To prepare for last Friday’s Miss USA Pageant, Lindsay Douglas ran 12 miles a day, developed her wardrobe and moved to Tonganoxie for a month and a half.

“My director suggested I take some time out and focus on this once-in-a-lifetime event,” she said. “When I was standing up there in the top 12, I was so nervous but at ease, too, because I knew that I had done everything I could to prepare.”

Douglas, 23, was first runner-up at the pageant, behind Shauntay Hinton from the District of Colombia.

“I was honestly not disappointed at all,” Douglas said. “I am still in shock that I even got that far.”

Douglas and the 50 other competitors spent two and a half weeks in Gary, Ind., rehearsing for the pageant. While participating at charity auctions, visiting schools and meeting celebrities, the competitors became close friends.

“A lot of people think the girls are really mean to each other backstage, but I’ve made more friends in two and a half weeks than ever,” she said.

Douglas said they also had a good time rehearsing with Deion Sanders, host of this year’s pageant.

“We called him ‘Reverend’ Deion because he was such a motivator,” she said. “You think of Deion as this cocky football player, but he was just really humble.”

Douglas’ mother, Debra McKeon, said she was thrilled her daughter had the opportunity to be in the Miss USA Pageant.

“When they called her for the top five, I almost fainted,” McKeon said. “That’s just the dream for any girl.”

McKeon said her daughter’s best attribute was her gift with people.

“She’s always trying to help people and make people the best they can be,” McKeon said. “She’s just a positive influence on everyone.”

Douglas will have plenty of opportunities to be a positive influence in Kansas. She’ll continue her role as Miss Kansas until next September, visiting schools, hospitals and charity events to raise awareness of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

She also plans to run the Chicago marathon this spring and take advantage of a few doors that have opened; CBS offered her an internship, and several modeling agencies spoke with her.

“Every opportunity that’s given to me, I’m going to take,” she said. “But I don’t think my life is going to change drastically.”

Douglas, originally from Chesterfield, Mo., plans to finish her degree in communications at Kansas University  she took this semester off to focus on being Miss Kansas  and get a master’s degree in education.

“I would just love to go back to school and get a degree and teach and coach,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to coach basketball.”

There’s also an outside shot she could become Miss USA: If Shauntay Hinton wins the Miss Universe Pageant, Douglas would assume the title of Miss USA.

“I told her, ‘You’ve got to win Miss Universe,'” Douglas said. “I think she has a very good chance because she’s very articulate, very intelligent and very beautiful. I’m crossing my fingers that she does.”

Douglas said she was still in shock at her runner-up finish.

“I was just all around on cloud nine the whole night; it was really special,” she said. “It was the absolute best time of my life.”