Kaylee Wessel on her growth as an athlete and pursuing an Olympic Trials qualifying time

What was your first introduction to running?

My mom has always been really into running, so I started running for fun in elementary school - with the exception of the Wasco mile, that I was very determined to win. I ran cross country and track in middle school and high school, while trying to balance soccer. One day it eventually clicked that I was good at the running part of soccer, and not so much any other aspect of the sport, so I spent the second half of my high school years pretty focused on running.

I ran collegiately at the University of South Carolina for both cross country and track. A few years post college I signed up for a marathon on a whim, as we all do, and now I am sucked into the marathon game for life.  

Tell us what brought you to the PNW! What are your first impressions? 

Nike! I had wanted to work for Nike since high school, so when a great opportunity presented itself, I took the job and moved out to Portland. I love how active people are in Portland, and how accessible we are to nature. I also love that it is never hard to find company on a run here. I am definitely looking forward to the day the rain subsides and to the summer months I have heard so much about…

What inspired you to join RCTC? 

Members of RCTC were immediately very welcoming the day I moved to Portland. I liked the community that RCTC has built and that I had a chance to experience on the Foodie Friday and occasional Saturday runs, and I wanted to be a part of it. 

Describe your approach to training 

As I have gained more marathon experience, my approach has changed from being a perfectionist in my training plans, to listening to my body, prioritizing sleep and prioritizing nutrition. I think this has mentally made running a lot more enjoyable and rewarding experience.

What do you think about while you’re running? 

If I am in a group, I am trying to think of the most interesting story of my week to share, but if I am alone and not listening to music or an audiobook, I am usually reflecting on my week/day.

What’s a piece of running wisdom you would share with your younger self? 

I would tell myself that perceived effort is more important than pace, and doing your workouts in nonideal circumstances (wind/rain/hills) where you are more likely to not hit the goal pace, can be the most beneficial to character building on race day.

Where do you want your running to take you? 

My goals are to qualify for the Olympic trials (for the grit of the experience), run all the world majors (as an excuse to travel and experience other cultures within the running community), and then get really good at trail running (as a personal challenge to explore the less traveled trails).

Tell us about your life outside of running! 

I really really love corgis, but I travel way too much to be a good dog parent, so I will gladly befriend any corgi that I meet, which is surprisingly easy in Portland.