In John L. Parker's eagerly awaited sequel to "Once a Runner," the best novel about running, Quenton Cassidy decides being in training for a distant and demanding goal is way more fulfilling than shuffling law briefs in the mediocrity of the "real" world.

Cassidy quits the firm and goes back into training, intent on making the Olympic team.

Local miler Jason Lunn can empathize with Cassidy's quest in "Again to Carthage." Unfortunately, Lunn encountered more formidable obstacles than the fictional Cassidy did.

Lunn, the 2003 U.S. champion in the 1,500 meters, missed making the past two Olympic teams by a total of .38 of a second. A graduate of Stanford whose father ran for Colorado — and competed against Jim Ryun — Lunn got his MBA from CU, retired from running and went to work as a consultant.

But something was missing in his life, the same ethic of discipline and devotion to excellence that Cassidy missed. So last winter Lunn decided to take a leave of absence, lost 25 pounds and went back into training in an attempt to make the Olympic team at the improbable age of 33.