2:45:01 and Beyond: Bean Wrenn

The series continues!  I'm glad Bean decided to tell her story because it's a great one - although I do think she is the only person in the world who loves pool running, haha!  Bean is running her best at age 46, which I think is inspiring to all of us.  She has fought her way back after having surgery for Haugland's Deformity (thanks to Jake Riley and Galen Rupp she won't have to explain what this is as often now!), and comments that "failure can lead to great things".  She is a great example for us to all to be appreciative of our running and that we get to do this every day.  She also took the time to write me an encouraging note about my marathon and injury journeys when she sent me her story, which speaks to what a thoughtful person she is.  Watch for her next in the first-ever September Boston Marathon!

Name:  Bean Wrenn 

Age:  46
City/State:  Boulder, CO
Occupation:  Mom of 3 teenagers, Dog walker 

Hobbies/interests outside of running:

Painting, reading, hiking, pool running, camping, hanging with my kids

When did you start chasing the OTQ and what inspired you to try? 

I first thought about it at the 2008 Boston Marathon. My kids were 5, 4 and 1 year old at the time and I knew I was done having children.  I watched a friend compete in the 2008 Olympic Trials race, which was super fun to watch.  I think the B standard qualifying time then was 2:47. I ran the Boston Marathon two days later. I think at the time I was aiming for low 2:50s. It was a warm day and I ended up having one of those days where it just felt hard the whole way and ran 2:55 - but I was happy with it and thought I could go a bit faster.

Tell us about the races you attempted to OTQ at and the outcomes. 

I don’t have any crazy stories about chasing some OTQ dreams over and over and over again.  I only tried twice in the 3 cycles.   

Attempt #1 was at one of the last races to qualify (CIM) at the end of 2011. The OTQ was 2:46. In the fall of 2009 I placed 2nd at the Columbus Marathon on a very chilly, windy day in 2:48:34.  The qualifying window had not opened yet so I thought I would try in 2010.  No such luck. I raced a half marathon in February with a sore foot in 1:19 (I found out after racing the half marathon that my right plantar facia was torn), then I was out most of that year and a lot of the following spring with very little running. 

I had 6-8 weeks of decent training that summer and then same thing happened to my left plantar. You can’t make this stuff up.  That one would not heal, and I finally had PRP injected in my foot at the end of the year and had to spend time in a boot.  I started running again just a little bit in the spring of 2011 then had an injury in my toe joint.  I finally started to train again in August of 2011 and had until the end of the year. I did a bunch of local races trying to race my way back into shape.  

CIM 2011 was my one and only attempt for 2012.  I didn’t feel great that day and I remember shutting it down halfway knowing I didn’t have it or maybe just doubting myself.  I ended up running 2:48:07 but wasn’t too disappointed.  After all those injuries and downtime, I was just super appreciative of being able to run and finish with no foot pain.

For the 2016 trials they dropped the qualifying time to 2:43. I decided it was just a little too fast for me.  I was in my early 40s and thought it would take a lot of discipline and focus to go for it.  I was totally fine letting that goal go and just worked on improving my times as a masters runner.  In 2014, I ran a 2:51, 2:54 and a 2:47 and was enjoying training and racing with the Boulder Track Club (BTC).  

In 2015, I ran 2:50 at Boston in crappy conditions and 2:46 at Chicago while nursing a very sore hip.  I finished off the year trying to ignore my hip issue, stupidly running at CIM, where I ended up walking some of last 10k with major hip pain.  I crawled in with a 2:55. After the race I had an MRI and found out I had torn my TFL at my Iliac crest.  

The week after CIM they announced they eased up on the OTQ time to 2:45. Houston was still left and I had a bib, but my hip pain was too much.  I was majorly bummed with this news.  I would have certainly spent the previous two years of healthy running chasing that time but had no idea that they could ease up on the qualifying time.  Major lesson learned.

I thought for sure they would lower the OTQ back down into the low 2:40s for the 2020 trials.  In the summer of 2016, I developed a boney bump on my right heel.  I spent 2 years running (not very well) on it until I couldn’t take the pain any longer and decided to have surgery in April 2018. It is called Haglund’s Deformity. Thanks to Galen Rupp and Jake Riley, I don’t have to explain this surgery as much.  They talked about it during the Olympic Trials coverage.  It is really tough to come back from.  

After surgery I was in a cast and on crutches followed by 4 weeks in a boot.  I slowly increased my running in late July and August after surgery in hopes of running CIM 2018.  It was a long shot as my foot was so sore; every run hurt and I couldn’t run fast.  I was out on a trail run in early September and stepped on a small rock.   My foot had terrible range of motion and couldn’t absorb the wobble and I felt a crack; I broke my 5th metatarsal and was back in a boot for 6 weeks with lots of pool running until the end of the year.  

I started to run again in December on the Altar G treadmill and slowly worked up to 5 miles by March.  By this time I just wanted to be able to just run outside with no pain.  I transitioned to running outside but ran by myself alternating walking with jogging. I joined up with my BTC friends on runs in April but struggled to keep up and it felt very challenging.  My foot was still extremely sore, and anything under 8:00/mile pace felt hard.  My surgery foot was so weak I couldn’t really go up on my toes.   I did a ton of PT to try and strengthen my calf.  At the time, I couldn’t jump up and down on one foot.  It had been one year since my surgery.  I thought I would never be able to race well again.  

Instead of focusing on running miles which always hurt, I focused more on strength training.  Our group had been strength training with Nell Rojas (she just placed 9th female at the trials and her secret weapon is her strength training).  I went 2-3 times a week.  Ever so slowly my foot and leg strength got better, although the progress was really slow.  The OTQ was not on my radar.  I had an entry for CIM that I had deferred from 2018 but thought there was no way I’d be able to race it well or even make it to the starting line.  My foot was still so sore running.  But my BTC teammates were all racing CIM so I thought I would at least try and if I could finish it and break 3 hours that would be a huge success.  

It was discouraging but I kept at it.  I still ran with my BTC friends for regular runs but didn’t go back to doing workouts with the group for fear of over doing things and getting injured. I decided to train myself and see what happened.  I didn’t do any crazy marathon workouts.  I raced eight 10k races getting my time down from a 41:36 in May to a 37:34 in November, chipping a little away each race.  

In October I was still just hoping to be able to run under 3 hours at CIM, but thought maybe I could go under 2:55? People would ask if I was going for the qualifier and it just wasn’t a realistic goal for me.  I really wasn’t doing the training for it.  My mindset changed a little about two weeks before CIM.  I was in Florida and decided last minute to run a half marathon as a training run. I ran 1:21:39 in the heat and humidity and it felt pretty comfortable.  I held back some because I was two weeks out from CIM and was using it as a workout.  Then 4 days later I raced a Turkey Trot 5k and ran 17:56 and felt really good. After those two races I thought maybe I could aim for a sub 2:50 at CIM.

I still wasn’t sure about the OTQ.  My foot pain was manageable but was always there.  Race day arrived and I thought I am 46 years old and this is probably it.  They will for sure lower the B standard the next time around.  I could play it safe, not go for it and maybe run really well but would always wonder what if. Other option was to just go for it and if it doesn’t work out then at least I tried.  Worst thing that could happen is that I crash and burn at the end but still run a decent time.  

I did not have a spot in the elite field because my faster marathon times were too old, so I started CIM about 20 seconds back from the start.  They only use chip time to get the qualifier so I thought, well I have to actually run about a 2:44:40.  The gun went off and I thought I will just go by feel and see how it goes.  I actually felt pretty good though about 35k. I was at a 6:16 pace.  Then I bonked. Hard.  I didn’t have elite bottles and did a pretty bad job hydrating and I didn’t take in any gels after my second one around mile 15.  I felt like I was crawling at the end.  I couldn’t even sprint in when I saw the finish. I came away with a 2:47:43. I was super grateful to have started and so happy to finish.  I reminded myself how far I had come and that I didn’t spend months and months with the OTQ as my goal. I had only thought about it for the last 2 weeks.  To be able to get back close to where I was 4 years before at the age of 46 was something to appreciate. 

What did you gain from this journey?   

My first attempt in 2011 taught me that you have to believe in what your trying to achieve.  In hindsight I was pretty fit for the race but all I thought about was that I had so little time to get into shape.  I think I felt like I didn’t really belong in that 2:46 group and I just tossed in the towel.  It is one thing if everyone is telling you that you are capable of it, but you have to buy into that and really believe you can do it.

For 2016 I just wrote myself off. I said I’m not good enough to run 2:43. I may have been right about that.  However, I think if I would have at least tried and failed, it may have pushed me enough to run under 2:45 which is what they ended up changing the qualifying time to.   Don’t be afraid to go for it - you never know what will come of it.

For 2020, I just went for it.  You don’t know unless you try.  It was never really in my plans while training.  I didn't get the OTQ, but it left me thinking that I can still PR into my late 40s and that’s something to bring forward with me into 2020.  Failing can lead to great things.  Maybe not exactly what you wanted but I think you can find success in failure.     

What are you most proud of about your OTQ pursuit? 

I can’t sit here and say I put my heart and soul into trying to get the OTQ.  The most recent attempt just evolved into that.  I hear these stories of these women and they really put everything into it.  That takes a lot of discipline and persistence.  That’s impressive.  I did however work really hard to heal and get better. I guess I am proud of coming back from a very frustrating and long injury.  My foot still hurts 2 years out from surgery, but I have adjusted and made the most of it.

Do you have any regrets or things you wish you’d done differently in your OTQ pursuit?  

No.  I fear that runners like myself might view the trials time with a pass/fail approach.  You’re awesome if you got the time and you’re a failure if you didn’t.  You’re super fast if you ran it and not so much if you didn’t.  If you ran 2:44:59 you’re amazing but a 2:45:01 you failed.  Don’t let some arbitrary number define how you feel about your running.  Take pride in your performances and appreciate your gains.  If you’re healthy and ready to race, then go for it.  You never know if it will be your last chance for a long while.  

What message would you like to send to those following your running pursuits? 

I hope I can inspire women in their mid-40s and beyond to stick with it and to aim really high.  If you’re facing an injury that you think has ended your running as you know it, stay with it.  Things can turn around.  It takes patience, especially as we age.  Take it one day at a time and you never know what might come of it.  Tiny improvements add up over time.  When you do get past your low points and are back at it, take things in and really appreciate it. You never know how long things will last.  I remind myself all the time that I can run again and I have a whole new appreciation for it.  

Tell us something unique about yourself. 

I have pool run for over 12 years even when I am not injured and swear by it.  It is my cross training when I am injured.  Here in Colorado we pool run outside all winter long in the freezing cold weather. I wear a winter hat to keep my head warm.  The cold days when it’s snowing are the best when the pool is quiet, the snow muffles the sounds and you can hardly see in front of you because of the steam rising from the surface. It can be so peaceful in there.  I have a friend who I always pool run with and we spend hours chit chatting in there just as we would running on land.  I would probably be shocked if I added up the hours I have spent aqua jogging.  My longest pool run was 3 hours (yes, I did hop out to take a pee break). 

Also, my son Gavin was born on my 29th birthday.  I love sharing my birthday with him.  Gavin - not so much.  We have different ideas of fun things to do on our birthday and argue over where we are going to eat. : )

What’s next for you?

Due to my foot injury and surgery, I didn’t have a marathon time to get into Boston 2020.  My CIM 2019 time got me into the Masters Elite field so I will hopefully be racing in September.   It’s been 4 years since I last raced Boston.  It is always a fun experience, so I am looking forward to doing that again.  I ran it in 2015 and had a decent race in crappy weather but 2016 went pretty badly so I hope to redeem myself this year.  I lived in Boston (in the North End) while my husband went to graduate school at BU and my oldest son Gavin who is turning 18 soon was born there.  I love going back to visit!