Podcasts Sports Running Ali on the Run Show 375. The Everyday Runner, Melissa Cummings

375. The Everyday Runner, Melissa Cummings

Published: May 18, 2021, 9 a.m.

\u201cI\u2019m very proud that I have managed to, in less than a year, do four half marathons. It\u2019s not something I ever could have dreamed of doing. And I\u2019m just proud I have really stuck it out. Because it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s not easy to try to work yourself back from a poor health standard, or to bring yourself out of that mental hole that people can fall into. I\u2019m very proud that I have stood up and said, \u2018I need help, and I need to make a change.\u2019 That\u2019s a huge step for anybody to take. The fact that I\u2019ve taken that step and I keep moving forward\u2026 That means a lot to me.\u201d

Welcome to the final episode of the newest series on the Ali on the Run Show: The Everyday Runner. For the past four weeks, we\u2019ve been hearing from runners who are just like you and me. Not professional athletes \u2014 these runners have jobs, families, and responsibilities beyond this sport we all love so much.

Today, we wrap things up with Melissa Cummings, a runner \u2014 or \u201cwalker with purpose,\u201d as she likes to say \u2014 from Manchester, NH. On this episode, Melissa shares the story of wanting to take back control of her life, and how she found running, racing, and a welcoming running club along the way. She talks about that title, \u201crunner,\u201d and shares her thoughts on whether or not she \u2014 as a four-time half-marathoner \u2014 has embraced it yet. She talks about what it was like joining the Millennium Running Club, and what it was like being named 2020\u2019s Club Member of the Year. And she talks about her experience with depression, and how running has helped.

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What you\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What Melissa\u2019s childhood was like as the youngest of five children (6:45)
  • How Melissa found running (11:00)
  • How one race became a year of races (18:45)
  • On joining a running club (23:30)
  • Melissa\u2019s quest to \u201ctake back her life\u201d (33:30)
  • On becoming a half-marathoner! (35:45)
  • On being named Millennium Running\u2019s Club Member of the Year (45:15)
  • What got Melissa to sign up for a marathon (50:40)
  • On owning the title, \u201crunner\u201d (54:00)

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