Evening, friends! 🌛
I’m so excited for you to meet and get to know the subject of this week’s interview Melissa Miller, and there’s probably no better time for you to meet her than this week, just a few days before Halloween, which is her favorite time of the year (and mine).
As you’ll learn, Melissa didn’t start running in a serious way until she reached her forties, but once she did, she jumped in with both feet, running everything from 5Ks up to ultra-marathons.
What I find so refreshing in her story is how she’s been able to weave running into her life, even though she goes through seasons when she’s far too busy to give it the time she’d like — it’s always there in the background, ready for her to come back when she’s ready.
I also fell in love with the spirit of adventure Melissa has embraced throughout her life, living in places as far-flung as Japan and Ukraine — while seeing every U.S. state through her running.
Her spirit and her energy are infectious, and so I’ll stop talking and just let you get to know her too — and remember, I’d love to hear your story too!
So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.
My name is Melissa (age 53). I am a third grade teacher in Southern California. I have worked in the realm of education for over 30 years, which has included teaching in my hometown of Niagara Falls, N.Y., as well as where I now reside in the Mojave Desert.
I've taught every grade K-12, adult ESL (English as a second language), and conducted professional development courses for teachers locally, nationally, and internationally. I was a principal at three different elementary schools and have taught in Ukraine, Japan, and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands).
I also have a unique/faBOOlous side gig working as a scare performer at a haunted attraction!
What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?
My running routine has decreased exponentially recently. I went from doing a streak of a minimum of 5K per day for over two years, to essentially only running in organized events approximately once per month at the most.
When in character for my role as an asylum patient at a haunted attraction, running skills come into play as I bolt down a dark hallway (which is illuminated only by a strobe light), terrorizing unsuspecting victims.
Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?
I was always a fast runner when “competing” with fellow children in my neighborhood, but I was quite shy and was basically deemed too short/skinny to participate in any organized sports/teams.
I was very aware of the importance of health and fitness as both were components of the core curriculum where I attended school for grades pre-K through 12 in New York. We even had indoor pools in our elementary, junior high, and high school campuses!
We had structured physical education and swim instruction multiple days per week at school. Weather permitting, we ran laps and played games/sports outside as well.
How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’
My love of Halloween lured me to compete for the first time in a 5K, which was a race in downtown Boston that included a costume contest. That piqued my interest in searching for other themed-races. Some of the most fun ones I’ve done since then included:
“I Dream of Jeannie” Cocoa Beach Half Marathon
Cane Field Classic in Louisiana (Actual machetes are distributed to finishers in lieu of medals at this race)
Various zombie runs for which I’ve been predator or prey
Several food-themed runs which involve eating throughout the course (donuts, pizza, pierogi, etc.)
How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?
I started out as a 5K runner and ultimately worked my way up to 50K — although I don’t plan to do another ultramarathon other than the one and only one I did in Texas at an alligator-inhabited park.
I actually didn’t run on a regular basis until my mid-forties. I peaked at about age 48 when I was able to run slightly under a seven-minute mile (for shorter distances, of course).
My preferred distance to run is 10 miles, although it’s rare to find events of that distance. I’m not very motivated by running just for running’s sake and I only run outside… never on a treadmill.
What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?
Work-life balance is my biggest challenge for consistency with running. In addition to my actual job(s), I serve on several committees and am an executive board member for our union. I am also vice president of a nonprofit scholarship organization. (All of which is extremely rewarding, yet very time-consuming).
I have two furbabies — my miniature dachshunds named Carmella Macchiato and Thor — and a sun conure (a bird) named Marley. As for forms of self-care, I am a member of a meditation group consisting of participants from around the globe and we “meet” twice per week via Zoom for sound baths, etc.
A fun fact: my dog Carmella Macchiato is also a runner! She is a champion dachshund racer and has also competed in human 5K races with me! (My shy pup Thor prefers to roll in a stroller!)
Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?
The running accomplishment of which I am most proud is how I set and achieved a goal which I created for myself called “Fifty by 50”: I ran a race in all fifty states by my fiftieth birthday!
I wish these had all been races of the same distance, but I didn’t consider that until I had already completed about twenty of them. (The majority were half marathons). Concurrently, I ran countless races in California and neighboring states.
What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?
I have learned that running is very therapeutic for me and the roads and trails I’ve trotted upon and along have been sprinkled with a lot of my tears. I don’t listen to any music while running, other than if it happens to be playing along a course via disc jockeys, bands, or the earbuds of fellow runners who happen to be nearby.
I process a lot of emotions in my head with each step. In recent years, I’ve encountered a lot of loss, including the recent death of my father due to Alzheimer’s.
I used to create photo calendar books to chronicle my running adventures to share with him and I found out that he was my biggest running fan when he told me that he had even showed those books to his dental hygienist!
Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?
As cliché as it sounds, I truly would love to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Being that I have been slacking on running on a regular basis for practice, it’s doubtful I’ll ever attain that status unless I get serious and do another running streak. Running some sort of race on each continent is another aspiration.
What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?
I am very motivated by trail running. Some of my favorite running events have taken place on scenic courses of rural areas. I love nature and it’s fun to share the trail with critters amidst trees, flowers, waterfalls, etc.
I get very bored running in my own neighborhood. The grueling heat of the desert and frequent inhalation of wildfire smoke also squelches my enthusiasm and hinders safety.
Although she is decades younger than me (and way more skilled than I could ever dream to be), I am truly inspired by runner/blogger Hollie and by you as well, Terrell. You both have captivating, (albeit different), writing styles. You exude competence in running and writing and I appreciate your candor. Additionally, you connect runners to such interesting and motivational resources.
Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?
I never would have imagined that I could run such far distances as I do. I’d love to tell that much younger me that she should sign up for the track team in junior high, high school, and perhaps even college. I’ve placed for my age group as recently as the past two weekends at a half marathon and a 10K.
If I became a real runner in my youth, I can only imagine what more I could have achieved! I also would tell her to get involved with performing arts as I absolutely adore public speaking now… especially on stage which is the polar opposite of how I felt as a timid child.
Explore more from THM
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Loved every word Melissa. Thanks for sharing. Running can be quite cathartic as well as joyful. I wish everyone could experience what you have! Btw, how did you fall in love with public speaking? Practice, practice, practice? And what is it that you speak about? Loved the photo of you all costumed up at the Santa Claus race in Cleveland...my hometown!!!!
I love this woman.
Also “When in character for my role as an asylum patient at a haunted attraction, running skills come into play as I bolt down a dark hallway (which is illuminated only by a strobe light), terrorizing unsuspecting victims.” 😂 😂 😂
And the machetes they handed out at the end of the race… this was inspiring on multiple levels. I wanna run all those races now too!