I woke up Saturday morning with far more excitement than I'd felt in weeks. I'd been pushing myself harder than ever before. Middle-of-the-pack Cavanaugh was ready to move up a place or two. It felt good to know I had a shot of doing exactly that. It was a four-school track meet and I wanted to know if my preparations would pay off.

The starting pistol sounded and the 10,000-meter race began. Within twenty steps I picked an inside line and held my ground. I established my ...