TOWSON, Md. - At a point on the calendar where people either lament the loss of time or make fervent pledges to do better with their days, Elizabeth Tauber is quibbling about seconds.

Actually, Tauber, a sophomore on the indoor track team, wants just one second, the one that prevented her from reaching a personal goal, that of running a sub-18 minute, five kilometer race.

She got excruciatingly close to that mark, posting a time of 18:00.04 in the season opening meet at Navy last month. Shaving that second, or at least the four hundredths of a second, off her time is Tauber's objective for the rest of the indoor season.

“I think I held back a lot because I wasn't sure how much energy I would have left,” said Tauber, a pre-speech pathology major from Bel Air.

Tauber, The Baltimore Sun Runner of the Year as a high school sophomore at John Carroll, has already shaved nine seconds off her best 5K indoor time from last season with this year's run, which came after a week off between the cross country and indoor seasons.

“I was actually surprised that I was that much in shape,” said Tauber. “I knew that I had to train hard coming off that week off. I think the week off helped me to rest up and then I worked hard so I was very, very happy with my time.”

Tauber had a dazzling sophomore season this year as a cross country runner, leading Tiger runners in seven of their eight meets. Her 19:00.86 in the Towson Invitational was not only the second fastest 5K time of her collegiate career, but the best time of the year for a Towson runner. She also posted the fastest 6K time for a Tiger at the Colonial Athletic Association meet with a 22:28.30.

The cross country and indoor seasons serve as tune-ups for Tauber for the outdoor season, where she can stretch out and run longer distances, like the 10-kilometer, which is only offered in the spring.

Last year, Tauber ran a 38:12.71 in the 10K, placing 10^th in the CAA meet in only her second run at that distance.

“I prefer longer distance races and endurance races as opposed to faster, shorter races,” said Tauber. “I feel like the 10K is my event.”

Indeed, Tauber's other goal for the year is to qualify for the ECAC meet later this year in the 10K. Again, she was close to qualifying in 2012, but with more training, Tauber feels she can take that next step.

“Now that I know that I'm right there, I know that I can do it,” said Tauber. “It's just believing in myself and knowing I can do it and going after it.”

With Tauber's track record of success and improvement, would you bet against her?