Runner’s World+ Member: Melissa Valente
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Melissa is a Runner’s World+ member. Join her and thousands of others chasing their goals with day-by-day training plans, expert advice from editors and coaches, and unlimited digital access. We regularly feature members online and in print!
Running has a funny way of challenging and really pushing me but also has the potential to bring so much satisfaction. As someone who is a perfectionist in many areas of my life, I am drawn to running ironically because I’ll never be perfect at it. I know there’s the potential to get faster or go longer and will never be the best. My acknowledgement that I have room for improvement drives me to keep running, find inner strength and see where my limits lie. When I’m feeling strong physically, I notice that feeling of strength translates into other areas in life — work, relationships and my self-confidence. Running has also allowed me to take ownership of my days by providing a sense of structure and consistency amidst the craziness of everyday life here in NYC. It is a healthy outlet to either take time to be alone and tune out distractions or meet up with friends to enjoy a shared activity together.
I joined RW+ for the community aspect and to learn about other runners’ journeys. We all have something that is worth sharing and that experience can be really helpful for others. I also joined to gain insight from the coaches and readers, as I’ve been spending a good chunk of my limited spare time reading and listening to podcasts that are somehow tied to running.
Even when the run doesn’t go well, I am still happy that I was able to move my body, push through mental barriers and have gratitude that I was able to take that time for myself. From a more practical and less sentimental perspective, I am currently training for NYC Marathon and I have a coach. The last thing I want to write in my training notes for her to review is "Skipped the workout because I was too lazy or didn’t make time to get out the door." That would be a poor investment of our energy and limited time if I were to not follow the plan that she has worked so hard to create. I want to get to the start of the race knowing that I did everything in my power to put my best foot forward, no pun intended. The more I run, the more limitless I feel. There is never a run that I have regretted.
Ideally as the sun is rising! Beautiful views and it’s too early to start thinking of excuses and talking yourself out of it! When I was training for a longer endurance race, I was occasionally running twice per day, but I think my sweet spot is one longer run each morning. By the evening I’m wiped and like to be in bed laughably early.
My love for running only started after moving to New York City 3 years ago, and I’ve always lived along First Avenue, super close to the East River. Naturally, the East River path has become my running staple, as I train on it almost every morning and love watching the sun rise. Note: stopping to take a picture on Instagram of the sun rising over the water isn’t ideal for training but it’s something that I can’t help doing. It never seems to get old. During easy runs for convenience, interval runs since it’s flat and has the East River Track, long runs because it continues down to the southern tip of Manhattan and links with the West Side highway. I am also almost guaranteed to see a few familiar faces, which can be the pick-me-up needed if I’m slugging through a bad run.
...with my Garmin Forerunner 235. It borderlines on unhealthy because I rely on it to a fault and sometimes scrutinize the data more than is productive. It is easy to forget that external variables such as the weather, amount of sleep, and hydration impact how I am feeling and not every workout is going to be perfect, or even close to perfect. Whether or not the numbers display what I would like them to read, I know the most important factor to success is my effort and whether I can say that the workout was executed to the best of my ability. That said, when I hit my target paces or Garmin alerts me that I just PR’d in a certain distance, I get very excited and appreciate this useful tracking tool. As someone who only bought her first running watch in January of 2019, I’ve realized that understanding where I’m at is crucial in setting goals. Going by feel definitely has a purpose but how do I work at getting faster if I don’t know my current pace?!
PR by 18 minutes during the New York City Marathon. NYCM will be my fourth marathon but the first one where I have been really diligent in sticking to a training program and have been pushing outside my comfort zone of relaxed easy miles and long runs (hello speed work!). I feel really invested in this race and I am eager to see what’s possible after 18 weeks of training. At the start, it’ll be a matter of getting out of my own way, having faith that I can do it and going forth with no regrets and no excuses!
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