IRON WOMAN Nash proves to be an athlete for all seasons

In indoor track, the native of Marshfield, Mass., holds the Bentley record in the 5,000 meters; she set the record this year with a time of 17:20:90 at the Boston University Valentine’s Invitational.

In outdoor track, she won last year’s NE-10 championship in the 1,500 and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 3,000 meters. This season, Nash provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters — which she considers her best event — in both indoor and outdoor track.

Others may find it difficult to compete in multiple seasons or find a single-sport focus to be more beneficial. But Nash has a different perspective.

“The terrain is the only thing that changes between cross country and track,” she explains. “I race the same distance in both sports, and my training doesn’t vary much from season to season, so the transition isn’t difficult.”

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On a weekly basis, Nash runs anywhere from 40 to 50 miles. Her regimen comprises several five- to eight-mile runs; a longer stint of eight to 10 miles; and one track, road or hill workout. All of that training and competing requires a smart “self-prevention” approach to outpace injuries and burnout.

For most collegiate athletes, a typical season runs for a few months, followed by individual and team workouts in the offseason. Not so for one Bentley star performer: Melissa Nash ’09.

“If something starts to bother me, I do not take the chance that it will fix itself,” says Nash. “The Bentley trainers have been great, suggesting preventive care when something starts to hurt.”

Since arriving on campus in 2005, she has been running nonstop: cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, outdoor track in the spring. Along with staying injury-free and fit enough to compete year-round, Nash has racked up some impressive victories. These include a quartet of Northeast-10 championships at several distances, two All-New England accolades, and Northeast-10 Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors.

As her college career wound down, Nash was aiming to break a few more school records before the outdoor track season came to an end; she also hoped to make one more appearance at the NCAA Championships. Post-graduation, the nonstop athlete plans to join a running club. As she puts it: “Running will always be a part of my life.” Kyle Mack

In cross country, Nash won the 2008 Northeast-10 individual championship after runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior. She qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships and was a runner-up in the NCAA East Regional during each of the last three years.

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