FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University freshman cross country runner Adam Link|Williamsburg (Walsingham Academy) is this week's Longwood Male Athlete of the Week. He finished with a time of 33:55 at the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championship to place 176th out of 228 competitors. Link was the second Lancer to cross the finish line and his time was good for the third-fastest 10k in the 12-year history of the program.
Question and Answer Session with Adam Link and Abby Pendleton
AP: How is running in college different than running in high school?
AL: The intensity is different. The mileage, workouts and other stuff that is expected is different. The race distance is also different. In high school, it was a 5k and now we run 8ks and 10ks. It’s a good different.
AP: Was it challenging adjusting to the new distance?
AL: There was a three-week period during training where I was always tired and hungry, but with time it just became normal. It didn’t take too long to adjust.
AP: What is your pre-race ritual?
AL: I eat pasta and get a lot of sleep the night before. I just listen to music right before to get me prepared to run.
AP: What has been one of the proudest moments in your running career?
AL: I won states for my division my senior year of high school.
AP: What got you involved in running?
AL: In eighth grade I ran the mile in gym class and ended up lapping kids. After that the track coach actually came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the varsity squad. I didn’t know if I wanted to join a sport because of the time commitment, but I joined anyway.
AP: Do you have any athletic role models?
AL: Steve Prefontaine. If he were still alive, he would have probably been the fastest man alive. His work ethic is very intense and really good to look up to.
AP: Why did you decide to come to Longwood?
AL: I liked the school and the way that the coach expressed how she felt about running. She feels it is about being passionate and I agree because the only reason I enjoy running is because I am passionate about it. I didn’t want to come run just to win. I wanted to still have fun, too.
AP: Are there any other activities that you enjoy doing?
AL: I enjoy listening to a lot of music.
AP: Are there any interesting facts about you or your family?
AL: My sister is one of the fastest eighth grade runners in her age group. She started running after I got involved with it.
AP: What are your post-grad goals?
AL: I would love to live on a beach and own a skate or surf shop some day.
AP: What advice would you give to a young, aspiring runner?
AL: If you put work in, you will automatically see the difference in the end. If you don’t put any work in you won’t see a difference.
