She has miles and miles to go, so many paths to traverse, so many streets to cross. She runs not only to soothe her soul, enjoying the solitude of the many lanes and forests that she has exercises her limbs upon over the past few months running cross country, but for a greater good - to challenge herself, to test her strength, her will, her determination.

She does the same during the winter or spring track seasons. Does the same every day in the classrooms at North Attleboro High School.

When Stephanie McNamara reaches one finish line, whatever it may be - a 3.1 mile race, a science project, a college application - there is the next race, and another. She is driven not just to do well, but to excell. Her accolades intimate that she is one exceptional young lady.

For instance, she is ranked No. 1 in the senior class at North, with a calling academically to the sciences and will pursue studies in the field next year at either RPI, Tufts, WPI, UConn or Holy Cross.

For instance, for the past two summers, she has boarded the MBTA train every day, five days a week, for the commuter trek into Boston, where she has served as a research assistant in the pathology department at the Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center. For instance, this fall, as the Rocketeers' No. 1 cross country runner, she has won seven of nine races, losing only two a pair of Hockomock League newcomers, a transfer from Ursuline Academy at Canton and a freshman phenom at Oliver Ames.

Oh, and should we mention that without much hesitation, North Attleboro High's girls' cross country and track coach Dwight Estey, puts her in the same class as a handful of the very, very best all-time Rocketeer runners, right up there with Lynn Liberatore, Cheryl Lyons, Emily Estey and Jenna Banks.

And if records suffice, Estey compares most of the times of his Rocketeer runners to their clockings at Borderland Park in Easton, the site of the Hockomock League Championhip Meets over the past two decades or so. Only Liberatore has run at a quicker pace than McNamara.

"When I started running, I didn't have much endurance, but I fell in love with the longer distances," said McNamara over the weekend, beginning her preparation for this weekend's MSTCA Invitational Meet, followed by the MIAA Division 2 Championship Meet on Nov. 11.

It was at the urging of her sister, another former Rocketeer track star, Jen McNamara, a sprinter-jumper of reknown now at Marist College, that she give track a whirl. "She was the main reason," said McNamara. "I went to all of her meets and she helped me along."

Except that it took two years for McNamara to find her niche. "As freshmen, they think that they're all sprinters," recalled Estey of McNamara's introduction to the sport. What enriches McNamara's tale is that this is only her second season of running cross country.

She just ran indoor and outdoor track during her first two years around Landry Avenue. "I went from the hurdles to the throwing events, the 800, the 400," said McNamara. But, as a sophomore, she qualified for the MIAA State Meet in the two mile run, clocking a then personal best 12:30 time. Last spring, she was down to 11:36 "and she's done nothing but get more serious about running," said Estey.

"It was evident that she had the potential as a distance runner - her times kept dropping at a steady rate." Moreover, McNamara is so gifted that Estey does tinker with her style, "which is remarkable considering that she was one that did not gravitate to the distances early in her career.

"She's a very relaxed runner, it's natural with her. She has the ability to maintain a high degree of speed - she looks effortless."

But, it is a lot of effort, a lot of hours, a lot of miles and a lot of sacrifices that have McNamara near her peak as a student-athlete. "I like all three (running) seasons, but obviously it's different indoors on a flat surface than outdoors, in cross country with the hills and trees and outdoors, where the weather conditions are so different," said McNamara. As much as she understands the team concept, she is driven as an individual to succeed - even in the classroom, where she is currently enrolled in three advanced placement courses this semester.

"It's mostly mental, you have to be mentally strong to get through it all," said McNamara, who routinely ran 40-50 miles a week during the summer and will have anywhere from three to four hours of homework each night.

"There are three separate things in running," she added. "One, is trying to do your personal best, to beat your previous time. You also want to do the same because you're running against other individuals, you want to win. And there's also the team sport thing, what you do to contribute to beating the other team."

McNamara admits that there are times when it is testing to stay focused, when she is so far ahead in a race, she cannot hear footsteps. "So you stay focused about your time, your placement. If you lose your focus, you lose control." Just like she does academically. "My schoolwork is definitely challenging, I've learned how to manage my time. I have a lot of homework, so I have to arrange my time around track."

And according to Estey, McNamara does that as well as anyone, ever to run for the Rocketeers. "She's certainly trying to make a name for herself," said Estey of being among the elite distance runners in the Commonwealth. "She takes the same approach, to being the No. 1 student in the class, being the No. 1 runner to everything. She takes everything to the Nth degree."

McNamara would have it no other way, challenging herself. "Across the board, academics or athletics, I'm determined to get things done."