Allie Ostrander Brooks Beasts

Going into the Olympic Trials, I had a severe case of imposter syndrome. I was only 19, and I had never completed in a US Championships before. On top of that, I had suffered a stress fracture in early March which compromised my trials build up. I remember standing at the start line with so many of my running idols and wondering how I had been allowed to enter this race. I think the adrenaline and excitement helped me out a lot, as I ended up qualifying to the final even though this was my first race after injury.

 

In 2016, I was definitely in a “happy to be there” state of mind, but I also exited the stadium wondering what could have been if I hadn’t been injured so close to the trials. 

 

Since the trials, I have switch events, won 3 national titles, and signed a contract with Brooks Running. Now my goal is to go to the trials knowing that I belong there, and prove that with my racing. 

If I could speak to myself of 4 years ago, I would remind her that there will be other chances and to train hard and, more importantly, smart so that the buildup for the next trials won’t leave any questions in my mind as to what could have been.