>> the speed is definitely a big adrenaline rush. >> she says her life experiences help give her perspective when she's on the track. >> i think anytime something happens to you, you have to decide to be able to decide what you do to get there and stick to the plan every day. >> reporter: and she's had plenty of life obstacles. her father passed when she was 19. she's had training injuries. her knees, torn meniscus and acl, herniated disks in her neck. but she overcame them all to make her first olympic team in 2010. >> it was a great honor, you know, for myself and for my family. they'd seen all of the good and bad days, highs and lows. >> reporter: but her olympic high was short-lived. >> i was diagnosed with arnold kiare syndrome after the 2010 olympic games. >> reporter: it's a disorder in which the fluid around her brain doesn't circulate properly. >> a lot of them, i was having severe headaches and pressure in the lower part of my skull, and