An interview with Jenna Robinson

Now, I get it. Several years ago, after one of my ridiculously boring fixed-time ultras, Jenna Robinson sent me an email or text of congratulations and said I had “Sisu” for my perseverance around a dirt track in Pittsfield for eight tedious hours. At the time, she explained the concept to me (as she does so well here below in today’s Pandemic Papers). But it wasn’t until I read her description below of the concept that I fully get what she’s talking about. That’s because, I have a head full of four years of memories of watching Jenna Robinson race. Sisu. That’s what she had. As coaches, we try our best to come up with the best training plans to get the best results out of our athletes. It’s an imperfect science and in some ways it’s an art. But here’s the thing: I also firmly believe that racing is a skill – innate and learned at the same time – that can only be taught to a certain extent. The rest is up to the athlete. When the gun goes off, there’s not much we as coaches can do to foster or improve upon that.

It was always awesome to watch Jenna Robinson race. Oh sure, she had her off days. But they were rare. Mostly, there was “sisu” – that innate toughness and gift to transcend time and space with pure effort, to over-extend and “overachieve,’’ a word us coaches use a lot but find difficult to fully explain nor comprehend. It was a gift to have Jenna Robinson on our team for four years. And not just because of that elusive concept of “sisu.” With the help, inspiration and guidance of some truly awesome faculty members, Jenna made an indelible mark with her academic pursuits here at Marist College. And she’s doing some great things now as a Ph.D. candidate. No damn pandemic is gonna stop Jenna Robinson, that’s for sure. As an added bonus … keep scrolling to the end and you’ll see a full explanation of her whomping Elizabeth Wasserman in the head with that frisbee (from a previous Pandemic Papers edition). Jenna always brought great energy and enthusiasm to the racquetball court we called home each day at practice. And on the weekends, at meets? All “sisu,” all the time. Thanks, Jenna, for all you did as a Red Fox and continue to do as a Forever Fox.

How long have you been running? How did you get started? And talk about your running and racing prior to your time at Marist.

I started seriously running when I joined my very big, yet close-knit, high school team in eighth grade. And I fell in love. For those of you who don’t know me, I have alopecia, an autoimmune disorder which causes you to lose your hair. Starting at 8 years old, I slowly started to lose my hair, and by the time I was 10, I was completely bald. With this hair loss, I found that I also lost confidence in myself. Running gave me something to be confident about. My high school team, Guilderland, was full of old traditions and tales of “famous runners” doing grand things. I felt like I was a part of something bigger, and I would often forget about my own insecurities while focusing on being the best runner that I could be, for my team. Guilderland running gave me friends that I am still close with today (including Emily Burns, who is also a Forever Fox!) and the means to be confident in myself, again.

Like Iona is to Marist, Guilderland is in a conference/section with one seemingly out-of-reach competitor, Saratoga. This school frequently sent their teams and individuals to NXNs and almost always won our section’s championship meet. My senior year cross-country team at Guilderland finished in second, 14 points behind Saratoga (and just edged out another great competitor, Shenendehowa), in our sectional championship. The entire race, I knew that we were close to beating the unbeatable, and we all raced with what our team called “Sisu” (which translates to “stoic determination,” or “guts” in Finnish). A feeling that is truly incomparable to any other. I will never forget this race. Emily Burns and I finished 1-2 for our team and went to states together (and eventually together to Marist!). I am extremely thankful for what Guilderland running has given for me as a person.

How and why did you choose Marist over other schools and talk a little about the recruiting process?

Like a few others have mentioned already (Shea, Kelley), Marist was not my first choice in schools. In fact, Pete and Chuck were the last coaches that I contacted before applying to schools. Although neither of my parents attended Marist, my stubbornness to choose a school independently, without parental guidance, almost left Marist off my radar. Thankfully, my parents made me take several of those online quizzes for “Which college is best for you?!” and Marist consistently appeared at the top of my results. My first visit to campus was on a perfect summer day, and despite the strong desire of my 17-year-old self to prove my parents wrong, I fell in love with the campus and the surrounding area (how could you not?!). It wasn’t until my official overnight visit (with the great Brie Vess as my host!) that I knew that Marist was special. In my ~24 hours on campus, I witnessed team “dramas,” the Hogwarts cafeteria, (heard) parties on a weekday(!), and got to sleep on a mega-couch (two Foy couches pushed together) with a large poster of a half-naked, Hollister model watching over me.

My visit ended with a run with the women as they did their pre-meet before MAACs the following day. I ran alongside Michelle Gaye, and I quickly realized as we spoke about school, training, and the team, that I would look up to her as a person and a runner. She is such a natural leader. My visit showed me that there was something obviously fun, yet quirky (I really liked the fact that the team met in a racquetball court before practice) about this team, and that really drew me in.

What did you major/minor in at Marist and how much of an impact was that in your college decision?

Honestly, when I picked Marist, I knew that I wanted to study science, but I knew little else about my interests. What appealed to me the most when choosing Marist were the small class sizes and the fact that lectures and labs were taught by professors and not student TAs. I did not know it at the time, but the connections I formed with my professors, because of these small class sizes, provided me with opportunities that other schools would not have been able to give me.

You had a great career academically here. Tell us about some of your academic career "highlights" and some of your abroad trips as they pertained to academics and community service.

More enjoyable mask wearing: Cave research

I started my freshman year as a Biology major and ended up adding Environmental Science as a second major during my junior year. Like I mentioned earlier, I was able to form close relationships with my professors, which gave me countless research and travel opportunities through Marist. In the spring of my freshman year, I was taking genetics (with many juniors and seniors) and STRUGGLING. I often sought out extra help from my professor. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was struggling in his class and he felt bad for me, or if he liked that I was putting a lot of effort in, but he invited me to participate in his cave research with him and other students. I hadn’t even known that research, specifically field research, could be a career, until I met Dr. Luis Espinasa. He opened up a whole new world to me (figuratively and literally, as he studies cave biology). By the end of my sophomore year, I had travelled to Ecuador and the Galapagos, was an author on my first peer-reviewed publication, and became aware of what I wanted to do with my life. Be like Luis.

Before leaving Marist, with the guidance of Luis, I had four peer-reviewed publications, travelled to Ecuador, Peru, and Mexico on research expeditions, contracted Histoplasmosis (which ultimately lead to me missing a whole indoor track season), and received a baccalaureate for excellence in scientific research.

Athletically, you were part of some great teams in track and cross country. What are your biggest memories and highlights of your time as an athlete here at Marist?

Racing for Marist was always a lot of fun. As most runners know, there is something about racing that is so exhilarating, so emotionally heightening, that even just thinking about toeing the line gets your heart pumping. For me, some of my biggest memories were from before, during, and after each race. Coach Erica’s pre-meet visualizations. The “good-lucks” at the starting line. Chuck’s adrenaline-pumping words of encouragement during pre-race strides. Seeing the red and white singlets in front of you as you race, drawing you forward with them. The post-race hugs with teammates after solid performances. The somber bus rides home after we were bested. I will forever hold these feelings with me.

ECAC 4x800: We win!

Two races in particular were the most impactful for me, coming in second as a team at MAACs for cross country my senior year and winning the 4x800m relay at ECACs in outdoor of my senior year. In the MAAC, coming in second in cross country is pretty much the gold standard. I have never felt happier as a team as when we did after learning that we beat Quinnipiac by only seven points! Even though I did not score for the team (I believe I was 10^th man), our whole team won that day, you could not wipe the smiles off of our faces.

My very last race for Marist was at Princeton for ECACs in 2018. I was running the third leg of the 4x800m relay with Shea Bohan, Kerry Gaye and Denise Grohn. Shea described this race as one of her favorite memories in her quarantine questions, but I will recount it again (trust me, it’s worth it)! We were seeded fourth in the first (slower of the two) heat of two. Our goal for the day was to break the school record from the year before (9:06) and place first in our heat. That day, we all clicked, and ran 9:00.34, beating second place in that heat by four seconds. What happened next was something quite rare in running, to see yourself win a race. As the faster heat raced after us, we began to realize that our time was comparable to the leaders of the race. By the time their bell lap began, we knew we had a shot at a podium finish. When Bucknell crossed the line first, beating Cornell by a few seconds, we knew we were close. The wait for the scoreboard to reveal the official time was tantalizing. 9:00.75. We won by half a second. I couldn’t have dreamed for a better last race.

Tell us what you are doing now, academically, teaching, professionally, etc., and how has it been impacted by Covid-19?

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the Biology department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. My research focuses on climate change related impacts on freshwater quality (check out the Jefferson Project at Lake George!). COVID-19 has certainly impacted my progress as a student, like it has for students all over the world. Working from home is a challenge, but I am thankful that much of my research can be done remotely. I also teach general biology labs at RPI, which has been quite difficult. But with schoolwork winding down, I have found that some of my students and my fellow classmates are participating more than they were in the standard classroom, and this simultaneous separation has somehow made us closer in a way.

Speaking of Covid-19, how has it impacted you and your family?

I am very thankful that my family and I have remained healthy and as happy as we can be. Three weeks ago, I decided to move my office to my parents’ basement, which has given me the opportunity to sit down and have family dinners again (and enjoy my parents’ cooking!!)

Given your science background, what are your science-based thoughts on this Coronavirus? What can we expect in the short- and long-term with this? Will we have to adapt to a "new normal" for a while?

My science background has given me a lot of information on how this pandemic is affecting the earth and various ecosystems, but little on how this will affect people and society. However, recently I listened to a good podcast episode on what we can expect over the next year or two as a result from this pandemic, which I would recommend! (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/podcasts/the-daily/coronavirus-how-long-lockdowns.html).

In terms of the environment, these are unprecedented times. Never before, in most of our lifetimes at least, has there been such a pause in greenhouse gas emissions, such a long breath of fresh air for the earth. I’m sure you are all seeing in the news how animals are starting to “reclaim” land and wander into city streets or along beaches. Water bodies are also becoming clearer. At this point, however, most research is anecdotal, but I am really excited to see new data come out over the next few years describing the impacts this pandemic has left on our ecosystems.

As you know, our seniors lost their final outdoor track season as well as their final few months of their senior year. What message would you like to give to this special group?

To the seniors, and I am so sorry that your time at Marist was cut short so abruptly. You all have left lasting impressions on both the under and upperclassmen with your natural leadership abilities, hard work, and sheer determination. I know that these qualities will get you through this, but it doesn’t make it suck any less. Stay in touch, keep running, get through it together (but 6 feet apart). Soon, you will have more time to shine and celebrate all of your successes!

For our returning student-athletes and for prospective student-athletes, what message would you give them as they prepare to return or join our team?

To the new and returning Foxes, I will repeat what many before me have already said, live in the moment! Take the time to appreciate what you have instead of what you don’t have. Take advantage of what Marist has to offer, whether that be the new training facilities, your amazing coaches, or small class sizes. Take trips around the Hudson Valley, there are so many cool places to explore. Lastly, always listen to the bridge music.

Anything else you'd like to add ...

First, Pete, thank you for doing the Pandemic Papers. Every morning, I reload your blog and read the latest interview. What a great idea to bring us all together in a time when we are all separated. Secondly, I would like to clarify a point made my friend Elizabeth Wasserman in her quarantine questions. Yes, I did hit her in the face with a frisbee on her first day of practice. However, the frisbee was made of cloth and it was not done on purpose! Sorry Elizabeth, but not sorry for the lasting friendship it has brought us!

High altitude trekking with teammates Alyssa Lafave and Boushra Belkhir