Dec. 1, 2008

Two days before the Patriot League cross country championships, Amy Watson made a pact with her Naval Academy roommate and teammate, Kayla Sax.

"Our mentality was that of living a life with no limits," says Watson, who, as October was about to intersect November, was trying to outrun the restraint of early-season injury.

Forty-eight hours from toeing the starting line in Bethlehem, Pa., she hadn't crossed a finish line in more than a month and a half, not since the Sept. 13 Salty Dog Invitational.

"The day after the Salty Dog, following a long run, my (right) knee felt sore," Watson remembers. "I stretched, but probably not well enough. I woke up the next morning and could barely bend my knee."

A visit to Academy orthopedics revealed that Watson had tendinitis below the knee, likely resulting from tight hamstrings.

While her teammates prepared for the month ahead, with a pair of meets to prepare them for their annual race against Army, Watson braced herself for the possibility that time had run out on her junior campaign.

"It took a while to sink in," she said. "I prepared myself for my season being over."

Aware of what might be, Watson still wasn't about to give up on what could be.

Treating her injury with anti-inflammatory medication, she began rehabbing from it on an elliptical machine and stationary bike and in the swimming pool.

Accustomed to practice runs on the open road, Watson's indoor road to recovery was, in some respects, more painful than injury itself.

"I hated every minute of it," Watson says with a tinge of laughter. "I hate cross training."

Most challenging, emotionally, she added, "was staying in touch with the team. I had to be at practice and be with the girls."

As long as she was detached from competition, Watson was determined not to be divided from her teammates. From late September through October, she was among their most vocal cheerleaders. Especially during an easy win over Army, in which Katie Rentz was the first of seven Mids among the top eight finishers.

Meanwhile, Watson had moved on from rehabbing to running, preparing herself to return in time for the conference championship.

With more than 80 runners expected to represent the eight Patriot League schools, Watson and longtime Navy coach Karen Boyle crafted a strategy for her re-entry into racing best described as cautiously realistic.

"Karen and I decided not to exacerbate the injury right before Patriots," Watson explained. "My goal was simply to make the top seven, so I could run again at the (NCAA) regional. Right before the race, we decided on our strategy. I would hang with the top group until the second mile."

And then she would make her move.

"With about 1.8 miles to go," Watson said. "I decided to go for it."

Slightly less than 21 ½ minutes into the race, she got it - not only qualifying for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, but doing so as Navy's first-ever Patriot League champion.

"(Winning) was sort of out of the blue," said Watson, whose official time was 21:23.5. "A lot of it had to do with the team. Everyone was so positive and supportive."

Joined by six other Midshipmen, Watson advanced to the Nov. 15 regional at Princeton, N.J., where a time of 22:24 placed her 21st out of 191 competitors. As a result, Watson earned the opportunity to become just the fifth runner in Navy history to compete at the NCAA Division I Championship and the first since Melissa Foon in 2000.

She had earned the right to represent a special place that had long inspired her - as scholar and athlete - on late November's national stage. From the time she attended Shiloh Middle School in Hampstead, Md. and corresponded with Navy personnel as part of a pen-pal program, Annapolis was always in her sights.

"I dedicated my running and studying to coming here," says Watson, who since entering the Academy has never strayed off path, athletically or academically.

Majoring in political science, she's been honored on the Superintendent's List each of the last two semesters, while maintaining a 3.23 grade-point average. It's no coincidence that Watson's excelled in school courses, while achieving so much on the five or six kilometers of her sport's courses.

"I like to have a routine every day," she says of the interconnectivity of it all. "To be able to balance running and schoolwork, I have to live like a clock. I need running every day to simply live. If I don't run one day, I mentally feel scattered. I need running just to function as a human being."

As well as she was functioning, Watson continued to field advice and encouragement from others, from on and off The Yard, right up until departing for the nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. Some, including former teammates, sent their best in the form of `Facebook' messages.

Current teammate Sax, as well as Boyle, prepared to accompany her. Still, just days away from the race of her life, Watson was thinking about others she hoped could join her in the future.

"I'll be thinking about how the whole team will be there with me next year," Watson said confidently.

Naturally, she was also mindful of the more than 250 runners who'd be there this year - each seeking a personal best, if not to become the nation's best.

"It's pretty intimidating," Watson said. "I've never run at this level before."

Just as expected, Southern Indiana was cold - windy and damp, too. And, as promised, the competition was as advertised, particularly two-time defending champion Sally Kipyego, a native of Kenya attending Texas Tech University.

Another title would make Kipyego a first. Upon finishing in 19:29, she was exactly that - the most decorated runner in women's history, with an unprecedented third straight cross country crown.

She was followed, two minutes later, by Watson, the 153rd competitor to eclipse the finish line.

The Mid who once feared that injury had ended her season months earlier, was just seconds off the fastest time of her career.

"I am extremely proud of Amy. She is a great racer that is very strong mentally," said Boyle. "Her training time missed due to the injury earlier this fall didn't allow her to have the same depth as the others runners. However, she put up a very respectable time and that speaks to the competitive fire she has."

Watson's finish is also a starting point for races yet to be run.

"This was a pretty good experience for me," she said. "Prior to this race, I had never run against this level of competition. It was pretty unforgiving out there. This will help me be ready for the next time."