June 2008 Athlete Profile- Carl Russell

Athlete Of The Month Profile

1. Name    Carl Russell
2. How long have you been training for and racing in triathlon? Since turning 40, in 1990.  Did my 1st duathlon in Litchfield in 1990.  And about 75 triathlons since.
3. What is your favorite aspect of the sport? The people I’ve met and what the sport represents.  The training –the commitment, persistence, dedication and hard work.  It’s been a model for me in my personal life, raising my kids, and my work.
4. What do you consider your biggest athletic achievement? Competing in the Timberman Half Ironman in ’05.  It was and still is the longest distance I’ve done.  The training and buildup to it was excellent (thanks Eric) and the race and experience was awesome!
5. What are your big goals?  I would love to do an Ironman someday, especially in Hawaii.  But at age 58, and a son still in college, father time is working against me.  Don’t know if my knees will hold up.
6. What’s your favorite meal? Italian food, I like pasta with pesto or broccoli with garlic and oil.  I love wine with dinner, and anything my wife makes, she’s an excellent cook. 
7. What’s your favorite movie?  We go a lot, so it’s a large range, everything from Animal House to The Graduate, all the Dirty Harry movies, most Spielberg and Scorsese movies, The Dirty Dozen, to No Country for Old Men.
8. Any other hobbies? Insufferable Red Sox fan since age 4, family genealogy, photography, travel, and teaching. 
9. Where is the best place you have visited? The best is Italy, Florence and the Tuscany region.  My wife and I want to go back for a couple of weeks, she’ll take a cooking course, and I’ll bike through the countryside.
10. If you could visit one place this year, where would it be?  Istanbul, Turkey.  I’ve heard some wonderful things about it.
11. What’s your favorite workout?  I really enjoy a brick of a 2 ½ hr. bike followed by a 30-45 min. run.
12. Who’s your inspiration? My wife and kids, they’re very supportive in all of my training endeavors.  But I also admit its awe inspiring to see folks like Dick Hoyt and his son overcome adversity to accomplish a goal. 
13. If you could train with one person for a day, who would it be? Either Lance Armstrong or Mark Allen, 2 very amazing athletes whose careers I followed closely.
14. What three things would you bring with you if you were to be dropped on a deserted Island (not counting family)? Water, boat, and GPS device.
15. Any other words of wisdom? I rely on the wise words of others, like George Sheehan, the deceased running guru, who once said:  “Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion.  And you will become the person you are meant to be.”

 

 

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