Personal history repeated itself at Weber State. She qualified for nationals as a sophomore, but a year later her times were 10 seconds slower and she didn't earn a berth at nationals. Pilkington had entered the scene that year and beefed up her training mileage and the intensity of her track work.

"It was an adjustment," he says. "She was tired."

But a year later, in 2007, Anderson blossomed in dramatic fashion. She set an NCAA record of 9:39.95, took second in the NCAA championships and third in the USA nationals, the latter earning her a spot on the U.S. World Championships team that competed in Osaka, Japan.

Just like that — virtually overnight — she had burst onto the national distance-running scene, and she was signed to an 18-month contract by Nike. The 23-year-old's ascendance continued this year with her showing at the Olympic Trials.

"A lot of people thought that when she ran 9:39 last year that she couldn't improve much more this year," says Pilkington. "She knocked nine seconds off of that, and she can go faster than that right now. She's still years away from being at her peak."

After watching her fail to make the finals at the World Championships in Osaka last fall, Pilkington decided to address one of her weaknesses: speed. Opponents were able to make sudden bursts of speed that allowed them to create a gap, the way Anna Willard did in the Olympic Trials with 500 meters to go. "The gap never grew after the initial burst," says Pilkington.

As a result, after every distance workout, he puts Anderson through a series of 100-meter sprints on the track and requires her to run up the Weber football stadium stairs with an exaggerated knee lift.

"We're working on her ability to change gears," says Pilkington.

What she lacks in speed, Anderson makes up for in stamina and a competitiveness that will see her through the pain and discomfort that distance runners must be willing to endure to beat her rivals.

"She's not intimidated by anyone or anything like a big meet," says Pilkington. "Sometimes when kids come from small towns, it takes them a while to adjust, to realize they can compete at this level. She's raced well in the big meets — NCAAs, the USA nationals, the Olympic trials."

For her part, Anderson has outgrown the nervousness and doubts she once experienced. In high school, she grew to dread races so much that she was almost in tears by the time the race began.

"It was fear of failure," she says. "But in college I got over it because I no longer had the burden of expectation. And when Coach Paul came along, I grew even more confident. He tells us, 'If you're prepared, you will run well."'

Curiously, after competing in the Olympic trials and national and world championship meets, she says she has never experienced as much nervousness as she did in high school. As for the Olympics, where she will be placed on the biggest stage in the world, she smiles. "I'll be fine," she says.

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com