At the breakfast table with ... Ruth Astle
Having achieved the goal of first Age Grouper overall in Kona 2019 Ironman, Ruth is now going full steam ahead with her career as a professional triathlete. She has given us a little peak into her world and what it takes to get to the top. We loved hearing about her training and juggling work with training and hope that you find her interview inspiring too!
Q: Thanks for taking the time to give us an insight into your world Ruth! Would you start by giving a little overview of how you ended up competing in Ironman competitions?
A: I ended up doing Ironman mainly through the Triathlon club I joined in London post doing my first triathlon in 2013 on a charity place for work. Post the triathlon I wanted to get back into something more competitive and had enjoyed the training so signed up to my local Tri club, Ful on Tri. From there I signed up to lots of local triathlons but started hearing about representing your country, and then lots of stories about the magic of Kona! So naturally I became interested and wanted to do an Ironman and get to Kona
Q: You’ve got some pretty amazing achievements under you belt, which one are you most proud of?
A: I’m most proud of my overall AG win in Kona in 2019, 12 weeks post breaking my collarbone when a car knocked myself and some friends off our bikes, and whilst holding down a pretty intense city job.
Q: And you were still working full time whilst training for the World Championships in 2019, what did you find the biggest challenge when it came to managing your time and not burning out?
A: For me the biggest challenge was just fitting things in and trying to get enough sleep in (which I probably didn’t do at all!). A normal day would be waking up at 4.30am to turbo before getting into work, and then fitting a session in post work as well. Life was very much train, work, eat, sleep and not a huge amount else, although I fit a lot of my socialising around training.
Q: Do you have any top tips for people who struggle to manage their time and balance work / fitness / nutrition?
A: The biggest tip would be knowing what your priorities are, and what you can do consistently. For me training was a way of de-stressing from work so it was important for me to try and train even if I had a long work day. But if you know what time you consistently have and what your priorities are you can work around that.
Q: What does your morning routine look like at the moment? (What time do you get up, when do you have breakfast / train etc…)
A: During the week at the moment I am swimming 8-9.30am, so wake up at 7.30am, and I would usually just have a cup of tea before swimming unless it is one of the hard sessions in which case I would have a banana and peanut butter. Then post swimming porridge, more tea and usually work.
Q: Are there any non-negotiable morning rituals you include to start your day?
A: I always need a cup of tea or coffee before doing anything!
Q: If you ever feel unmotivated to get out and train, what usually helps you feel better and get back on it?
A: I have quite a few days where I feel unmotivated, specifically at the moment when the weather isn’t amazing! Usually I try and organise meeting someone to train with, as that makes the session go faster and means you can’t let them down. Ultimately though I know I always feel better when I get going, it is just the getting off the sofa to get started which can be tough!
Q: Following your Instagram feed, we can see you’re a bit of a foodie! Do you enjoy cooking and does this help you prep and stay on track with your nutrition or do you have help with your meals?
A: I love cooking! Mainly because I like eating. . . But have always enjoyed the process of cooking and being able to eat nice things at the end of it. I have been especially getting into doing more sourdough recipes over the last year, and have been experimenting with sourdough croissants and pastries which has been fun! But generally love cooking anything and trying new things.
Q: What are your goals for the next 12 months? (Covid dependant of course!)
A: So the main goal for the next 12 months is to be able to put in a good performance at Kona. It works my first Kona as a pro, and I know it will be a different race to doing it as an age grouper. Other than that the main focus is sorting out my swim - I have a long way to go to be coming out with the main pack in a race so have been focussing on that.
Q: If people would like to follow your journey, where can they find you? (Insta / website / twitter?)
@rastle50 (Twitter / insta), Ruth Astle (Facebook), Ruth Astle (youtube)