Sarah Melo: Running, Resilience, and Mental Health
Discover how running transformed Sarah Melo's life, from overcoming eating disorders to facing her first marathon.
In this inspiring episode of Girls Who Run, Sarah Melo shares her emotional journey with running. She reveals how the sport helped her rebuild her relationship with her body and cope with grief, transforming her perception of strength and well-being. An inspiring conversation about self-discovery and finding purpose beyond pace.
In this inspiring episode of the Girls Who Run podcast, hosts Ma Fanti and Mari Real welcome Sarah Melo for a deep conversation about how running can go far beyond just a sport, becoming a powerful tool for personal rebuilding and well-being. Sarah, an Adidas Runners SP enthusiast and content creator, shares her journey from intense challenges with mental health and eating disorders to her pursuit of her first marathon.
Running as Personal Rebuilding
Sarah Melo's journey with running is a testament to overcoming adversity. She shares her experience with childhood obesity and, later, anorexia, which led to a toxic relationship with her body and food. The turning point came after the loss of her best friend at the end of 2024, a moment of grief that prompted her to seek something to reconnect her with life. Her first 5 km run on the beach in January 2025 was a watershed moment, providing a sense of vitality and purpose.
For Sarah, running became a form of expression in the world, teaching her resilience and helping her uncover an inner strength she had underestimated. Integrating into running communities, such as High Pace and, later, Adidas Runners SP, was crucial for understanding the power of connection and the sport's impact on the lives of many people, many of whom faced challenges like depression and anxiety.
Balancing Performance and Pleasure
Sarah describes her evolution from an intuitive runner, who ran "for love, without a training plan or watch," to a performance-focused athlete, training with a "coaching program" for her first marathon. This transition, which includes more technical workouts like "intervals" and "fartlek," brought new challenges and lessons about balance.
She emphasizes the importance of not losing the initial "lightness" and "pleasure" of running while seeking to improve. Adidas Runners SP became a fundamental space to rediscover this love, allowing her to run with beginners and reconnect with the essence of the sport, free from pace pressure. Sarah highlights that training is also about "stimulation" and "volume," and that AR events were incorporated into her plan, balancing performance goals with her passion for running.
Reclaiming Self-Esteem and Body Relationship
One of the most sensitive points of the conversation is Sarah's profound shift in her relationship with her body and self-esteem. Running helped her change her focus from aesthetic concerns to an appreciation for her body's strength and capabilities. She shares her experience with the "praise of thinness" and how comments about body shape can be triggers for eating disorders.
Therapy played a crucial role in her self-discovery process, helping her identify triggers and develop strategies to deal with negative thoughts and constant "internal monitoring." Sarah learned to be kind to herself, embracing bad days and understanding that the healing process is continuous, like a "remission." Running, in this context, became tangible proof of her ability to overcome challenges, teaching her that "your mind tries to stop you, but you can keep going." This strength and resilience extend to all areas of her life.
As she prepares for the marathon, Sarah seeks a celebration rather than suffering, maintaining a caring relationship with her body and nourishing it properly, unlike periods of extreme restriction. She concludes that the true "glow up" comes from within, from self-discovery and happiness, not from superficial appearance. Running, for Sarah, is a constant reminder that we are "much stronger than we imagine."
This journey highlights the sport's ability to transform lives, offering a path to self-knowledge, overcoming challenges, and building a healthier, more loving relationship with oneself. Whatever your challenge, running can be the start of a great transformation.