SHE KEEPS GOING; AT 35, WORLD-CLASS JACOBS HAS NO INTENTION OF RETIRING.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

As a teen-ager growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Regina Jacobs exhibited promise at 13 when she first laced up her track shoes. Nearly two decades later, Jacobs, now 35, is living that promise.

A three-time U.S. Olympian at 1,500 meters, Jacobs is among the favorites in the metric mile in the World Championships.

``I'm having a blast and so much fun,'' she said. ``It's really thrilling to be achieving goals that I always sought when I was younger. I have been blessed to pursue these goals year after year.''

At the USA Track & Field Championships in June, Jacobs became the first woman to win the 1,500 and 5,000 meters in the same year. In July, she added an American record in the 1,000 meters at the Maine Distance Carnival to go along with her national 5,000 standard set at the meet in 1998. She has also lowered her personal best in the 800 meters this season.

Jacobs now holds the distinction as the only woman besides Mary Slaney to be ranked among the top 10 from the 800 to the 5,000 on the all-time U.S. list.

A gold medal in the World Championships is next on the wish list for the 1981 graduate of Argyll Academy (now Campbell Hall). Jacobs is preparing not only physically but mentally for the competition.

``I am the 1999 World Champion at 1,500 meters, Seville, Spain'' is written on a 3x5 card taped to the microwave oven in her Oakland home.

``Both of us are real perfectionists,'' Jacobs said of herself and husband Tom Craig, her coach since 1992.

``We're looking at the way (my competitors) train and what they're doing. I don't want to be the one who hasn't dotted all her i's and crossed all her t's. It's like a small business. We're trying to take the chance out of it.''

Hooking up with Craig in 1992 has been Jacob's best gamble. She had just taken a year-and-a-half off from competition while finishing her MBA at Cal. With the recession and a lack of jobs, Jacobs opted to pursue running full-time under Craig. They were married in 1995.

``I am the boss on the track, and when we're at home, I surrender to her,'' said Craig, a director for a health-and-fitness energy-bar company. ``I'm halfway bright, but I am not just some great coach. We figured out our roles and turned what could be a disaster into a great package.''

Jacobs attended Stanford after graduating from Argyll Academy. As a freshman in 1982, Jacobs was fourth in the 800 in the NCAA championships and was the runner-up in the NCAA cross country championships as a senior.

The next eight years, however, were filled with erratic performances. After finishing last in the 1,500 in the 1993 national championships, Jacobs visited a hematologist who found she had chronically low levels of iron in her blood. With the use of regular iron supplements and focusing exclusively on running, Jacobs has reached new levels.

``I was a master of dabbling in a little bit of this and a little bit of that,'' she said. ``Being competitive on the national level is not the same as being competitive on an international level. I was very content to make the teams and win the national, and Tom was the first person to raise me up to different expectations.''

Jacobs' success in part has been due to a steady progression of injury-free workouts over the last seven years. In 1997, Jacobs was ranked No. 2 in the world in the 1,500, and has been ranked the top 1,500 runner in the U.S. in four of the past five years.

Starting a family is a high priority for Jacobs, who will turn 36 on Aug. 28. For now, it is limited to her miniature poodle, Floyd, who accompanies Jacobs on interval workouts and training runs.

Jacobs has made a commitment to train until the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. And possibly beyond.

``I don't really think I'm doing anything different or new,'' she said. ``There have been many other women who have proven you can keep on doing it. If you really pay attention and take care of your body, you can keep building on your fitness. I hope the message I send to young women is that you don't quit. If you love what you're doing and think you're getting better, you should keep going.''

GETTING BETTER WITH AGE

Regina Jacobs, 35, is one of only two women to be ranked among the top 10 on the all-time U.S. list from the 800 through the 5,000 meters. The 1981 Argyll Academy (now Campbell Hall) graduate will be among the favorites in the 1,500 in the World Championships in Seville, Spain, on Aug. 21-29.

A look at Jacobs' accolades:

Three-time U.S. Olympian in 1,500 meters

American record-holder 1,000 (2:31.80) and 5,000 meters (14:52.49)

Ten-time national champion in 1,500 (eight) and 5,000 (two)

Became first woman to win national 1,500 and 5,000 titles in same year in June

CAPTION(S):

Photo, box

PHOTO (color) Regina Jacobs became the first woman to win the 1,500 and 5,000 meters in the same year (1999).

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News

Box: Getting Better with Age (see text)