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10/07/2022 10:15 AMCarolyn Heffernan is in the midst of her final season as a runner on the girls’ cross country team at North Branford High School (NBHS). Carolyn holds an important role as the only senior captain on her squad and is looking to lead the T-Birds to success as the season progresses.
Carolyn started running cross country when she was in middle school, but was hesitant to do so going into high school. However, one of Carolyn’s friends reached out to her to encourage her to continue pursuing her passion for running.
“Freshman year was interesting because we went into COVID and quarantine. I used running and exercising to keep me active during quarantine, and that grew my love for running,” says Carolyn. “I was motivated going into my sophomore year to do well and focus on cross country.”
The pandemic made it difficult for both sports and life in general to continue as usual. Nonetheless, Carolyn found a way to stay active and prepare herself for her sophomore year of both cross country and track and field.
Mike Rabuffo is the head coach of the North Branford girls’ cross country team, which has eight athletes on its roster this season. Coach Rabuffo says that Carolyn has made a lot of progress since joining the Thunderbirds’ program.
“I think she has grown a lot as a person in the past three years, especially this season. She is a hard worker and setting a good example for the freshman,” Rabuffo says of Carolyn. “She embodies everything that a captain should be. She works hard, and she is supportive of her teammates.”
During her sophomore year, Carolyn competed at the Shoreline Conference Cross Country Championships and finished in 35th place with a time of 24:44, marking a personal-best performance. In Carolyn’s junior year, she turned in a solid performance at the Shoreline Conference Large Schools Meet by finishing in 21st place with a time of 24:17.
This year, the NBHS cross country program has participated in the Blue Dragon Invitational, the Connecticut River Valley Invitational, and also hosted the Shoreline Conference Large Schools Meet at Totoket Park.
Carolyn finished in 29th place with a personal record (PR) of 23:05 for a 2.9-mile at the Blue Dragon Invitational. She then recorded a PR of 23:46 for a 3.1-mile course while placing 53rd at the Connecticut River Valley Invitational. Carolyn went on to take 21st place by running a time of 23:38 at the Shoreline Conference Large Schools Meet.
Carolyn felt pleased about how both she and her teammates performed at the recent Shoreline meet.
“It went really well. I was happy with how I did and was impressed with how my teammates did, as well,” says Carolyn. “The freshman really stepped it up, placed really well, hit personal records and, overall, it was a really good meet.”
Over the summer, Carolyn trained hard and also led North Branford’s captain’s practices to help everyone get ready for the fall cross country season. When she isn’t running, Carolyn spends her fair share of time in the weight room.
Carolyn is not only surprising herself with her performances this year, but she’s also been impressing her family, teammates, and coaches. Oftentimes, cross country runners will record their best times during their sophomore and junior seasons, but Carolyn is pacing her way past that trend by running PRs as a senior. Coach Rabuffo, who also coaches track at North Branford, feels proud of Carolyn for what she’s accomplishing on the cross country course this year.
“She is hitting PRs that she has not be able to do since sophomore year,” Rabuffo says. “She is carrying the team’s momentum.”
When Carolyn is running a race, she focuses on how she is performing, instead of worrying about the people around her. That strategy has helped her reach multiple PRs this year, including at the Blue Dragon Invitational.
“In the past, thinking too much has gotten to my head. During the race, I thought, ‘Run your race, do what you can do,’ and I ended up having some really good splits and running a PR,” says Carolyn. “As soon as I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I was so happy. I found my parents and my coach right away and was ecstatic.”
Carolyn is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams at NBHS, focusing on mid-distance and long-distance events. Carolyn uses indoor track—where she runs the 600 and 1,000—as a way to say in shape and prepare for the outdoor season. In outdoor, Carolyn focuses on the 800, which is her specialty.
Between the cross country and indoor track seasons, Carolyn puts more of a focus on speed work such as sprinting, along with doing faster speed workouts. However, Carolyn also incorporates distance training into her regimen in order to prepare herself for the mid-distance events.
For the remainder of the cross country season, Carolyn is hoping to continue improving her times as she gets ready to compete alongside her T-Birds’ teammates in the Shoreline Conference Championships that will be held at Hammonasset Park.
“I am really excited, and I know that my team is, as well. I am hoping that it could be another PR. The course has the potential for me to reach that goal,” Carolyn says.
“No matter how far we get during this season, I am going to be really proud of myself and everyone else of the team for all that they have done, and giving your best effort is all I could ask for.”