Melanie Henning sought out Coach Carolyn to help her improve at the half and full marathon distances. She was a speedy kid throughout elementary school who routinely beat the boys in short races, but a number of moves with her military family had her gravitating to team sports for their social benefits. Running took a backseat for the next 20 years but she found it again in her early 30s, in part because of the favourable weather conditions in Monterrey, Mexico where she’s lived since 2002. Half marathons were her go-to distance and she always swore she would never run a full, but that changed in 2018 when she was navigating a significant challenge in her personal life. Melanie decided to tackle the marathon to prove to herself that she can do hard things. She ultimately caught the bug and has gone on to complete three marathons, all of which have taught her many lessons. We get into the complexities of being a woman runner, managing your inner dialogue, learning to relate differently to things outside of your control, and the power of owning perceived failures. Resources we discussed in the episode:Favourite Mantra: I run for those who can’t and I keep going because I canFavourite Place to Run: Exploring a new cityBucket List Run: Big Sur MarathonFavourite Book: Born to Run Post-Run Indulgence: French fries and Skittles (not together!)