Inspirational Athlete Spotlight: Amanda Brooks

The internet can be a wonderful place to search for practically anything including running related topic but to know if the advice is worthy of reading can be a different story. Finding a reliable and trusted source seems to be more difficult than getting regular “fake news”. Well, have no fear for today we speak with the owner and writer, Amanda Brooks, of the blog RunToTheFinish. Amanda is a professional writer, an avid runner, running coach and personal trainer. Amanda strives to provide researched advice on training, prevention, and rehabilitation of injuries, nutrition and running gear specifically for the middle of the pack runners. She even shares her own running journeys including coming back from knee surgery last year which has been openly discussed on her site and through social media platforms like Instagram  She’s authentic, funny, and well versed while also freely giving fellow runners any helpful hints on how to enhance and improve their running experience.

 

 

 

Born and raised in Kansas City, my husband and I  moved around a bit before landing in Denver, which gave my running new life after 15 years! Suddenly a whole new world of trail running opened up and gave me an opportunity to switch up my goals.

 

I majored in Journalism at the University of Missouri, which helped spur my initial start to RunToTheFinish (RTTF) in 2007. I had been working as a high-level eCommerce consultant for a few years and needed that creative outlet. College is also where I first fell in love with running. I played nearly every sport as a kid, but running was a punishment, so I naturally hated it.

 

 

 

When I started the blog it was merely to connect with other runners. Over time my longtime love of writing and researching took over when I realized that I could help other runners answer the questions I had when I first started. That style helped me to stand out from others who were writing about their daily lives and turned RTTF into a great resource.

 

 

Running will likely never be easy for me, but I continue to choose it and that gives me a wonderful feeling of pride every single time I complete a run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest impact has been that as someone who is driven to achieve more, I’ve realized I don’t need to do it all at once or even all right now. I prioritize the lifestyle that I want (joyful, relaxed, content) over any title or number on a clock.

 

 

My life is my work. It sounds silly, but truly I get paid to run, to write about running and I get to enjoy the heck out of it.

 

 

 

I love that social media allows us to connect with other people who share our interests. A lot of runners head out for the miles alone and don’t feel like those around them really understand their drive to get up in the dark and suffer, but we do. For me, the downside is always that as part of my job I have to pay attention to numbers and that takes the joy out of the connection.

 

 

Because I have no fear of running most places, I’ve explored some pretty great off the beaten path runs in Iceland, Ireland, and through Southern France. Right now, Austria stands out because it was simply stunning from every angle no matter where I ran.

 

 

If you would like to find out more about Amanda or RunToTheFinish you can find her at the following platforms:

 

Her Blog: RunToTheFinish

 

Instagram: RunToTheFinish

 

Facebook: RunToTheFinish

 

Twitter: RunToTheFinish

 

YouTube: RunToTheFinish

 

Pinterest: RunToTheFinish