Brianne Nelson, 35, who races often on the 10-event USATF Running Circuit, won $65,716 in 2015. While that may not sound like much for an elite athlete, it’s second among U.S. women only to Olympian Molly Huddle ($151,700).
Relatively unknown, Nelson took second in the USA Half Marathon (1:10:16) and third in both the national championship marathon and the USA 20K. Nelson didn’t emerge as an elite runner until 2012, despite showing early promise. She still holds her Naperville, Illinois, grade school mile record of 6:19. In 2000, Nelson headed to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. The cross-country coach coaxed her onto the team as a sophomore, and she took 14th in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships as a senior.
After college, Nelson stayed in Durango, where most races didn’t draw an elite field. In 2007, she moved with her husband, Ryan, to Fort Collins for his job as a firefighter/paramedic. There, local races were more competitive, which helped launch her pro career after her second daughter was born in 2010.
Ryan works 24-hour shifts, which means Nelson logs many indoor miles and often must squeeze in a second run not long after the first to finish before her daughters return from school. Conveniently, her coach since 2014, Michael Aish, lives in her neighborhood.
Nelson, who ran two 2:34 marathons in 2014, is confident she hasn’t peaked. “Anything you really want takes time,” she says. “I knew my better years were probably going to come later on.”
Key Workout
What:
A progressive run, starting with a steady hour followed by three increasingly faster three-mile segments
Why:
“That first hour burns off the glycogen stores,” says Nelson. “As you progress, you’re teaching your body to go faster on tired legs.”
When:
Nutrition - Weight Loss
How:
Nelson runs the first hour at approximately 6:10-per-mile pace, followed by three miles at 5:55 pace, then three at 5:45 pace, then three at 5:35 pace.
In 2015, this emerging star won more prize money than all other U.S. women but one
Conserve energy. Always complete tough sessions, but don’t make them so strenuous that you “leave your race” at the workout. Make sure you have something left going into a race.
Recover right. Slow down on easy days. Nelson doesn’t wear a GPS watch: “I’m running slow, and [respecting] the purpose of the day and not making the workout ‘work.’”
Squeeze in strength. Pick three moves (like squats, clamshells, and lunges; or planks, pushups, and leg swings) to do after a run or while cooking dinner—whenever there’s time.
