Danielle shows the Boston Marathon course a thing or two about badass mother runners.

Taking it to the last minute but doing it perfectly–as most mothers are capable of doing–Danielle Quatrochi, a mother of two girls and two pugs, qualified for the Olympic Trials at the California International Marathon (CIM) in early December with a 2:44: 56. The digital marketer, a 35-year-old who lives in Boulder, Colorado, will be heading to the Trials for the first time on Saturday.

Sadly, this concludes our profiles of five mother runners who will be out there among 2oo women in Houston; we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programing next week. But remember that NBC is airing the Trials from 3-5 EST on Saturday, January 14 (a.k.a. “tomorrow”), so tune in if you can. (Maybe they can nicely coincide with naptime or Dad-take-’em-to-the-zoo-time?)

What pressure? Surprisingly, I felt pretty relaxed at the start of CIM. I was confident in my training and believed I was capable of the time I needed, so I just trusted that and let it happen. This was the first time I’ve qualified for the Olympic Trials. I’ve come close in previous years, including a 2:46:36 at the U.S. Marathon Championships in 2009, but CIM seemed to provide everything I needed to have a great race. You never know how your body and mind will react to 26.2 miles, so when it goes right you appreciate it that much more.

 A DQ week: I don’t have time on my schedule to lift weights or do double runs, so I focus on what works for me. My body responds so much better when I feel light on my feet, so I do my best to balance hard training without overtraining. My typical week is:

Monday – swim 3,000 meters in the morning. No running.
Tuesday – a long tempo or fartlek run, with some repeat 200’s or 400s to keep my turnover quick.
Wednesday – easy 60-75 minutes.
Thursday – easy 60-75 minutes and a yoga class in the afternoon.
Friday – hard workout like 30-45 minutes at race pace and 6 x 1 mile at 10K pace or faster.
Saturday – easy 60-75 minutes.
Sunday – long 16-22 miles.

Hanging a U-Turn: Between CIM and the Trials, I took one week off, ran easy for a week, and did a couple typical training weeks to remind my body to run fast again. I like the idea of a quick turnaround; I’ve never done it before, so it’s a fun new challenge for me.

Danielle chilling with her adorable fam.

Lucky legs: My lucky shorts are black Nike boy-cut shorts. I have a few pair in different sizes. On race day I wear my extra-small pair because they don’t move around. At CIM, I put on my larger pair without realizing it until I took off my warm-ups. You would think I would have paid more attention that morning, but that’s how relaxed I felt about the race. I don’t really have any other pre-race rituals besides drinking coffee and telling myself it’s game day; it’s something my husband says, and it fires me up.

Owning the runner she wanted to be: In college, I had a lot of stress fractures. They were always in the strangest places, like the back of my right tibia, so it was a tough thing to figure out. Often it was blamed on poor nutrition or overtraining, but deep down I knew myself better than anyone and giving up just wasn’t an option for me. Once I let go of the need to feel accepted by a coaching staff, everything started to fall into place. I like to remind myself that people don’t define you, you define yourself. Plus, it helps have a support system to keep you going; my current team includes Sherman Performance ,  Boulder Running Company, and First Endurance.

Living in the moment: I focus on what’s in front of me, not the collective. When I’m home I focus on my family, when I’m at work I focus on doing a good job, and when I’m running I focus on getting the most out of my workout. I’ve been fortunate that my kids are good sleepers, but when they have rough nights, I’ll be flexible with my schedule so I don’t get injured. When they take a nap on the weekend, I make sure I take one, too. There’s a lot to do, but sometimes it can just wait.

Goal for the Trials: I feel good, so I’m hoping for a good performance.