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Melanie DesAutels on preparing in Kenya for the Berlin Marathon, winning and defending her title at the Beneva Montreal Marathon, her steady rise in the sport, balancing athletics and life, finding success and staying humble
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On today’s episode of Just In Stride, we’re joined by Mélanie DesAutels, two-time winner of the Marathon Beneva de Montréal and one of Canada’s rising marathon talents.
Mélanie has steadily improved her times while balancing training, school, and life, recently winning Montréal in 2:46:16. Her story is one of focus and consistency, from training blocks at home to summers spent running in Kenya.
In this episode, Mélanie shares what it’s like to defend a marathon title, stay motivated through setbacks, and chase the next level of performance.
This episode was presented by @xactnutrition. See below for their exclusive offer 👇🏼
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Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.
Offer from Lagoon : This episode is also brought to you by Lagoon sleep pillow and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code STRIDE. Mininum purchase of $74 USD required. Limited to one use per customer.
Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Promotion
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Justin Stride podcast. I'm your host, Justin Pugliese. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place. On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential.
00:00:18
Speaker
Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover. Everyone has a story and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together, we'll have some fun. So follow along on Instagram at Just In Stride Pod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired.
00:00:47
Speaker
Come along for the ride with Just In Stride.
Sponsor Promotions
00:00:50
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session.
00:01:00
Speaker
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00:01:13
Speaker
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00:01:33
Speaker
We're also supported by our friends at Lagoon, the experts in deep restorative sleep, the ultimate recovery tool for your training. When I spoke with Ryan Hurley, the founder of Lagoon on episode 37 of the podcast, I learned just how important the right pillow is for optimal sleep and performance.
00:01:51
Speaker
After taking their two minute quiz and finding my perfect match, I finally started waking up refreshed and ready to tackle my
Meet Melanie Desotel
00:01:58
Speaker
goals. Now Lagoon is offering 15% off your first purchase with the code STRIDE.
00:02:04
Speaker
So head to lagoon sleep.com and see for yourself why better sleep leads to better running. On today's episode of Just In Stride, we're joined by Melanie Desotel, two-time winner of the Marathon Beneva de Montréal and one of Canada's rising marathon talents.
00:02:21
Speaker
Melanie has steadily improved her times while balancing training, school, and life, recently winning Montreal in two hours, 46 minutes, and 16 seconds. Her story is one of focus and consistency, from training blocks at home to summers spent running in Kenya.
Training in Kenya
00:02:37
Speaker
In this episode, Melanie shares what it's like to defend a marathon title, staying motivated through setbacks and chasing the next level of performance.
00:02:48
Speaker
Welcome to the Justin Stride podcast, Melanie. How are you? I'm great, Justin. How are you? I'm good. I'm good. um I'm excited to talk to you because you're in a place that I'd love to visit as a runner. You're in Kenya right now, which is super interesting. How's that going?
00:03:06
Speaker
Well, it's going relatively well so far. I say relatively well because there have already been a few hiccups along the way. um But I'm over them, thankfully. And the training training is going really well.
00:03:21
Speaker
So I'm really happy. what What kind of hiccups are we talking about? Travel hiccups? or Oh, gosh. Terrible food poisoning. yeah oh no. Yes, the worst case I've ever had, you know, despite all the precautions I took. And this is actually my second time in Kenya. So i kind of knew my way around. But you know what?
00:03:42
Speaker
Sometimes it's just bad luck and, um, yeah, it, it sidelined me for all weekend essentially. But, uh, yeah, now I'm recovered and back to training. So that's good. Can you pinpoint what it was?
00:03:58
Speaker
Do you know? Well, you know, well, i I know like which meal it was and, but I can't say for sure what it was during that meal. Probably a bad piece of fish, I would assume.
00:04:09
Speaker
But like, it's hard to say because I'm actually the only one who got sick at the training center. So I was especially unlucky that night, but yeah. yeah yeah So now do you go as part of a group? Do you get invited? Like, how does it work ah when you go to a place like this with, with so many amazing athletes?
00:04:28
Speaker
Yeah, no. So this, um so both, both of my training camps in Kenya have been completely like of my own initiative.
Balancing Life and Running
00:04:37
Speaker
Um, I've heard, ah I've read about high altitude training and all the benefits that yeah it can, can procure, especially for marathon training.
00:04:46
Speaker
Um, so, I mean, that's why i wanted to go. I wanted to live the, at the pro athlete life as a as a semi wannabe pro athlete.
00:04:58
Speaker
And um so I heard about Iten in Kenya mostly through books I read or, you know, social media.
00:05:09
Speaker
And here in the Rift Valley where I am, there is kind of like the haven for runners. I mean, that's all there is in this village. It's training centers and athletes from all over the world coming here to train and learn from the Kenyan way. So it's great.
00:05:28
Speaker
And so are you running mostly with people from who are doing the same as you or are you training with people that are from there also? Oh, yes, ah you definitely run with the locals.
00:05:41
Speaker
So you get to know kind of their routine. ah they like Like most seasoned runners, they run oftentimes multiple times a day. So, I mean, it's not as if you have to go to that session or you skip the entire day.
00:05:59
Speaker
Um, but you also run with the other athletes that are staying either at your training center or some of the other training centers. So like right now there are Europeans here. um there were Americans here earlier this week.
00:06:12
Speaker
Um, so it's really fun because you get to meet all these div diverse people from different backgrounds and not only pro athletes, some are, some are here for just the experience of, uh, of, of running alongside these, you know, these great athletes.
00:06:27
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. That's so cool. It's something I like on a bucket list of mine for sure to kind of see what that like, that's like, yeah so do you go there doing your own thing? And then by meeting people kind of figure out like who you can jump in with who's kind of similar to you similar workouts? Or is it like, is it more structured than that?
00:06:48
Speaker
Well, ideally, ideally you want to be rather independent so that, um, you don't rely on who you're going to meet over there or, you know, who will be staying at your training center at the same time as you, um, because you can't really, you know, predict all of
Running Journey and Coaching Impact
00:07:04
Speaker
that.
00:07:04
Speaker
So I have my own coach who provides me with my, my training, um, for these four weeks. And then, you know, i do most of my runs alone, but, um,
00:07:17
Speaker
If I, you know, chatting with the other people who are staying here, you know, during dinner or breakfast, we we figure out, oh, maybe I can join you for a run later on in the day or tomorrow, what you're doing for your long run. And we kind of mix it up like that.
00:07:32
Speaker
That's good. Yeah, that's cool. So you like, don't feel so long. And I'm sure people who are there for like, pretty much for that purpose. Yes, most people are here training for a specific race. So usually that's one of the first questions you ask when you meet somebody who's like, oh, which race are you training for?
00:07:48
Speaker
ah And I've met already a ah couple more people who are training for the Berlin Marathon. So at least I have some training partners there. Nice. Now, is it common for somebody of your like caliber to be there or they you find it's more on the elite side? or like I just don't know how common this is for...
00:08:08
Speaker
Yeah. um So last year when I came, i would have said it's more on the elite side because I used to joke around that I was like the slowest of the fast.
00:08:20
Speaker
Okay. But this time around, yeah either I've gotten faster or it's just, you know, luck of the draw. Um, I'm actually like one of the fastest here at the training center. So, um, I think it just kind of depends what time of the year you go, which, which training center you're staying at.
00:08:40
Speaker
I think it really depends. It can attract people who are running, aiming for a three 30 marathon as well as people who are training for two 20 marathon. So yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool.
00:08:51
Speaker
And how do you time it with your race? Like what's the, like from what you've read or what you gather, like what's the most like optimal way to do it? Is it like a four week block at a certain point in the build? Like at what point is it?
00:09:04
Speaker
Well, for sure, especially with the distance and the jet lag, I mean, you don't want to head to Kenya or to high altitude for anything less than two weeks. Even two weeks, I would say is too short of a stay because you need that ah adaptation week almost to just get used to the altitude. And then you have like a reduced mileage.
00:09:23
Speaker
So really, if you're only here for two weeks, you're getting what, like ah just a single week of training. You're only going to get like limited adaptations from that. um So I would say the minimum would be a three week stay. And then I like to do a look for complete buildup. a four week camp before my marathon.
00:09:45
Speaker
So actually this year I'm doing something different than I did from last year. Last year I came before the Los Angeles marathon. And because of all the jet lag and time differences, um I went back home before going to Los Angeles. So I did like a two week taper back home and then headed off to the other side of the continent.
00:10:08
Speaker
Um, but this time around with Berlin being in the same time zone as, as Kenya, I'm actually heading straight to Berlin and running the race like three, four days after leaving Kenya. Oh, wow. Okay.
00:10:19
Speaker
So that like should be like peaking perfectly. And so you'll even yeah taper in Kenya kind of thing. I'll be, yeah, I'll be tapering my last week here in Kenya. Yes.
00:10:30
Speaker
Okay. Nice. Nice. That's interesting. And so what have you learned from the Kenyans? Like what's so, what's part of the allure other than the altitude, of course, uh, like the benefits it gives you, what have you learned from the people, the way they train there? That's maybe different from we're used to North America.
00:10:48
Speaker
Well, you know what? Like I can't, there's no secret. to running like the Kenyans do. I mean, there have been books written about them and sure they have the genetic predisposition. predisposition I mean, you have to you have to see them like physically their calves are like a gazelle. It's just, and the way they run, it's just so graceful, so beautiful. You just want to emulate that. But here I am like breathing hard behind them and feeling so sloppy, but um that's just,
00:11:20
Speaker
to to see that in real life, seeing like this, they all run like that. It's just like the way they run, they they've been running since they were kids, running back and forth to school. And so, and another thing that really impressed me is that, you know, I'll be doing my training run on the road and all these kids, all these Kenyan kids,
00:11:40
Speaker
They'll come out and say, hi, how are you? And then they'll start running alongside you. you're're you know You're kind of training hard. You're breathing hard. And they're running alongside you in their little like clogs or flip-flops or bare feet.
00:11:55
Speaker
And they're they're keeping up to you. Yeah, no problem. It's like, no problem. So, I mean, they're just so naturally gifted. and But they they also have like this...
00:12:06
Speaker
this innocence of just, just, they just go and run. They don't overthink it. They don't, they don't, they, you know, they, they wake up at five in the morning and they go run 30 They don't think about like, Oh, I need to get my breakfast in and I need to get like, not my 90 grams of carbs per hour. And no, they don't, they don't stop themselves at anything. They have their training to do and they do it.
00:12:28
Speaker
So that's another thing. Another thing that's really impressive that I've, I've, I've seen. Yeah. Maybe just to like, just doing is, is, is doing more, you know, just doing the action, the activity and, and not overcomplicating it.
00:12:46
Speaker
Yeah. I think we like to overcomplicate things ah a lot. Yeah. yeah And running it. I mean, yeah. And running is supposed to be so simple. It's supposed to be like the the the easiest, most simple activity of all. I mean, you just need, you don't even need running shoes technically. Yeah.
00:13:05
Speaker
Well, people say all the time, like, I'm not a runner, I don't run. But at one point they did as kids, everyone does. So yeah exactly it's really, it's really interesting like how later in life we transform and and all of a sudden, it's not something that's in our, in our being, but actually it's ingrained in all of us in some capacity.
00:13:24
Speaker
um But there's just ah some
Training Adjustments and Future Goals
00:13:26
Speaker
kind of innocence when we're young about it that that just makes it so freeing, right? And I think sometimes we forget that. So, yeah, it's an interesting observation for sure. That's really cool though that you mentioned that. I think there's ah there's something to that for sure.
00:13:41
Speaker
And how do you manage this? Like, I mean, you're not a professional, like, per se. so are you, like, do you work also and then you take vacation? Yeah, yeah so.
00:13:53
Speaker
Yes, so um I actually... I do train year round and I do train rather intensely. um I have big goals. I'm not a professional, but I, you know, my dream is to become one to to, you know, get my times down low enough so that I can, it can warrant getting a real sponsor who, you know, not only the shoes and the clothes and the nutrition, but, you know, with the, with the salary behind it. But, um,
00:14:20
Speaker
So at for the time being, i work at an engineering firm. i'm a I'm a CEP. I can't say I'm an engineer because I don't have my seal yet, but I'm a candidate to the engineering profession, as they call it. okay um So I work 25 hours a week and um i take unpaid leave. So I took ah six weeks unpaid leave to to come train and Race Berlin. Yeah.
00:14:47
Speaker
Amazing. Well, I mean, so it shows how much, how committed you are at this stage. Um, and that's commendable. It's also good that you have a employer that's flexible enough to allow that too. Right.
00:14:58
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. Um, it did help that I won like the first time I won the Montreal marathon in 2022, I was actually there, my, and I was doing my internship at their firm.
00:15:10
Speaker
And so they were just like amazed, like, wow, this intern won the Montreal marathon. And then, and then when I got, when I got hired after my, you know, after my studies, i so that was in 2024. Well, guess what? I, I ran it again and I won it again. And so I'm kind of like, they're,
00:15:30
Speaker
celebrity employee, I would say. Nice. Yeah. And and so they they really like encourage me. they're always like, oh, which race are you training for now? And like, yeah, I don't know. They're really cool. Yeah.
00:15:42
Speaker
And maybe like not a group of runners either? Not all of them. Some, I mean, some are, some are athletes, some are triathletes, some play other sports, but we actually have a running club, my office.
00:15:56
Speaker
nice Nice. So yeah, no, there's definitely like, like-minded people where I work, which helps definitely. So cool. Well, I always like to go back to the beginning, Melanie. I want to hear about maybe where you grow up and were you an active kid growing up? Like what's, was running an obvious thing for you? Like a lot of kids go through that and, you know, through school and, and these programs, but like, yeah, just kind of like how your upbringing was and and how did that look?
00:16:26
Speaker
Yeah. um So actually, I wasn't born in Quebec. I was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the nights are long and the winter is never ending. Yeah.
00:16:39
Speaker
But, um and I mean, when I was growing up, I was, i was a, I was raised into a very academically focused family. So ah I could do sports, but after my studies and after, you know, all my homework is done and I had 100 percent on the test and I um So yes, I did do sports. I did all school sports, intramural sports.
00:17:05
Speaker
I was active. um i was also a very outdoorsy little girl who loved to go hiking and camping and things like that. But I mean, I started running with the school run club.
00:17:18
Speaker
I think I was like 13 or 14 and, you know, running... two, three times a week during lunch hour with just the school run club. and And that was it for a long time, actually. I didn't i didn't specialize at all in running.
00:17:34
Speaker
i don't come from a family of runners. Just very average, you know. And it was all it was it was only when I was an adult, so I was about 20 years old,
00:17:48
Speaker
I was really interested in joining the military and i was very interested in all these physical challenges, you know, like I was interested in, in hiking across Canada and doing all these extraordinary things that,
00:18:05
Speaker
most people don't do. So what I did was I signed up for a marathon and I had never, I had never even run like a half marathon or I don't even think I'd run a 10 K I'm sure.
00:18:18
Speaker
Um, yeah. So I signed up for the Manitoba marathon and, and my, my, I remember like my family said, well, that's fine, but you're, you're never going to be able to do it. I mean, you don't know anything about running and training. And i think my longest training run I did was like 20 K i I did, I never did any intervals. I just, I would go out and run six, seven K few times a week.
00:18:46
Speaker
And then I showed up on the starting line of the marathon and I did it. I ran it under four hours. Amazing. Yeah. And that was the start of my marathon career. And right after I finished, I'm like, never again, the bucket list is done. that was back in 2012. And then, you know, i I didn't pick it up again, really, until I moved to Quebec a few years later. And I don't know, I got, I got interested in in it again, and i signed up for another marathon and I don't know if things led, one thing that led to another.
00:19:20
Speaker
Yeah. how do you How did you feel after that first one? Because I remember just a half. i didn't sign I wasn't brave enough to sign up for a full, but I went from a 10K to a half and and I was well under trained.
00:19:33
Speaker
Yeah. And I just remember my legs feeling like cement at the end of it and I couldn't walk for a few days and and all that. So what were your memories of the marathon? Well, imagine you describe it really well, but I also remember feeling like, I don't think I'd felt that proud, you know, not, not, not by acing an exam, not by, you know, I, you know, I graduated like top of my class in high school, not getting into university. I don't, I think my proudest achievement at that point of my 20 year old life was finishing that marathon. And I didn't walk a single, you know, I ran the whole thing.
00:20:13
Speaker
And just proving people are wrong because my family, the they they they they they didn't believe in me. Yeah. yeah So no, i would it was really like, I really took like a big positive ah emotion out of that, out of that first experience, even though I was, I was, I was i a shattered.
00:20:32
Speaker
I was destroyed. I couldn't, like you said, I, I think I, I slept, I went to bed
Life Management and Aspirations
00:20:38
Speaker
at like 3 PM that afternoon and slept until the next day and then couldn't walk for two days. Like, yeah, it's ridiculous. But you did it you checked it off the list and and the bucket list was a complete. Um, and then only you said that only interest came later.
00:20:56
Speaker
it was more like a bucket listing and then you got interested in again. Do you remember why that was or, um What drew you back running? Well, I never stopped running.
00:21:08
Speaker
I always kept running because it made me feel really good within myself. And I love the freedom of just heading out the door and being in my own head and being out in nature. And so, I mean, even when I moved to Quebec and the reason that I moved to Quebec was to go to med school,
00:21:27
Speaker
Um, so, you know, I was, I was living alone on campus, like in this new town, new province, 2300 kilometers away from home. And I think that was, I found solace in, in, in running, going out because that was something familiar for me.
00:21:43
Speaker
And that was my, that was my freedom. That was my escape from school and, you know, dating and all that jazz.
00:21:54
Speaker
um So I did keep up running and, but I didn't, and then I, you know, I met, I met like my that soon to be husband. And um I think I got, I wanted to start running again because I think I was ready to take on that challenge again because it had been such a big, a big challenge back then, but it wasn't for the same reasons. It was more to like,
00:22:21
Speaker
proved to myself that I could still do it because I'd done it once, but you want to see if you can still do it, you know, like six years later. um so I did, I signed up for actually like three, four marathons in the span of a year um between 2018, between 2018 and 2019.
00:22:39
Speaker
But I didn't change my training. I was not only running like 50, 60 K a week, not doing any interval training at all, knew nothing about nutrition, had no coach, no plan. yeah And of course, I mean, my, my times weren't improving. In fact, I think they were, they were even worse than my, my first marathon. So, you know, all in the four, far away four Oh wait, four 20, things like that.
00:23:03
Speaker
So I got frustrated and you know what I said, I don't like doing things halfway. So that's when I decided that I wanted to hire a coach and that I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
00:23:16
Speaker
So that's how it started. Okay, cool. Okay, so now now we're talking. So now the coach comes into play. And so what changed for you? Like what would you say that a coach was able to give you? Because, you know, a lot of people just look up a plan online and be like, okay, I'm running two days a week. It's probably enough. I'm going to honest with myself.
00:23:35
Speaker
going to look up to plan online, something off running world. And, you know, so why is a coach important for you? and And like, why did you decide to go that route? I'm somebody I really needed that structure.
00:23:48
Speaker
So, and also I was like, well, if I'm putting money into paying a monthly coach, um, I'm going to do with this all the way. I'm not going to skip training runs. I'm not going to only do the ones that seem easy or the ones that I feel like doing.
00:24:03
Speaker
um So for me, that was really like a turning point because I was really going all in on this, on this training um and getting a Boston qualifier.
00:24:15
Speaker
And that was also the time that coincided with me going back to school because ah in the meantime, lots of career changes. I had quit med school, lots of things happening between those six years.
00:24:28
Speaker
So 2019 was when I went back to school for engineering. And yeah, that was, I guess, the the start of the new the new Melanie. Yeah.
00:24:39
Speaker
Yeah. so So cool. So then what did training look like for you? Like, what was the big change? Like, would you would you say like there was a turning point in your in your running or your performance, like something clear cut that you could see something you weren't doing before that you started doing that really helped you?
00:24:56
Speaker
to improve because now you're, you know, sub three hour marathon. So you go from a four hour marathon to sub three hour marathon. I think this is a really relatable story and I'm super curious about it because most people I talk to, they're like high pedigree out of high school, university, you know, track and field athletes. Yeah. Then translate this to like longer stuff and it just makes sense. But somebody who gets into the sport quite late,
00:25:24
Speaker
and then makes these huge strides, like, uh, the progress is like, it's really like mind blowing, you Well, like I said, just
Berlin Marathon Preparation
00:25:34
Speaker
honestly adding a bit of structure to my training and of course and increasing the volume, but not by that much, because at first, of course, whenever you start increasing the volume, well, you get injured, you get calf strains, you get tendonitis. I, you know, I dealt with all of those things.
00:25:51
Speaker
Um, whenever i would try to to hit the 100 kilometer weekly volume, that's when the injuries would start. And so it was really like a learning process because I had a coach, but, a um, he was like, he wasn't in person. So it was all online and yes, I would get my, my, my training plan, but I mean, he didn't see me run.
00:26:12
Speaker
um you kind of had, I kind of had to learn how to run well um, uh, be able to keep on increasing the volume and the intensity of the workouts. So the, for for the first time I was doing like hill sprints and kilometer reps and things like that. So, um, I learned about threshold training and temple runs and the importance of keeping your heart rate low on easy runs and lots and lots and lots of things to learn.
00:26:40
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, that that's a big one, right? For most runners, yeah the easier runs. Yes. Like, what does that look like for you in terms of like pacing, you know, now you're a two 40 something marathoner. So what what do you, what you say? Like an easy run pace looks like.
00:26:57
Speaker
Uh, well here at altitude is, is different. Um, but back home, uh, but back home, it'll be anything between like four 20 and five minutes per kilometer will be an easy run for me.
00:27:11
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So that's still quite speedy though. Yeah. Yes, yes, but um to get to that point, I had even like two years ago, I really had to to put like um an alert on my watch because i kept getting like these tendonitis issues and I kept asking my coach like, why am I still getting these things? and he's like, well, maybe you should slow down.
00:27:34
Speaker
Really, like when I say keep your heart rate below, back then, let's say it was like 153. keep your heart rate below 153, but that means not your average heart rate. I mean, your entire run, I don't want it to go more than 153. And I actually, I put an alert on my watch and whenever I, it spike up, if I was going up a hill or something, I'd walk, I'd stop and I'd walk and it didn't take long. It took like six or eight weeks. And then suddenly I was able so like get that turnover and my heart rate was staying nice and even in the, in,
00:28:08
Speaker
140s, low 150s. and So it's been really like a gradual build for me. And now I can i can run 420 and be at 150 beats per minute, like on a casual day, you know? like yeah Okay, nice.
00:28:24
Speaker
That's good. Not too stressful. So what was your like breakthrough for what was your breakthrough performance? like what was the the Like how did that qualifying go for Boston? like Did you shoot that fairly quickly with a coach or?
00:28:37
Speaker
Well, so I went from, so I hired my coach at the end of 2019, like November or something like that. And well, then what happened in March, 2020?
00:28:49
Speaker
Everything stopped, everything, no races, nothing on the calendar. No. So I say I was, I was really disappointed because I'd been hoping to do a, a fall marathon that year. So that was canceled.
00:29:02
Speaker
So actually I didn't get a real race opportunity until the fall of 2021. So almost a year and a half after, after starting with my coach, but I'd never stopped training. I mean, I trained religiously as if I had a rate at a race the next month, you know?
00:29:20
Speaker
Um, and I'm, I'm sure that's what that structure really helped me get through COVID and, and getting through school at that time as well. I mean, it was my, it was my escape once again, my freedom.
00:29:35
Speaker
Um, but that, then there you go. I, I ran my first marathon. I didn't, I didn't run a BQ. I ran, i ran 40 minutes under the BQ. Yeah. unreal Yeah, so instead of like running 330, I ran 251. Holy... i guess Yeah, I guess you can say that's when I was like, oh, cool, maybe I have a little bit of potential and with this thing, you know, after a year and a half, yeah.
00:30:03
Speaker
And what what had been your previous time in um in the marathon? Well, my PB still remained. My very first marathon, I ran 20 years old in Manitoba, 357. three fifty seven so So you cut off an hour from marathon to marathon an hour and six minutes, six minutes. Yes. Wow. wow Yeah. Yeah. yeah enough Enough time had passed between the two to give you enough time, but you put in a lot of work between those two performances and you must've felt like a completely different person.
00:30:36
Speaker
Definitely. Because I didn't even expect that I'd run a sub three hour marathon. Marathon. I actually, I was aiming for like 310 on that day, but it felt, I felt so good. And I, I wasn't a very good, i wasn't used to pacing myself.
00:30:54
Speaker
So I went out for what fell at what felt like a good ah good pace and that ended up yeah running 251. So so you are you running, you feel like you run on feel or you run on are you a numbers person? Are you like constantly checking the pace? like How do you manage I'm 75% on feel, 25% on relying on data and pace and heart rate and all that jazz.
00:31:23
Speaker
But um I find that whenever I start to get too centered around that data, I'm actually slowing myself down. I'm stopping i'm you know i'm stopping myself.
00:31:35
Speaker
I think sometimes you have to let that, like the Kenyans do, you have to kind of go by feel and just just run. Yeah. Yeah. Are they running with watches too? Or are they just, you know? always. Not always. No, no, no. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. I have a couple of athletes myself. train them purely on that.
00:31:52
Speaker
I just put like, yeah feel like this, feel like that. Like, yeah feel like a 5k, feel like it, you know, effort, yeah go hard, you know, just, and it's whatever you got that day. And I think, cause I feel like pacing limits our potential a lot of the time.
00:32:07
Speaker
If you put a number on something, who's to say that that week or that day, or maybe you've progressed to a point where you can run faster than that. And that's what that feels like. You know? Exactly. yeah You can have a bad day, just like you have a great day and what that will look like in terms of pacing will be completely different.
00:32:25
Speaker
I mean, so that, that's why you, you can't, you can't like put barriers like that. I think. Yeah, totally. So you qualified for not only, you qualified for just about everything with that, was it a 251 you said? Yeah, 251.
00:32:37
Speaker
yeah to fifty one Boston, New York, probably any race
Mental Strategies and Personal Fulfillment
00:32:42
Speaker
you want to get into. if you yeah So where yeah where did you go from there? Like, what did you just start to think? Like you must've been oh well then i was surprised.
00:32:50
Speaker
Then I was overzealous. Then I realized, oh wow. And then I started signing up to local marathons and low winning, you know, all the local marathons. Winning is fun. Winning is addicting.
00:33:03
Speaker
But what happens when you run too many marathons, ah you burn out. you just say No, no, it's too much. I ran. That's why I ran. ah I think I ran four marathons in 2022. And well, that's the year I ended up winning Montreal as well towards the end of the season. But I mean, I was, I didn't run. it wasn't my fastest time. I ran two 53 in Montreal.
00:33:25
Speaker
Um, but, and that's because I ran, you know, i ran Boston, I ran long, I ran all these other marathons. getting on podiums and getting the, the picture. Yeah. Another marathon, another sub three.
00:33:38
Speaker
Woo. It's going great. And what did that feel like? What did that give you? Did that, was that what begin to fuel you? Like what's the, was it the winning that's attractive to you or just the improving that's attract like what, or is it everything?
00:33:54
Speaker
What's the motivator? Running right when I ran Boston, I actually, i actually, didn't even check my watch because running Boston for me was like a another bucket list check.
00:34:06
Speaker
It was a race that until like a year and a half ago, I didn't think I'd even be able to run in my life. And here I was, I ran like a sub three at Boston without even checking my pace, just enjoying the, the atmosphere, the the vibes, the people, all of, you know, I'm running Boston. It was just so crazy. Yeah.
00:34:26
Speaker
Um, so, you know, Running for me was still such ah a generator of creative joy and and freedom and opportunities. um But yeah, sure, winning, getting being the first to cross that finish line, that was also something that I got to experience that year quite a bit.
00:34:47
Speaker
And that was also something very new and and incredible, I have to say. like The first time I won the Montreal Marathon, I felt like I was in a movie. Um, I felt, I really thought like, it was like the ending of this cheesy movie, you know, it's you're actually running on like this red carpet at the Olympic stadium. And I'm like, what?
00:35:09
Speaker
It's me. What?
00:35:13
Speaker
Um, yeah, that was, that was a surprise. That was, uh, something I'll remember for the rest of my life. And they' really a highlight of 2022, I have to say. like yeah i mean, that's amazing. After all those marathons too, right? the those yeah marathons But I like what you said about Boston. i love that. That's how i tell everybody. I've had the pleasure of running it.
00:35:38
Speaker
I ran it three times myself. um And you got to do it when you can. And we're we're lucky we got to do it. Um, when you're healthy, when you're strong, yeah when, when the moment comes, that's the best time to do it.
00:35:53
Speaker
But the first one you never get back, you know, and I, I enjoyed the heck out of mine and it kills me when people go there trying to like PB and crush that course. Cause if you go there trying to crush that course, the course will crush you.
00:36:06
Speaker
There's nine times out of 10, but when you just go in with the mindset that this is the parade, that all that work is, this is the, this is the the party. then you can experience in such a way, you know, and I'm glad that you got that experience.
00:36:22
Speaker
Definitely. i um I never regretted it either. Yeah, exactly. Cause you only get one Boston, that first time Boston. First Boston. Yes. Exactly.
00:36:33
Speaker
And so when you started winning the races too, like wondered, did that create, did you have kind of an imposter syndrome a little bit? did you feel like, cause there's so many great, I'm sure you look up to or know of,
00:36:46
Speaker
so many great marathon runners in the province of Quebec. yes I know a few, I'm sure you know a few. Did you feel like you belonged in that, like we like you surprised yourself, it seems, you know, and you felt like you were in a movie, but do you feel like you belong there? do you still feel that way?
00:37:02
Speaker
How does that feel? Well, back then what I felt was that I was knocking on the door of those great athletes and, you know, that the real, the really elite athletes in Quebec because I know who you're talking about and I know their times. And that was, that was what I was thinking. I was thinking, okay, you know what?
00:37:24
Speaker
I won Montreal with an okay time. Uh, I got lucky because I mean, it's who's on that starting line that year, right? I mean, and nobody can take it away from me.
00:37:36
Speaker
I won it fair and square, but yeah I have to be realistic. Like, and I kept saying if there had been one Kenyan or, you know, one Elisa Legault or one Anne-Marie Comeau on that starting line, it wouldn't have been me to have cross the finish the first the finish line first, but they weren't there. So, I mean, that's fine.
00:37:55
Speaker
They're in Dunne for 2022. But that's why i went in 2024. That's definitely what was on my mind. I said, I'm going to prove that I can do it again.
00:38:06
Speaker
and then it wasn't a fluke in 2022. So and you did it again. Yeah, I did. That's so cool. It's so cool. Yeah, it's good. There was an Ethiopian on the starting line that time. and wow
Personal Interests and Gratitude
00:38:20
Speaker
Oh, So cool.
00:38:22
Speaker
So then now now you're starting to get a bit of competition. It's getting more competitive. Do you have that that competitive fire in you? You seem so like so kind and so nice. But when push comes to shove, you feel like you have that ah kind of fierceness in you? Oh, yeah, very much.
00:38:37
Speaker
Very much. I'm very competitive and and I'm very hard on myself. Yeah. I'm always happy with the win, but I'm more happy with the PB because that shows that I'm still improving. And I'm, you know, I'm what I'm not, I'm actually not after podiums and, and wins.
00:38:56
Speaker
I'm after the times because that in my mind is what qualifies me as an elite athlete or not, even more so than getting a sponsor or anything. It's like, can I run sub two 40? Can I run sub two 35? You know,
00:39:11
Speaker
that's what That's what tells you if you're a great runner or not. I mean, that you can't you can't run away from it. that's what That's the name of the game in running. No, absolutely. And so, like, did you get support from the the run community at that stage, from the from the elites? from the like Was there encouragement around you?
00:39:30
Speaker
Are you in touch with some other top female athletes in the the province? No. No, i was I'm pretty sure I'm still...
00:39:41
Speaker
Pretty unknown to most of them. Okay, cool. Maybe not after this chat. Perhaps not, but you know what like what? I was really supported a lot by like my running community back in Sherbrooke.
00:39:53
Speaker
um My friends, you know, and and people, even even the University of Sherbrooke, they actually recruited me for the VAR in 2022. i Because I thought I was too slow. i thought i was too slow and too old to run track and varsity and cross country. and You know, I was running with girls 10 years younger than me.
00:40:15
Speaker
um But no, I actually did. I did pretty well. for for ah Yeah, I actually even and won the cross-country race ah during my short, short cross-country career. Yeah. how how was How was that experience for you?
00:40:31
Speaker
Like, did you find that maybe the younger ones looked up to you? What was that Yeah, I don't know. I felt like um I was there to do my thing.
00:40:43
Speaker
And for me, it was it was another stepping stone. I saw running cross-country and track as ways to step out of my comfort zone, which is, you know, the long runs on the road, the marathons.
00:40:59
Speaker
i was I was in completely new territory. And I thought, no, you know what? This will help you. This will help you get better. you that edge to get faster in the long road. You you can run. i i said you can run marathons the rest of your life, but you can only run varsity like now when you're in university. So that's why I did it.
00:41:21
Speaker
Cool. Yeah. Getting out your comfort zone is is key for sure. Like to, to switch it up, to do different things. um Did, was it only running that got you to where you are or were there other elements that you tweaked and improved in order to, to take things to the next level, such as strength training, such as nutrition?
00:41:42
Speaker
Is there things that you paid more attention to as you, as you progress? Yeah, for sure. Like, every year as you want to improve you look for the things that you can work on and sometimes it's not adding more volume sometimes as you say it's what can i do strength training wise in order you know sometimes you fall into the trap of wanting to do everything and then you end up doing stuff that doesn't really apply or doesn't really help to what you're actually trying to do um so that's what actually i've been doing this year i've been working with the
00:42:18
Speaker
um another coach, but who just specializes in giving me my strength training program, but still focused on injury prevention, um working with my on my you know unique biomechanics, my you know little Achilles issues that I have in my ankle. you know So really targeting the things that I know I can improve because some things I know, like doing more volume at this stage, I don't think is what is going to get me to that two 35 or two 30 marathon pace.
00:42:51
Speaker
I think I have to figure out the other things around that will help me get there. And you think that's the the secret, like, cause obviously the gains now are much smaller, right.
00:43:02
Speaker
To get the, there before, when you go from a four hour to a three hour, it's easier to get those big chunks of time off. Right. Yes.
00:43:13
Speaker
You could do that just running more regularly. you know that It's not that simple, of course. like I don't want to discredit running sub three. like That's an amazing feat for ah majority of the population. But do you find it's it's more it takes even more of this kind of micro um attention to these to these areas? Absolutely. to help to Yeah, right? Because it's more challenging to go from 245 to 240.
00:43:39
Speaker
Yeah.
00:43:41
Speaker
And that's why I'm doing an altitude training camp because, um, and it's what helped me last year go down from a two 49 to a two 42. So actually my last day in Kenya allowed me to knock off seven minutes, which is still a pretty big improvement.
00:43:58
Speaker
Um, down to, you know, when you're getting down to the two forties and two thirties, that's, uh, you'd like to see the the numbers come down a few at a time rather than, you know, a few seconds at a time. So yeah.
00:44:12
Speaker
um Did you ever think you'd get here, Melanie? Did you ever think this is where you'd be as a runner? yeah No, and like if I'm sure if you asked me like five years ago if I thought I'd be here. No, I i never thought I'd be here.
00:44:26
Speaker
I remember telling my husband, like, Oh, I'll probably get good enough to, you know, win a few local races and get free, free entries. Like and maybe I won't have to pay for my, I won't have to pay to, to, to sign up for races. And that, that was like my, that was like, Oh, I'll be happy with that.
00:44:45
Speaker
but Melanie today will is definitely not happy with that. She's not satisfied with that. Yeah. Yeah. That's the problem. You you keep, you achieve something and then you always, you always want the next thing.
00:44:57
Speaker
So what's the goal? Like, have you voiced any, you know, BHAGs, big, hairy, audacious goals that you're that you're after in running? Like, what's the dream? Well, the dream is to become pro.
00:45:10
Speaker
the The dream is to be able to quit my job and and run pro for a few years. Yeah, definitely. um I don't know if I'll get there, but I'm i'm giving myself until, you know,
00:45:24
Speaker
let's say my 40s, my early 40s. i think i so i I think for a marathon runner, you can still improve easily into your late 30s. So I think I have a few more years where I can give it all I've got.
00:45:37
Speaker
And even if I don't make it, well, the journey is going to be this crazy adventure. So that's the way I see it. Yeah. Anybody you look up to in the sport that maybe has a similar trajectory or path to you?
00:45:51
Speaker
My coach, my current coach, Melinda Elmore. i Oh my God. like Yes. I love Melinda. She's the best. Well, yeah. Well, yeah, but she is the best. And that's why, that's why I approached her to be my coach. She's my coach since March actually.
00:46:07
Speaker
So yeah, no, she, and I actually got to meet her and run with her in, Kelowna in May. um I just, she just, I'm just amazed that, you know, she ran a ah one 10 like this year, half marathon.
00:46:20
Speaker
And she's like 43 or 44. I don't know, but she's just like, holy cow. If I can run even nearly that fast in 10 years, I'll be so happy.
00:46:34
Speaker
yeah But I don't know. i switched Why the switch? Because ah i i need i I felt I needed the switch. I'd been with my previous coach was David Jecker. And, uh, yeah, and all yeah. coaches Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:49
Speaker
Well, it's just, it's, uh, the running world is kind of a small world, I think. But, um, and David was absolutely great because he's the one who got me from,
00:47:00
Speaker
four to to forty two 42. Um, but I did feel like after five years that, uh, the recipe was, was kind of the same and that I needed a different stimulus and then maybe a different approach.
00:47:14
Speaker
Um, and, uh, also I was a little disappointed with how my, uh, the, my, yeah. Okay. Even though I won the Montreal marathon in 2024, I was actually very disappointed with how it went.
00:47:29
Speaker
Um, because I had, I had like my biggest training block ever. I'd worked so hard. I was running 150 and 160 kilometer weeks, week after week while working.
00:47:43
Speaker
and i peaked at like 175 kilometer five kiilometer week. I was doing everything, the nutrition, the sleep, this, you know, you have to sacrifice. My life was for four months was, was ah working and training for the Montreal marathon. And,
00:47:59
Speaker
That was a big goal because I put it out there that I was there. i wanted to win it. you know I wasn't just there to, you know, run it or run a PB. I was there. i wanted to win it. And it took a lot out of me. And then when I got there on the day and I was feeling exhausted and flat and just like, ah, this not working. This is not how. Yeah. I didn't like how that prep went.
00:48:26
Speaker
Okay. So. Yeah, that's what, that kind of what caused me to, to, to look for a different approach. Yeah. And why Melindy? Like, how did you find Melindy what do you, what does she bring to you that, uh, that that's different?
00:48:44
Speaker
Um, I was looking for somebody who was, who, who, who who had experience with high level marathon running and also consistent high level marathon running.
00:49:00
Speaker
um Like i like i said before, she's running like international level marathons. She went to the Olympics past her 40s. And here I am, I started late.
00:49:12
Speaker
So i want I want to be able to believe that there's still time. i don't want um i don't want somebody who who, who, you know, who pressures me because it's saying like, Oh no, you'll, you have to do it this year or next year, or, you know, you're done with Melindi. There's like that hope that I still have like 10 years to go um possibly even improving. And, um,
00:49:38
Speaker
What she's brought me was she actually, she actually brought my, my overall volume down quite a bit. Um, she thought that, you know, I was running too much high volume and not enough marathon specific training. So, and I mean that different coaches have different mindsets, different philosophies, uh, and her minds, her philosophy is actually quite different from that of David's. So it's actually, it'll be a test. oh We'll see what it gives on, uh, in Berlin.
00:50:09
Speaker
Nice. and Will this be your first race with her? Like as ah as a, as a, as a coach I ran, i only ran five kilometer races. Um, okay. As part of my buildup, uh, for Berlin, because Berlin has always been the main objective for this year.
00:50:23
Speaker
Uh, so yeah, since March, I've only, I've only run a few five kilometer races. and Okay, cool. Yeah, well, she's certainly an inspiring person, like you say, like well into, you know, in into into an age that where people think that that might not be possible after children, being a mom, ah wife, a former pro triathlete, all these things like um she's really pushed the limits and she's in terms of like Canadian women running, let's say, and and just international running in general, like she's such a, uh, solid figure in the sport and it's cool that you get to work with her. That's, uh, that's awesome. yeah
00:51:09
Speaker
Um, ah like do Is that like a goal for yourself to inspire others? do you Do you get messages like that now from people close to you that, you know, where now people look up to you as a figure in the sport?
00:51:25
Speaker
i i um I do get people who who tell me this and i never i never know. like i i like even i don't like talking about my achievements or or sometimes it's hard to receive all these...
00:51:40
Speaker
um all this praise because then you don't, I, I, you never want, I never want to sound arrogant or as if I'm bragging, you know, that's not a, that's not something I, I, I enjoy seeing in other people. So I don't, I never want to come off as, as a, you know, somebody who's, who's, who's bragging about what she's going to run and what she can do and what she did and blah, blah, blah. And so I'm always a little bit uncomfortable about people praising me and and saying I'm like their inspiration and motivation. And, and also that's where like social media comes in.
00:52:16
Speaker
I dislike social media and yet I feel obligated to, to be on it and to, you know, do posts and reels and inspirational stuff about my training and my races. Well, I, I, I'd honestly, I'd rather just run and let my time speak for themselves.
00:52:38
Speaker
but yeah sure that's not the kind of world we live in anymore. So yeah. Can you share, like you mentioned like training a lot and working at the same time. Can you maybe yes something, a real, a real conversation around like balance in life and how you work in the training?
00:52:57
Speaker
Cause you know, you, you do all this and work at the same time. So like most people, I don't think it's super relatable. um And I mean, i'm i'm I'm the first to and to ah to admire the people who are able to work full time. So like 40 hour weeks and train 100 kilometer weeks or more consistently over the full the whole year and have kids.
00:53:24
Speaker
And like yeah like, I don't have kids. I have i have ah a dog, a cat, a husband, a house. But I and I find that's like my my my basket is full with 25 hour work week training and all that.
00:53:40
Speaker
For me, that's like I know that's my maximum. I can't take on anymore. And so I don't. um But, you know, that that works for me. But. Some people might be able to take on more. Some people might be able to take in less, but I think it's really important to be able to to know your limits.
00:53:59
Speaker
And I think i'm I'm good at knowing mine and I'm able to communicate them as well. I'm able to say no if if i I really feel like I can't do this. If I if i um get invited over to the in-laws on a Saturday at three, but I have my super long run 35K to do and I know I'm just going to fall asleep but at the dinner table, i say no.
00:54:25
Speaker
i mean, I don't feel bad doing that. um But think maybe some people, it's not always so easy. You can't say no if you have to go pick up your kid at school. i don't, I don't, I, you know, I chose not to have that that uh that that other thing to add to my full life yeah maybe it's also hard to leave for a month to go to kenya with kids too i don't know exactly exactly so it's it's about choices of course yeah very cool what would you say to somebody looking to get into the sport or go on to the next distance like what what advice could you give to like every day and every day runner
00:55:04
Speaker
Um, well, I, I'd give like two advice, i'd get two pieces of advice. I'd i'd say, well, if you're serious about, you know, wanting to get to the next level. So let's say you want to step up from the 10 K to the half marathon or sticking to your distance, but you want to run a sub one 30 half marathon or something like that. Well, I would highly recommend working with a coach, um,
00:55:26
Speaker
um, either online or, you know, with a run, a local run club, if you prefer having the, the social aspect of it as, as well. Um, because for me, that was really the game changer. And I, I can't really, i I, I don't even now, like, I know what it takes to run. I i could probably write up a coaching plan and,
00:55:45
Speaker
and help a lot of people. But I, I know I still want to have a coach who tells me, you know, when to run, when to do my long run, when to do my, when to slack off when.
00:55:57
Speaker
So for me, that's definitely like a no brainer. And then the second piece of advice would be to keep it fun because once the, you leak,
00:56:09
Speaker
the joy out of running, then running is just pure misery, especially with the winters we have in Quebec and like, why put yourself through it if you hate it?
00:56:20
Speaker
So you really have to keep do whatever. If, if it makes, if it's, if for fun, it means like running on your treadmill in front of a Netflix movie, like go do it. I don't care if, if, you know, I don't care about calculating if you have to put the incline at one or 3% or, you know, no, throw that out the door and just, just, just do whatever makes it fun for you to run. Yeah.
00:56:43
Speaker
yeah Just keep it loose. Right. Yeah. I think so much time, like we, we tense up about the subject and, you know, most of us aren't going to win anything doing this sport. So yeah, it's like, it's only as far as you're willing to go and willing to take it. And, you know, you found a, you find a, found a podium. I have no doubt you'll probably find a few more ah in your future here, but um for most of us, it's just like a recreational thing. So there's no point stressing about it, you know?
00:57:11
Speaker
So what are the hopes for Berlin? Um, for you? what's the What's the mindset going in? 237. That's the hope for Berlin. Yeah.
00:57:23
Speaker
Yes. and And knowing Melindy, she knows how to dial you in for that. Yeah. Well, Yes and no, because actually for Melindi, this high altitude training camp is kind of an unknown to her. she hasn't She's not very familiar with... ah ah and like She's never been here in Iten, which is fairly high up. We're at 2,400 meters.
00:57:46
Speaker
um So the it it's pretty intense in terms of acclimatization and everything. But um at least I've done it before. so i I can at least know and gauge how I feel about it.
00:58:02
Speaker
But um the reason I'm aiming for 237, well, one, I think it's feasible. It's realistic ah considering the course on which I ran 242. That was a year and a half ago. My improvements since then, my trainings, how it's been going.
00:58:20
Speaker
Um, but also because two 37 38 is actually the elite standard for, um the elite athlete identification in Quebec. And for me, that would be another, another foot in the door of getting support as a runner, you know, as a semi pro runner.
00:58:40
Speaker
Um, so it's always getting, trying to get that next step that, yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah, well, it gets you recognized, right? a Time gets you recognized.
00:58:51
Speaker
That's kind of how it works, you know? And that's that's a nice goal to have. And do you have plans further than that? Or you just looking to Berlin and that's it? Or is it does it go into something else this year or just goes into next season? No.
00:59:06
Speaker
Actually, like um Berlin was, like I said, my number one objective for 2025. I'm putting all my eggs in one basket this year. I'm only running one marathon.
00:59:17
Speaker
um And you know there's also the financial side of it. i I put in in a lot of money into taking time off to to come train and in Kenya and then going to Berlin. So I'm um'm going all in on this one, seeing what that what's that with that will yield.
00:59:35
Speaker
And then afterwards, there will be the after. There will be 2026 to think about. So if I don't make it, so if i don't make I'll think of a plan for 2026, but if I do make it, then it's even more exciting because I feel like it opens even more doors for what's possible for next year.
00:59:53
Speaker
Yeah, that's cool. That's really awesome. yeah And what is, I mean, do you mind if I ask you, what is it like cost to go to Kenya to have some kind of experience like this? I don't know. Yeah. Well, and and to give you an idea, yeah full month full month where I'm fed and housed in Kenya,
01:00:13
Speaker
ah is the same price that it cost me for ah five hotel nights in Berlin. Oh, wow. Okay. So it's really not... really So relatively and it's really... It's very inexpensive and the cost of living here. So actually, like, so all my meals are provided for...
01:00:29
Speaker
um Like ah essentially the only expenses I have here, or if I want to hire like a pacer for the day, or if I want to hire like transportation. So if I want to, um if I want a car to follow me while I'm doing my long run so he can drive me back, you know, to my starting point or something like that, that's my only like cost of living here.
01:00:52
Speaker
And of course the, the, the plane tickets, the plane tickets are expensive, but um so is sort of the plane tickets coming back from Berlin. So, I mean, yeah. So it's interesting. They offer these kind of services all like run run focus. It's kind of it's kind of funny.
01:01:07
Speaker
It's all running athlete focused. Yes. No, it's really like ah it's really focused on on optimizing um life for the athletes so they can come here and essentially just train and recover.
01:01:20
Speaker
Cool. Have you rubbed elbows with greatness in Kenya yet? um Last year, I really did. ah and know it i was it was so exciting. I was actually sharing a room with Megdez Wildou.
01:01:33
Speaker
So she's the ah she has the marathon record for France, and she was on the Paris Olympic team. So she was my roommate, and she was just the nicest, kindest, sweetest girl. She made me coffee. and It was so nice.
01:01:47
Speaker
ah Oh, my God. I tried to run with her twice, and I mean... No, she runs, you know, 223, you know, like, ah yeah, I was a little bit starstruck.
01:01:59
Speaker
And also, ah there was also Manon Trappe, another top french French lady. And also there was Jimmy Gracier, but i I didn't get to speak to him. I just saw him.
01:02:10
Speaker
Yeah. Okay, cool. so lots of Europe, mostly Europeans, as you can tell. Yeah, working at I work at ON now, so I get to see quite a few athletes come in the door. Yeah, it's kind of cool. And we just had Diamond League just last night, actually.
01:02:25
Speaker
Yeah, in Zurich. So we met, we get to, you know, some come through the door, like Nagus also from the States was was there racing last night. So he cool came to ON. and Yeah, it's kind of cool.
01:02:38
Speaker
It's... it's You don't want to bother them, you know, but we're all runners, you know. Is there things that you can take away from every runner that you meet, even though they're like, you know, 220 to 240 is a stretch, but um do do you try and learn something from them? Do you try and ask them questions? You do. Maybe it's a mindset thing.
01:03:00
Speaker
They all have their different, like, they believe in, they believe, ah some believe in the in the ice bath, so they'll do like a daily ice bath. I don't really believe in the benefits of, you know, using the ice bath daily, but still i'm I'm like, okay, cool. Well, some, some do this, some do that. um Some believe in running your easy runs, not so easy.
01:03:25
Speaker
ah Some, but you know, so yeah, it's, it's actually, i think what, what comes across is that the elite athletes, they've found the recipe that works specifically for them,
01:03:38
Speaker
And so it's not necessarily something that would work for everybody or for me. um So it's interesting to take in bits and pieces from here and there and try them out. But, you know, you have to take it with a grain of salt. If you feel like something works better for you, even though this elite athlete is doing it, you don't necessarily have to do it.
01:03:57
Speaker
Sure. Yeah. How do you deal with challenges when things aren't going your way or when? you're having a tough race. Like how do you yeah get through that? Like what's what's your mindset? Do you have any mantras that you like to use? um Yeah, especially like that the, i find the toughest period is like the few days before an important race, because that's when you're like, okay, I've done all the work I can do. i you then the uncontrollables can come in. Like what if I get sick?
01:04:27
Speaker
what What if I, twist my knee going down the stairs. You know, what if I, what if I sleep badly the day before? What if, uh, what if I get food poisoning, you know?
01:04:38
Speaker
Um, and when you start like going into that circle of negative thoughts, I think that can really actually affect your race. And I, you know, so I think that's what I tell myself in those moments when I feel like I'm spiraling a little bit out of control.
01:04:54
Speaker
i tell myself, what if it all goes well? You know, what if everything just goes really well? And that kind of allows me to just take a step back and figure is think, yeah, you're right. Like not everything has to go badly. It doesn't all have true be a disaster. You can, sometimes it can go with the opposite way and go actually like really well.
01:05:17
Speaker
So that helps me. yeah Yeah. I think we always like preset to like, we want things to the end result to go well. So then we think about what could stop us from doing that, you know? Yeah.
01:05:29
Speaker
But yeah, you're you're absolutely like right. Like what's to say things won't go exactly how we planned them. Yeah. And sometimes you just have, and that allows you to kind of like let go, you know, you can't control everything. So yeah.
01:05:44
Speaker
Just take a breath. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I like what you said earlier about, and I say something very similar, like you can have a bad training day, just like you can have a bad race, you know?
01:05:55
Speaker
And, um and I think, you know, People fail to realize that, you know, the, it's just, it's a day, you know, like we, we build ourselves up to this point in time where we hope to have optimized every last thing to conserve as much energy as possible to have enough time to absorb all the training. And, you know, but in reality, like, like you've had days where your your body hasn't responded, like you want it to or expected it to, even though, you know, so I think that's also an important lesson.
01:06:27
Speaker
And i was i was asked that after the Montreal marathon because I'd said, like well, I was actually aiming for a personal best that day and I ended up running 246, so four minutes slower than in Los Angeles.
01:06:41
Speaker
And journalists were asking, well, how come? What happened? And you know sometimes there is no how there is no reason. Sometimes just, you know what, i just had a bad day. Yeah, sure, maybe the taper wasn't enough.
01:06:53
Speaker
Maybe I was burnt out. Maybe, but maybe it was just... maybe it was just a bad enough day, you know, it happens to everybody. So yeah all athletes and all sports, like, yeah, it's just ah the nature of how it is.
01:07:07
Speaker
Molly, what would you say running is given to you and in your life? Well, it's given me, it's given me my freedom. Yeah. I've always felt like, you know, ah prisoner of the expectations of the,
01:07:23
Speaker
a I was so good in school, so i was I always felt like a prisoner of, okay, well, you're going have this great career and you know <unk> gonna have a you're always going to be top of your class. and and and I don't know. I just, yeah, I expected that to happen, but I wasn't even excited by it. I'm like, yeah, i guess so. I guess I'm going to be a doctor and make tons of money. and But freedom was like my escape from all that. And you know, at 27 in 2019, when I, it's like almost like I gave myself permission to, you know what, like, I'm not, I'm actually not an engineer. I'm not a doctor. and
01:08:01
Speaker
I'm actually, i'm i'm umm I'm a runner and that's who I am. So I'm allowing myself to be like who I am fully and who cares if nobody else thinks that's okay or I should do something else with my life. That's actually my life and that's what I want to do. So yeah.
01:08:19
Speaker
Yeah. yeah And the pursuit is super powerful, right? and and Yeah. And like seeing how far you can go with this thing and and having a goal, having a dream. it's ah It's inspiring to hear you talk that way and to put that out there because that's the only way things are going to happen. that's the only way you can take steps in order to get there, you know? so and Yeah, absolutely.
01:08:43
Speaker
That's so cool. What do you like to do when you're not running? Yeah. i love i love ah I love my animals, my dog and my cat. so I love ah yeah i love ah going on walks with my dogs in the woods near my house.
01:09:00
Speaker
um i'm I'm an avid reader. i i read so fast, unfortunately. I had brought four books with me and I i read them within a week. So now i I'm out of books already. i I left them at the library here at the training center, but I'm like, I have no more books and I have three weeks left. You should have maybe left a sign that book exchange. and I have four books. Yes. Well, there were books at the library here, but I mean, some are some are in German and the other the ones are like not so interesting. So
01:09:34
Speaker
Oh, well, I guess I'm out i'm ah i'm out of luck. yeah But I do play the piano also. I used to be a really good piano player, but then I had no more time after I started running. So i still play a little bit, but not at the level I used to before.
01:09:52
Speaker
um and what are you reading? What kind of books are you into? um Well, of course, running books, but I've read all, I've read them all. And I can say that with confidence. Like I, I can look up on Amazon and not find a single book. I haven't run about, I haven't read about running.
01:10:09
Speaker
So that's actually a problem because I need to find other interests. um But I'm actually, no, I like, I like a i like ah horror. So I, in Quebec, we have a Patrick Senecal.
01:10:23
Speaker
I've read all his books. Yeah. So kind of a, ah dark, dark mystery and horror novels. Yeah.
01:10:36
Speaker
what What's your favorite running book? Have you, and have you read running to the edge? Yes, I have. yeah I really liked, I really liked um running with the canyons from, from Finn and born to run was, I really enjoyed boy born to run. I know it's like a,
01:10:55
Speaker
I know it's from like 2010 and the, and I did try barefoot running after reading it. ah yeah I did. i did. I even, I actually, I still have my Vibram five fingers, you know, the, Oh my God.
01:11:10
Speaker
Yeah, I still walk with, I walk my dog with those. I don't run with those anymore, but I do walk my dog with those. and So yeah, those are a few of the books I i really like.
01:11:21
Speaker
And so do you have, or you're not running barefoot clearly, but are you sponsored now or are you you're just buying your own? and i'm I'm sponsored by Le Courant. So a little running ah shop in Sherbrooke.
01:11:36
Speaker
So they, they, they, they provide me with all my running shoes for the year. And then, um, clothing wise, I have praise endurance. So I'm, uh, I'm all set. And then of course, nutrition, I have exact.
01:11:49
Speaker
So I'm actually a fellow yeah exact, um, nutrition ambassador and, uh, a good friend there helps support the show as well.
01:11:59
Speaker
Where can people find out more about you, Melanie? What can they find out more about me? Where can they find out more? Oh, sorry. um Well, on Instagram and Facebook, that's pretty much where I'm on. i'm on But um yeah, no, I'm not.
01:12:19
Speaker
I think that's my compromise of being on social media. i want I'm not ready for TikTok. Fair enough. Yeah, or YouTube. It's challenging. not ready for that.
01:12:31
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. All good. We can't be everywhere and I think you know two is two is enough, i think. so It's enough for me. It's enough of a challenge for me. Well, Melanie, appreciate you taking the time out of your training camp and spending some time with me today.
01:12:49
Speaker
um i love your story. It's super relatable. Hopefully, um ah few people listen and are inspired by by what they heard today. You've come a long way, and I'm sure you've got ah ways to go with with the kind of attitude you have, and and all the best in Berlin.
01:13:06
Speaker
Well, thank you so much for having me, Justin. It was great. Amazing. Good luck with everything. Talk soon. Thanks. Ready to crush your next goal? With 15 years of experience across endurance sports, from 5Ks to ultras, over 10 marathons with a personal best of 2 hours 45 minutes, including Boston, New York City, and Berlin, plus two Ironmans, I know what it takes to achieve real results.
01:13:32
Speaker
But training for a race is about more than just logging miles. It's about training smarter, and that's where a coach makes all the difference. As your coach, I'll create a personalized week-by-week plan tailored to fit your unique goals, lifestyle, and schedule.
01:13:48
Speaker
You'll also get guidance on race day strategy, nutrition, pre-race routines, and the insider tips that can transform your performance. With a coach, you're not guessing through training.
01:14:00
Speaker
You're following a proven, customized roadmap with support every step of the way. So if you're ready to train smarter and reach new levels, email me at justin at justinstridepod.com and let's make those goals happen.
01:14:14
Speaker
Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts.
01:14:27
Speaker
With your feedback, we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram at justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates.
01:14:38
Speaker
Of course, this show wouldn't be possible without a solid team behind me. With logo and design by Vanessa Pugliese, as well as audio, music, and editing by Forrest McKay, a huge thank you goes out to both of them.
01:14:51
Speaker
Guest outreach, social media, writing, and advertising are handled by me, your host, Justin Pugliese. Finally, we'd like to thank you, our listeners, for coming along for the ride with Justin Stride.