When Desiree Davila lines up at the start of this year's Boston Marathon on Monday, it's anyone's guess how the race will play out. But Davila isn't worried about it; she's just proud to have made it this far. The fourth-fastest female American marathoner of all time, Davila has kept a relatively low profile since graduating from Arizona State in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Maybe that's because the 27-year-old's speed (Davila's marathon personal record is 2:26:20) and slight 5-foot-2 stature make it easy for her to dart out of the spotlight. Either way, she's going to have to get used to the attention now that espnW has caught up with the rising star to talk Boston, boyfriends and personal bests.

espnW: You're the fourth-fastest American woman ever. Only Deena Kastor, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Kara Goucher have run the marathon faster. Does that title come with pressure?

Desiree Davila: I guess it's exciting in a way, because I know I'm doing something pretty well and I'm doing things right to be on that list. I don't think I'm the big hype, either -- there's always Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan. This race will be a good opportunity to show where my fitness is and that I belong on that list. There's more improvement to come.

espnW: When did you know you had talent?

DD: I was always pretty good but never the best. I wasn't great in college -- I was the third or fourth person on my team most years. I went to school with a bunch of studs [at Arizona State University].

espnW: What made you want to pursue running after college?

DD: I felt like I didn't get everything out of myself during college. I felt like I still had a lot of potential, so I'd take a few years to see if I could improve. Then once I started improving, I wanted to see how much I could, and I'm still at it. Hansons-Brooks, my team, is notorious for taking runners who weren't top level and making them improve by leaps and bounds -- I didn't have to be great right away; I could improve at my own pace.

espnW: Do you get nervous before big races?

DD: It's a combination of nervous and excited at the same time. I'll write down a race plan -- I'll sit down with my coach, talk about it and then write it all out. Then we'll sit down together and we'll go over it and I'll visualize everything. Other than that, I'm pretty low key.

espnW: What's your training been like?

DD: We just started winding down here. A couple weeks ago, we were in our really big mileage phase, just more than 120 miles per week.

espnW: And your claim to fame, despite logging so many weekly miles, is never getting injured.

DD: Knock on wood. I don't even want to talk about it because I'll jinx it.

espnW: OK, then let's talk about Boston. You've raced there before.

DD: I ran it in 2007. It was my first marathon, and it was also the nor'easter year. I'm really excited to go back because for me, my debut was nothing special and I never really thought that I would get this far. To come back and line up with some of the best runners in the world and feel like I have a shot to run really well and show where I've progressed to since 2007 -- I'm really excited for the opportunity.

espnW: Got a special outfit picked out for race day?

DD: I wish I got to pick something pretty sweet every time, but I get the classic Hansons uniform. There is a choice between the classic boy shorts and running shorts. When I'm running a marathon and drinking Gatorade or taking GU or anything like that, I feel like I'm just always sticky, and I don't need something else sticking to me so I wear shorts. They're kind of loose and I can wipe my hands on them. Kind of silly, but it feels more comfortable to me than boy shorts.

espnW: Can your boyfriend keep up with you?

DD: Yes, he can. Ryan [Linden] and I do a lot of our training together. And our dogs, Miles and Atlas, will do the short afternoon runs with Ryan and me. They're pretty fit dogs.

espnW: When you're visualizing your Boston race, do you aim for a specific time?

DD: Generally it's a tactical race. You kind of throw time out the window on this one and look to be competitive up front. Everybody wants to win it, which would be great. Certainly in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that as well, but really, if I walk away and know that I was competitive up front, top five, top three would be awesome.

espnW: If Ryan were to plan the perfect Boston celebration date, what should he do?

DD: A really awesome dinner would probably do the trick. He's usually running late, so if he were on time, I'd be happy.