ESPN RISE

After the first lap of the women's 1,500-meter race at the Reebok Grand Prix in May, Chelsey Sveinsson found herself in two unusual situations.

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Jensen Walker/ESPN RISE

Chelsey Sveinsson is the top-ranked runner in the DyeStat Elite 25.

The first was somewhat predictable, even if it was a foreign concept to Sveinsson. In a field of some of the world's best distance runners, Sveinsson was dead last, barely hanging on to a pack that would eventually produce the fastest time in the world to that point.

For more on Chelsey Sveinsson and other Top 25 runners, go to DyeStat.com.

The second situation was more troubling: Sveinsson started to doubt her ability.

It's hard to fathom a reigning national champion having bouts of self-doubt. Sveinsson had perhaps the most dominant year of any sophomore runner ever in 2008-09. Last fall, the Greenhill (Addison, Texas) distance great claimed the Nike Cross Nationals championship in a blistering course-record time of 17:26, then finished fourth one week later at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. In the spring, she went on to win national titles in the mile and 2-mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, shattering the national sophomore record in the 2-mile race in the process.

Sveinsson has always been leaps and bounds ahead of her classmates athletically. Greenhill coach Mike Krueger recalls watching her at the fitness center where her mother works, challenging older kids to races and strength contests when she was just a fifth-grader.

"She'd be doing one-handed push-ups," he says. "She'd do those push-ups where you clap in between. She beat everybody."

By the time she'd reached high school, Sveinsson had put that energy into distance races, and it quickly became obvious she needed competition beyond the high school realm. Last year, Krueger watched his star harrier blast through course after course unchallenged, often winning by ridiculous margins of a minute or more.

Because Greenhill is an independent school and doesn't compete in any of the state championship meets, Sveinsson's biggest in-season challenge came at the Chili Pepper Championships in Arkansas, where some of the best teams from across the Southeast showcased their runners. Sveinsson won by 24 seconds.

During cross country season, Sveinsson failed to finish first in only two races -- the Foot Locker South Regional and Foot Locker Nationals. The spring wasn't much different. At the prestigious Penn Relays, Sveinsson hoped for some competition as she attempted to break the high school record in the mile. She won the race by 13 seconds, but without anyone to push her she fell 11 seconds shy of the prep mark.

That's when Krueger realized he needed to find her something different. He contacted Art Huff, the manager for American track superstar Tyson Gay. Huff directed Krueger to the organizers at the Reebok Grand Prix.

"When I told Chelsey about the race, her eyes just lit up," Krueger says. "It was just for pure experience. It was the chance to run with some competition on a big stage."

Short of the Olympics or the World Championships, there were few bigger stages for Sveinsson to be showcased on. The meet was televised on NBC, and track fans around the world were able to watch a field loaded with superstars, with Sveinsson the youngest and newest to the scene. She struggled to keep pace once the gun went off, immediately slipping to the back of the pack.

"The race went out so much faster than I was used to," she says. "I had to push myself a lot more than I thought. As the race went on, I really started doubting myself."

Sveinsson wondered if she belonged with these elite runners. But as the race continued, the pacesetter dropped out and Sveinsson settled into a groove. Then the adrenaline took over. "I think I've got it," she told herself. She increased her pace, pushed hard and crossed the finish line 15th out of 17 competitors in a personal-best time of 4:18.13.

The race was an eye-opener for Sveinsson, and it helped motivate her for the rest of her postseason races. A few weeks later came her two-win performance at Nike Outdoor Nationals. And in July, she traveled to Italy to compete in the IAAF World Youth Championships, finishing fourth in the 1,500 behind runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and Serbia.

Then it was time for a much-needed break. She went on a cruise with her family, took some time off from running and spent some quality time with her dogs -- Axel, Herschel, Bruiser and Frank. She's also volunteered at an animal adoption agency.

"Sometimes I think I like animals more than people," she says with a laugh.

In mid-August, she started her training again. In a conversation with Krueger, she laid out one clear-cut goal. "I'd really like to win Foot Locker," she says. "It's the one cross country meet that I am determined to win this season."

What's astonishing about Sveinsson's accomplishments is how she's done it all without an intense training regimen.

"When most girls are running 50- to 60-mile weeks, she ran about 110 miles in two months," Krueger says. "Last year she ran just 19 miles in August, and in September she probably ran 90 miles."

Instead, Sveinsson focuses more on cross-training. Her mother, a former U.S. Marine, helps her with resistance and core workouts. Sveinsson says she has low bone density, so high-mileage workouts could lead to injuries down the road.

This season, there's another thing she's incorporating into her training. It's some advice she picked up from Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat, with whom she chatted at length at the Reebok Grand Prix. "Don't focus on records and times," Sveinsson recalls Lagat saying. "Have fun. Focus on enjoying the race."

Even in those very rare circumstances when she doubts herself.

Christopher Parish covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.