally, I’m very aware of how different exercises affect your body. I do a lot of strength-based exercise because of my work, so cardiovascular exercise is something I have to incorporate intentionally. It’s also a very important facet of overall health, and running de-stresses me. If I decide to run 10 miles, I need to build up to it and that challenge gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I’ve joined Brian’s group for the community. There’s no elitism – we just click with each other. What makes Brian unique is that he’s very inclusive; he’s able to accommodate anyone’s running goals. You could be a college student or you could be a weekend warrior – you have a spot in the group because he caters to every ability level. I love being able to see people of different ability levels participate and embrace the love of running; the confidence Brian instills in people is one of the things I most admire about him.