Brooke Wells was 22 years old and the youngest athlete in the field when she ran 2:42 to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials. Four years down the road, Wells toed the line at the 2012 trials with a 2:37 personal best in the bag from 2010, and the confidence to attack the race in hopes of a personal best.
A high school triathlete from the central coast of California, Wells ran track and cross country at UC Berkeley before graduating in 2006. When she began with Focus-N-Fly, her personal best in the 10,000 meters was about 5:55 pace. With her 19th place finish in 2:36, she can now run a marathon that speed!
This month, Brooke chatted with us as she reflects and recovers from her second Olympic Marathon Trials experience.
Coach: This was your second Olympic Trials. How did this race compare with your first experience?
BW: This time I think I had more of a performance goal. I definitely felt like I have learned how to execute a personal goal within a race that was so overwhelming; last time, I was just told how honored I should be to be there. This time I felt like I was entering a personal race in a really competitive environment. There was all of this spectacle, but I felt I could just stay within myself and not get overwhelmed.
When I had Teresa and Catha in my group [two local athletes with which she had done some training this fall], I just closed my eyes and pretended we were at Sawyer Camp [local trail].
Coach: How did your race compare to your anticipated race coming in?
BW: I had talked a lot with two other women beforehand, and we had set the goal of running through the half at 1:17:55, 5:55 pace. I had envisioned it being really relaxed… the first two miles were slow, but that happened in 2008, so I was prepared for them to drop to 5:30s soon.
We ran in that big group until about mile 13, and then I had to decide whether to stay or to go. I had to do what Tom and I talked about, which was move at that point. I thought I was going to be with people for longer, but it didn’t work out that way, I cannot reiterate enough how important it is when you have the chance to run with a group.
Coach: Last year, it took you a while to get up to speed due to some injury problems. How is your body feeling after this race?
BW: I am a bit beat up from the fall I took [around mile 8, while approaching the fluid tables]. I took 8 days completely off and went on vacation, but my hip got a huge hematoma, and I actually just got it drained. I’m giving everything time to settle down this time. Last time I tried to train through and it didn’t work out well.
Coach: What were some of the key moments in your training and how did Coach Tom help prepare you specifically for this race?
BW: Well, we started at the San Jose Rock “n” Roll Half, where I had a big PR. We had a Michigan workout [a workout alternating on track and off track continuous intervals] which is usually one where I can turn to see where I am. We extended the normal workout, and I crushed it.
Monday, he’ll have me double [two runs] , so I would go into a workout on Tuesday, and not feel totally fresh. I learned to push while tired, which is something that I respond well to. Wednesday, I would never run over 6 mi. My tempo pace for many of our workouts on Thursdays was 5:42, and I never would hit it, because I would run at 6am in the morning. I think that is where I have come a long way – I am not as concerned about the little minutia, stressing over every second.
Coach: What is on the horizon for this year and beyond?
BW: Fun things, but not necessarily track this spring. Tom and I have talked about 2:30 being a goal for 2016. I want to run Boston and New York and I really want to run a destination marathon like Berlin or London.
