SPU's Jessica Pixler fights through the pain

Jessica Pixler's threshold for pain is through the roof.

Almost always, the Seattle Pacific runner is able ignore it and, as a result, floors the competition.

It's that ability that has Pixler, a 2006 graduate of Eastlake High School in Sammamish, eyeballing her third consecutive NCAA Division II women's cross-country championship today in Evansville, Ind.

The Falcons senior, firmly a believer in the no-pain, no-gain philosophy, is closing in on the finish line of a four-year career that began with her coming to SPU for soccer and track and field.

"I'm a competitive person who doesn't know how to stop when something hurts, and that's not something I'm going to change about myself," said Pixler, who has eight national titles, including four in indoor track and two in outdoor track. "Easy things are hardly ever much fun."

Pixler, 21, also learned a hard lesson from ignoring pain during SPU's indoor track and field season in 2008.

Stress fractures in Pixler's back and femur kept her out of competition for about four months later that spring during her sophomore outdoor track season. It also derailed her dream of competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials later that summer.

"I ran until I literally couldn't run anymore," said Pixler, who tops out at 70 miles per week during training for cross country. I didn't know it, but I had those [injuries] all of indoor season.

"That was scary. It was really hard not being able to run, and I had one doctor who said running was bad for me. I don't think anything could stop me from running. As long as I have legs, I'll be running. My love for running is so much a part of who I am and the essence of who I am."

Pixler realized the need for change because of the injury. Her four months of aqua jogging kept her in good enough shape to come back and win her second NCAA cross-country title that fall.

The injury also forced her to look at some things and make changes.

"I used to run on a hard surface a lot, doing longer mileage, and I realized I needed to run on trails on soft surfaces," Pixler said. "It also made me watch my intake of calcium. I also realized I wore a pair of my running shoes too long, so now I log my miles on each pair.

"Also, I didn't have flexible enough or strong enough hips. That was compromising my running form. It was almost good that it happened."

The main threat to her threepeat appears to be Shippenburg sophomore Neely Spence, second to Pixler last year by 28 seconds. Pixler covered the 6-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 59 seconds in 20-degree temperatures in Slippery Rock, Pa.

Her time was a record on the snow-covered course.

"I love races where conditions are different," Pixler said.

The forecast is for 49 degrees and partly sunny today in Evansville, on the University of Southern Indiana cross-country course. When Pixler lines up for the race, she will be confident but keenly aware that this is her last cross-country race in college.

"I have this sense of calm about everything," she said. " ... I'm ready for this race. This is the culmination of four years of me working my butt off."