Coming off a breakout season full of broken records and a shot at Olympic glory, ISU track and cross-country star Lisa Koll has had little time to catch her breath.

After a whirlwind summer, the track and field national champion is redshirting the cross country season. And not a moment too soon.

From the minute she finished first in the 5,000-meter run at the 2008 Big 12 Indoor track and field championships, the Fort Dodge native was catapulted from being one of the best distance runners on her team to one of the best runners in the nation. Once she got going, Koll never slowed down, breaking the American collegiate record in the 10,000-meter on her way to blowing away the field in 10,000-meter at the NCAA Division I track championships in June.

Koll’s status as an elite distance runner was confirmed in late June when she earned a spot in the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials held in Eugene, Ore. Koll, 21, finished eighth in a field that included eventual Beijing bronze medalist Shane Flanagan.

With the trials only a few weeks behind her, Koll found herself already forced to focus on preparing for her senior cross-country season.

Normally the two-time cross-country All-American said she begins training for cross-country in June, but because of her extended season, she couldn’t start until late July.

“I felt like my window for getting a good block of training, getting my mileage in and allowing myself to get better was small,” Koll said. “It seemed I was just getting into [cross-country] training and then school was starting.”

Koll redshirted in track her freshman year, and will have senior status in both sports next year.

Since the start of her collegiate career, Koll has been the definition of a scholar-athlete. In just three years, Koll obtained her degree in biology, graduating last spring with a 3.98 GPA. Her focus has now turned to graduate school. She enrolled in the ISU Veterinary Medicine program this fall.

Koll has taken a while to adjust to her new demands: the new academic workload along with the burden of training.

“It’s very stressful and time-consuming and something that is new,” Koll said. “It’s kinda like being a freshman all over again.”

To manage this, Koll said she has been working on getting into a solid routine. Koll, a self-described morning person, begins each day with a long early morning run before heading off to class. In the afternoon, she turns in a shorter run during practice. By finishing the bulk of her mileage early, she is able to gain more flexibility working around practice.

“I feel like I’ve definitely gotten into a good routine and just accepting the fact that I’m not going to be able to practice everyday,” she said.

The ISU coaching staff has fully supported Koll’s decision.

“She’s kinda in a whole new realm with vet school coming up,” said cross-country coach Corey Ihmels. “To expect her to pick up where she left off, with everything else she has going, I think she could’ve handled it, but I think it would have been pretty hard.

“We just felt it was in her best interest to take a step back, get some good training in, get adjusted to med school, and that really enables us to have a great year [next season] for our women’s [cross-country] program.”

While Koll spends the fall focusing solely on training and school, she has found herself anxious to start her junior year on the college track, which begins in less than two months.

“As much as I love training, and it is definitely what is important to me right now, I cannot wait until [track season] to see the improvements I can make from having the fall just for training.”

As for her future plans after her final season as a Cyclone, Koll hopes to juggle completing graduate school and running professionally.

“Those are two very conflicting lifestyles,” Koll said. “It is definitely a balancing act — a give and take in both areas. I’ve tried so hard with running and school that I don’t want to give up either.”

While she continues to pursue both passions, Koll is positioning herself for another shot at achieving her athletic dream — a spot in the 2012 Olympics. Although the London Games are four years away, Koll is already having visions of Big Ben and double-decker busses.

“Right after the trails, I was already thinking of the [2012 Games],” Koll said with a sly smile. “I’m already looking forward to getting that chance and that opportunity again.”

It looks like Koll wouldn’t be able to catch her breath for long.