Melanie Mercer has always put her personal fitness high on her priority list because it made her feel good about herself.
The Bay Roberts native, who moved to Corner Brook back in October to work with the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District as a music teacher, lists running as one of her favourite things to do in her life goal of being the best version of herself from a fitness point of view.
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The 24-year-old recalls the good feeling of just taking her uncle’s dog for a walk as a youngster and how nice it felt to be embracing the fresh air that came with doing things outside the house.
When she was attending university a friend of hers encouraged her to go to the gym with her and she obliged. She remembers hitting the treadmill in an effort to build up her cardio, but it proved to be something that she looked forward to doing on a consistent basis and now she doesn’t care if it’s biking, running or skating she loves to be active because she reaps so many rewards.
“It just brings so much happiness to me. It just makes me feel really good,” she said of her love for running outdoors with nothing standing in her way.
Running has provided her with a happy place. She’s all smiles knowing her body is appreciating the work she has put in over the years.
“I just enjoyed that feeling so much I just kept doing it and then I started running outside and I love that even more,” Mercer said Monday afternoon. “I didn’t touch the treadmill this year and ran right through the winter.”
Mercer has been into the running game for a number of years with most of her races at the 10 or-15-km distance, or 16 kilometres in the case of the six Tely 10 Road Races she has competed in since running was added to her fitness regime.
She never had the opportunity to do a 5-km race before because her schedule always conflicted in some way or another, but she got to test her mettle at the shorter distance this past weekend and it couldn’t have gone any better for her.
Mercer, with her fastest clocked time ever running five kilometres and participating in her first official 5-km race, won top honours on the women’s side at the 2018 Corner Brook Running Club’s 5KM Spring Opener held over the weekend.
“That was incredible,” she said of the race. “I felt like I gave it everything I had.”
