University of Arkansas's Christine Kalmer is one of the top cross country runners in the SEC and in the country. She is looking to improve her 117th-place finish last year at NCAAs (where she lost her shoe).

Coming off a second place finish at SECs, how would you say your season is going right now?

I'm really excited about my season thus far. It's really picking up and things are going according to plan. It kind of got off to slow start. But after SECs it really shows that I'm on track. I'm really looking forward to Regionals and nationals.

How has your training been going this year?

The whole season my training has been going very well, but at times I just had trouble showing it races. Now everything is really coming together. I'm doing a bit more mileage this season. In the beginning of the season I was taking a bit easier with longer workouts and more mileage. Now I'm doing more with speed.

What are your individual goals this year?

Hopefully I'll get top-three at Regional's next weekend and then at nationals I would like to get All-American. Last year I think I was like 117th, because after the 1K mark I lost my shoe and had to run without it the rest of the race.

What are your team goals this year?

We took fifth last year at Nationals so hopefully we can improve on that. Although to be fifth again would be really good.

You grew up in South Africa. Can you talk about the transition from running there compared to running here in the States?

It is quite different, because back home cross country isn't as much of a team competition. It was like OK, "I'm going to wake up early in the morning to run because I want to do well." It's much more of a personal thing back there. Whereas, here you have to motivate the people around you and train hard so you can do well as a team.

Was the training a lot different?

It was pretty similar.

Why did you choose the University of Arkansas?

There were two South Africans on the men's team that we knew last year and we met Coach Harden at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgium in 2001. It looked like the right decision.

What are you studying?

I'm studying engineering as a junior right now.

What are you plans after college?

I would definitely like to continue running after I'm done here. I'll probably go home after I'm done getting my degree. If I'm done running one day I'll continue with engineering.

Can you talk about your hobbies outside of running?

I like to hang out with my friends, shop, go to the movies and I go camping with family and friends.

Is the girl's team pretty close?

We're all really good friends here and it makes things really nice. At practice everyone is in really good spirits.

What is the hardest workout you've ever done?

9x1000s I think. Times didn't really matter. It was like "keep on going and finish the workout." We try to just get each other through the workouts.

How do you and your teammates pass the time when you travel to meets?

Usually the day before the race we go to the mall and all go shopping together and go out to eat together. At the hotel we just hang out in each other's rooms.

Is there a lot of chatter about running or do you try to keep off of that until the race?

There are running conversations but most of it isn't very serious. We generally try not to talk that much about running.

Are you more of a track runner or do you prefer cross country?

I like both of them equally. Usually towards the end of the season I'll be ready for track season. And that's the same with track. After it's done I'm ready to run cross country again. I don't really have a favorite.