Name: Melissa M.

How many kids or furbabies you have: I have one 11 year-old daughter and a 20 year old meowing fur-baby

Location: Bedford

One thing you love you about our MRTT chapter: I love how friendly and supportive everyone is!

1. When did you start running consistently? What prompted you to start? I started running when I was eleven years old – the summer after 6th grade. My best friend’s mother was an ultra-marathoner and she wanted to get her daughter interested in running. So, she took her daughter to a one-mile fun run on the boardwalk and had invited me to come along. I loved it. Her daughter didn’t. I joined the high school JV cross country team in seventh grade. 33 years later, here I am. 

2. Where is your favorite place to run/workout? I don’t really have one favorite place. It depends on my mood. I do like the woods in my neighborhood. I also love running on the track. I was a half-miler in school and going back to a track always makes my legs want to get some speed going.

3. Do you have a favorite race? If not, what is on your bucket list? My favorite race was the Cape Cod Marathon in 1996. The route along the shore was beautiful and finishing brought a great feeling of accomplishment. I’d like to do another marathon one-day. Or, I’d at least like to do a half. I also loved the Newburyport ten. I did that many years ago as well. People lined the whole ten miles clapping. It was an amazing feeling. I haven’t run races in a long time.

4. What is your current running/fitness goal? To have fun and stay healthy…and maybe to do that half-marathon!

5. What motivational quote or motto keeps you working hard? My Dad gave me a plaque when I raced as a girl and I often keep its lines running through my head. It’s come in handy in running and in life. It goes like this: “When your luck’s run down and your world’s gone wrong, When life’s all uphill and the road is long, Keep your spirits high ’cause through thick and thin, You must carry on if you are to win. Never mind if things hold you back a bit, You’ll come out on top, but you mustn’t quit.”