Distance runner Molly Huddle takes long view
Aug 23 | By Erin Strout

Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesA foot injury has compromised Molly Huddle's training since the U.S. championships, but she still plans to race the 5,000 meters at worlds next week.In winning the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in June, Molly Huddle earned her first national title on the track -- and her first world championship team berth. But since that dominant performance in late June, Huddle hasn't been training. Instead, she has been resting an injured foot, unsure how fit she'll be when she toes the line next Wednesday, the day before her 27th birthday, at the worlds in Daegu, South Korea.

Outwardly, Huddle seems unfazed, emanating a quiet confidence she's honed since she became a professional distance runner in 2007, when she graduated from Notre Dame as a nine-time All-American. A year ago, she broke the American record in the 5,000 by running 14:44.76 in a race in Belgium. The time bested Shalane Flanagan's previous record by .04 seconds -- an impressive feat, considering that Flanagan is the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters. In a single season, Huddle took an astounding 32 seconds off of her best time in the event.