"Run through it."

"Finish it."

These are words Shana Cox hears on an everyday basis inside the Multi-Sport Facility, words that have been uttered to her by Penn State track and field coach Chris Johnson for more than five years.

They pushed her to become the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champion in the 400-meters and 4x400-meter relay team for Penn State, and an 11-time All-American.

Now, those words have begun to take on a different meaning.

After the win, she hired an agent, signed an endorsement contract with adidas and has never looked back.

"It just seemed like what would come next for me," Cox said. "Turning pro and hiring an agent didn't really feel like a major decision. It was kind of like picking a college all over again."

Johnson, her coach for four years at Penn State and now her professional coach, believes that staying and training in State College after starting her professional career makes sense for Cox.

"We have such a tight bond and have worked together for so long that there is a comfort level there," Johnson said. "Not having to take the time to get to know the facilities, the area and a new coach if she went to a new place are all things she didn't have to deal with."

Yet, during Cox's outdoor season, she travels to Europe and is usually there from June to September, competing on the European circuit and racing sometimes three to four days in a row.

She has raced throughout Europe in countries like Belgium, Sweden, England, Greece and Italy.

"Some of the stadiums you compete in are amazing," Cox said. "Track is such a huge deal there that it is almost like I am a celebrity."

When Cox does train in State College, she has an open and easy relationship with Johnson, however it doesn't mean he takes it easy on her in workouts. On a daily basis, Cox wakes up at 6:15 a.m. to get to the track for early morning workouts.

Training in six-week cycles, Cox is in the first week of her second cycle that she and Johnson call "base training." It is a time that both are focused on the basics and redefining technique to get her body ready for more specific workouts in the coming weeks and months.

Johnson believes that the most crucial part to her training is becoming sharper sooner because there is no room for error, however he did not want to make any drastic changes to her running.

While training four to five times a week, Cox usually starts those days by getting to the track at 7 a.m. to begin her first training session of light and short distance running, with weight lifting occasionally thrown into the mix.

Her second workout usually begins at about 1 p.m. During this time, Johnson has also begun mixing in water training at least once a week. In the McCoy Natatorium, Cox has weights strapped to her ankles and treads water, which acts as another form of resistance training and leg strengthening.

On a regular basis, Cox and Johnson discuss training plans and devise new ways to workout.

"It can't just be me who come up with a plan, so we work together and continually talk to each other about what works," Johnson said.

Cox understands that becoming a better professional athlete can be a burden, yet she realizes that it comes with the territory.

"Everyone wants to be a professional athlete," Cox said. "When you finally get to that point, you sometimes have to do things that you hate."

From the early age of 10 years old, Cox's father remembers seeing her run in the Catholic Youth Organization on Long Island and thinking she had an amazing ability that could allow her to do some special things as a track and field athlete.

"She first got into track and field when her older brother Adrian began competing," father Sandy Cox said. "Yet, she continued on with the sport because she realized how much she loved it and could excel at it."

Former Penn State track and field athlete Gayle Hunter and current Penn State track and field athlete Aleesha Barber, who both train with Cox, have seen first hand how she continues to look at the positives in their training.

"This one time when we were in the pool with ankles strapped to our legs and our skin raw, Shana turns to me and says 'It could be worse, we could be at the track with coach killing us'," Hunter said. "That is Shana. She is not a negative Nancy and always takes the one little positive out of everything we do."

More than that, others have seen the maturity and humbleness she has gained since turning professional in 2008.

Johnson believes that Cox has become a great example to members of the track and field program and her fellow training partners, showing that if they are willing to work as hard as Cox, her success is something they can achieve.

"It is something that you more or less dedicate your life to and put everything you have into it," Johnson said. "Her example shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is worth it."

Both Cox and Johnson are continually focused on bettering her times in the 200 meters and 400, with Johnson even believing they can shave off nearly 1.5 seconds from her personal record.

This coming season, Johnson also decided to have Cox compete in only outdoor events, unlike the previous season when she began running competitively in January for the indoor track season. Cox will now race from April to September.

Johnson's main reason lies in the fact that he wanted more consistent training for Cox going into outdoor season than would have allowed if she had competed in indoor races.

"After talking about it, we both believed the indoor season was unnecessary," Johnson said. "She is so tall and indoor season can be harder on the body, so to keep her as injury free as possible we just decided to stick with the outdoor season."

A year ago, such a change for Cox may have been one she would have struggled with, especially without teammates to go to for support.

"That first season was really tough for me," Cox said. "Not having the support of a team made it feel harder to do things."

Johnson saw how the change affected Cox in that first year after the focus shifted from the team as a collegiate athlete to solely herself as a professional.

"It is just you out there now," Johnson said. "It can be scary for some who have always been a part of a team, but I think as time has gone on Shana has dealt with it better."

Even with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London more than two years away, Cox is focused on the gold medals she hopes one day will be wrapped around her neck.

However, it is simply the act of doing something she loves that gives Cox the happiness and drive to not get caught up in what can sometimes be the monotony of training.

"Sometimes I feel like all I do is eat, sleep and run," Cox said. "Yet, I wish everyone could feel the way I feel and be as passionate as I am about running in the things they decide to do."