Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interviews: Ricky Flynn of Lynchburg

        (Photo courtesy of the Columbus Running Company)

Ricky Flynn (pictured far left) is a sophomore at Lynchburg College (VA).  He finished 4^th overall at the 2005 NCAA Division III South/Southeast Region Cross Country Championships and 97^th overall at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships as a freshman.  He hopes to lead a young Lynchburg cross country team to a birth at nationals.

By: Derick Lawrence (9/10/06)

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you’re from, how you got started running)?

I am from a small town in Maryland called Damascus.  I got into running through my brother, who introduced me to running in summer track in 7^th grade.  I guess that’s where it all started.  I began high school and started cross country.

What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?

My PR from high school in cross country was 15:42 on my home course.  I am not quite sure if that was a true 5k, so my next best time was 15:58.  For track I ran 9:35 in the 2 mile and 4:22 in the mile.

What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?

My current PR in cross country is 25:21 for the 8k.  For track they are 15:13 for the 5k.

What made you choose Lynchburg College?
I chose Lynchburg College mainly because my brother went here and he introduced me to the advantages that Lynchburg had to offer me.  It was the only D-III school I was looking at and it just seemed like the right thing to do.  

What was your training like this past summer?
This past summer was the most training I have ever done over the summer.  I am not really a high mileage runner so I kept my miles relatively low.  I hit a high week of 70 and averaged between 50 and 60 miles I’d say.  

What is your favorite workout(s) during the cross country season and what does it include?
I’m not really sure if I actually have a favorite workout but if I had to decide it would be going to the mountains and doing mile repeat intervals one after another.  I also enjoy doing workouts at a park near campus that is all flat where I can drop some pretty quick intervals.

What are your goals for this cross country season (individual and team)?
My goals usually seem out of reach to most people, but I have realized that if I set my goals high then it only makes me more determined to achieve those goals.  I hope to go into regionals feeling good and hopefully come out with a victory.  Then we will see what happens at nationals.  I just want to go there and have my best race and if that happens then I think I may surprise some people and even myself.  As far as team goes I would like to lead my young team to a birth at nationals to pave the way for the future.

Do you walk, bike, or drive to class and/or practice? If you bike or drive, what kind of bike or car do you have?
Well Lynchburg is a pretty small campus so I pretty much walk everywhere.  For practice the team drives a school van to the mountains or wherever we go to run.  But at home I drive a Chrysler Cirrus or a Ford Crown Victoria.

What's your major?  Favorite professor?

My major right now is business administration with a minor in criminology.  However, I plan on changing that to major in business management.  I don’t really have a favorite professor but if I had to choose, I would say either my economics professor or my calculus professor.

Do you have a pre-race routine (certain foods you eat, songs you listen to, etc.)?  If so, could you describe it for us.
My pre-race routine is pretty much set in stone.  I pretty much do the same thing before every race.  I eat pasta the night before, eggs and toast in the morning with a banana and some OJ.  I will then eat a PowerBar and then I usually do a couple miles warm up and the usual stretching.  Then I will throw in some drills and another faster paced warm-up.  All the while I listen to various songs that get me in the race zone…not really any particular song though.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?
I am not sure if I have just one influence in my life but as far as running goes I would have to say my brother.  He is always there for me when I need him and he is always pushing me to do better.  Without him I probably would have never even started running in the first place.  He keeps my confidence up when I doubt myself.  He was a big influence on me going to LC because he was going to be there during my first year.  I was really looking forward to running outdoor track with him since I never was on the same team as him because we are four years apart.

What's the most memorable road trip that you have been on?
I couldn’t pick just one.

What do you like the most about Lynchburg College Cross Country?
I like my teammates a lot.  We are really close and we treat each other like family.  We also get treated real well here because our coach is the AD.  LCXC is where its at.

What's the running environment like at Lynchburg College?  Where does the team train?

  (Photo courtesy of Lynchburg College)

The running environment in Lynchburg is pretty much all hills.  You basically can’t go out on a run without encountering several mountainous hills.  The team usually trains in the mountain, aka “No Business Mountains.”  The workouts usually consist of different intervals one after another ranging from 1 min. bursts to 1 mile.  The mountain runs include spots called 2mile, tobacco, TV, ghost, and several other places.  The workouts in the mountains are very hilly ranging from hills that are 1 mile in length to 5 miles in length all uphill.

Any parting words for readers?

I would just have to say train hard and the success will come.

Thanks to Ricky for a great interview.