BY JAYMES FAIRFAX-COLUMBO

In print | Published February 21, 2008

Showing poise typical of a seasoned college veteran, runner Caitlin Russell ’11 has been having a banner freshman campaign, both on the course and on the track. Fresh off a selection to the All-Region freshman team in cross country, Russell followed that up with a Conference-qualifying performance in the 3000 meters indoors just one week ago. Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo sat down with the freshman sensation to understand the challenges that face a student athlete.

JFC: When did you first start running and why?

CR: I started running track my freshman year of high school and then cross-country sophomore year after I realized that I really liked the longer distances. I had never done a team sport before high school, and I honestly just wanted to try something completely different. I really liked the group of people and the feeling I got after racing, so I stuck with it. The pasta feeds weren’t bad either.

JFC:Was it easy to make the transition from prep running to college running?

CR:It doesn’t really have to do with college specifically, but the hardest thing in the transition has been the weather. Coming from California, I’ve never done indoor track, and I thought for indoor track, well, you trained indoors. Apparently not. Unfortunately for my teammates, I’ve found that it helps to whine. I’m toughening up, though. I definitely was shocked when snow was predicted for our final cross-country meet and there was no possibility of it being cancelled. Now, freezing rain, ha, not a problem. Seriously though, the team made the transition really easy.

My high school team wasn’t the most serious, and here, much like it is in classes, you don’t feel weird for wanting to work hard. Everyone is just really enthusiastic, too. Before Conferences, our lockers would be filled each day with little surprises. There’s a few girls that really go all out. It made coming each day so exciting, not that running repeats isn’t exciting in itself.

JFC: Do you have any pre-race rituals?

CR: I always have to retie my spikes before a race. Once, they were so tight that I got that feeling of pins and needles in my feet the whole race, but I still like them tight. When I was in high school, I would listen to Sublime on the bus ride to each meet, but I’ve moved on now. Still, I need to pick a song to play in my head each race. For some reason, that was “Carol of the Bells” for Conferences, and I think the rhythm worked really well.

JFC: What aspect do you miss the most about being home?

CR: I miss running with my dad, and my parents’ cooking. I really like to bake desserts (and eat them), and it’s just a lot more difficult to find adequate supplies and time here. The bay area weather is definitely pretty nice, too. Overall, it’s the people – my family and friends – but I’ve just learned to not take it for granted when I’m back.

JFC: What’s your favorite food?

CR: I’m a bit obsessed with food, so this is a hard question. Because this is supposed to be pertinent to track, I’ll say that my favorite post-race food is cold watermelon. I’m always up for ice cream, though, and nothing beats a chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven.

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