Runner with Split Abs Stephanie Bruce Talks About Motherhood and Her Disappointing Olympic Trials

Being a mom to two young sons – one 2 years old and the other just 10 months – is tough enough. Add to that training in hopes of placing at the Olympic trials – and a husband gunning for the same goal – and it just becomes "comical," says runner Stephanie Bruce.

"At least that's how I try to view it on the really tough days," Bruce, 32, tells PEOPLE. "My husband Ben has always used humor in our relationship to keep us from fighting. Many days we would joke, 'Just make it to 7 p.m., the kids' bedtime!' Truthfully it required a lot of balancing of responsibilities, time management, naps when the kids napped, and as usual several pots of coffee."

After a "surreal moment" in April when Bruce just slipped under the time standard and qualified for the Olympic trials in the 10,000 meter run, she had an "incredible" two months of training to get ready for her shot at Rio – all while balancing motherhood. But a groin injury meant backing off her training until just three and a half weeks before the trials on July 2.



"I wasn't 100 percent, but it was manageable," she says. "That setback, however, was just too much for my body to bounce back from, and I didn't have enough training behind me to regain all my fitness."

Not to mention, Bruce still has trouble running because of her diastacis recti, which means her abs are split after having two babies back-to-back.

"The core issues that I have – and will be working through for many months and possibly years to come – do have an impact on my running," she says. "The core is your epicenter where everything stems from and connects, so it needs to be strong and stable to power you and keep injuries at bay."

She went into race day feeling "very nervous" because of her reduced training. "I knew I wasn't operating with a full deck on race day, so it was a scary feeling," Bruce says.

She finished 20th out of 22 runners, with just the top three heading to the Olympics, which left her "embarrassed, dejected, lost, emotional, but proud."

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"There were moments I wanted to drop out because I was slowing down so much and it was painful," Bruce says. "I kept thinking about all the things I had done and sacrificed to get to the starting line and the people that helped me, so I couldn't drop out for those reasons. Maybe I thought about my kids, my husband, coach, the crowd. It's all a blur now."

Bruce says she's still feeling those emotions as she tries to "grieve the race," and is using the time to stay close to her family.

"Right now I'm focused on being a mom, recovering, and healing my postpartum body more than we did in the first few months," she says. "There is no timeline or rush now since the next Olympics are four years away. However there is a lot to be accomplished in these next few years."

"I'll be returning to race the roads, U.S. Championship road races, major marathons, and will continue to help grow the sport I love."