Running makes me a better mom, a better partner, a better human says Melissa Chamberlain

Melissa Chamberlain always thought marathon runners were nuts. She certainly never thought she'd become one. "I was not born to run," said Chamberlain. "I didn't like running. I didn't like sweating. I didn't like being outside." But she also was looking for a way to stay in shape. Despite the time crunch that comes with being a working mom, she started small and realized she kind of liked it. "I did the Shamrock 5K in 2010 and that was my first 5K and then I got bit by the bug," said Chamberlain. "I just do it for fun. I do it to stay healthy. I like to run to show the kids that it's important to train for something and stick with it." She ran the Cleveland half Marathon on Sunday May 20th for the seventh time since 2010. "I have always aspired to be one of those runners that has a training plan and sticks to it every single day, but life happens and kids get sick and extracurricular things happen and you just can't always get out when you want to, so you just do the best you can," said Chamberlain.  Whether it's getting a run in on her lunch break or logging some miles on the weekend at Stevens Park in Niles, she says one of the most important parts behind all of this is simply getting some "me" time. "You just have to kind of make that time for yourself. And I honestly think it makes me a better mom. It makes me a better partner. It makes me a better human because I get that time to do something that I really love and then I can get back to life," said Chamberlain. She fully admits that she's not the fastest person out there; she walks when she has to and isn't worried about competing for a win. For her, it's about the experience on race day.

posted Monday May 21st