Women Running Series: The Running Coaching Journey with Melia Garza
Meet Melia Garza. She did whatever she could to avoid running. And now she is a running coach.
Melia Garza (she/her) is the owner and coach at Journey to Run. During and after college, Melia found herself wanting to be a runner but struggled. It wasn't until Melia was in her 30s and joined Team in Training of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that she started to see success. With the knowledge and support of running coaches, Melia's journey to run has taken her to the start and finish lines of 5ks to marathons. Melia also built her own knowledge of all things running and had the opportunity to coach runners with Team in Training for the 2020 Walt Disney World Marathon events. In October 2020, Melia became a certified running coach through the Road Runners Club of America and in April 2022, officially launched her own coaching business Journey to Run. As a coach, Melia's goal is to help current and aspiring athletes write the next (or first) chapter in their own journey to run and achieve things they never dreamed possible. Melia also strives to make the running community more inclusive and openly extends an invitation to anyone who hasn't felt welcomed or represented in the running community in the past. Journey to Run's Running is For Everyone program is designed to bring the larger community together to help make running with the help of a certified running coach accessible for individuals who are experiencing financial hardship.
Fun facts about Melia: She love dogs and foster them through a local rescue organization. They occasionally drop in to say hello during coaching consultations. She has been vegan (no animal derived products) for more than 10 years. And she is a first generation college graduate.
In this episode, we talk about how she started running as a non runner and her experience with Disney Marathon 2020 right before the pandemic hit!