Can a Texas High School Runner Run the 800 1600 and 3200

Straight OUTTA Southlake, is crazy little runner. At the 600 he puts on the afterburners…a little hip hop swag for Reed Brown of Southlake Carroll.  The Carroll star has had an impressive high school career.  He is the defending state champion and current state record holder in the 3200, running a state record time of 8:50.43.  He also has a very fast 4:04.82 in the 1600 in his back pocket as well.  Reed is off to a great start of his final year in high school.  Earlier this year, at the Dunamis Indoor Classic, Brown blazed the track in the 1600 with a personal best indoor time of 4:06.40.  Outdoor season is here and he is ready to leave his mark on Texas track and field by being the 1^st Texas high schooler to break the 4 minute mark in the mile.  Inside Texas Track got a chance to hangout with Reed Brown of Southlake Carroll.  Let's go One-On-One.

One-On-One
With
Southlake Carroll's
Reed Brown

Inside Texas Track (ITT):  What are your events and your personal best in each one?
Reed Brown (RB): I run the 800, 1 mile and 2 mile.  My best in the 800 is a 1:56, the mile, 4:04 (4.04.82 to be exact), and the 2 mile is 8:50 (8:50.43 to be exact).

ITT: 1:56??? You must not run that a lot.
RB: Yeah, I've run it once a year and it's always in the 1st meet so I'm hardly ever in shape, but this year I'll be running it, I think in 3 meets.
*Sidenote: At the typing of this article Mr. Brown actually has bettered his time in the 800, running a 1:54.41ITT: Which one do you prefer, the 800, 1600 or the 3200?
RB: Definitely the 1600.  I feel it's just the right distance to where you are not all out sprinting, but it's does not feel like it seems forever, so that would definitely be my favorite one.

ITT:  Back in the day when I use to cover track and field, there was a rule that stated you could not run a 800, 1600 and 3200 in the same track meet.  Does that rule still apply and if so, how do you feel about it?
RB: I don't know, but I have heard that.  Either they took it away or just added it back, one of the two. My coach said he would never let me do that because he has seen other really good runners come through and try it, but it did not work for them at all. So my coach definitely would not let me do that.
ITT:  So what is your coaches' name
RB:  Coach Leonard
ITT:  Is that his first name or last name?
RB: Last name, Justin Leonard.
ITT: (Jokingly), he's not the golfer is he...just joking
RB: (laughing), everyone says that.

ITT:  Okay, last year, you and Sam Worely (Comal Canyon) gave the crowd an exciting epic battle in both the 1600 and the 3200 at state.  Take us through both of those races.
RB: Oooh.  I guess I will start with the 3200, since it was 1st.  Last year was a lot different from sophmore year.  Sophomore year I really did not have any expectations, just kinda hang on to the front pack. Last year, it was more take out the race and see what you can do.  I tried to hit the 1st lap in about 64 (seconds) and just go from there and see what I could do.  Sam hung on to me until the last lap.  I PR'd my 400 in my last lap.  The mile was kinda weird because it was storming all day, so they pushed everything back and they made us warm up like two hours early and then sat us on a bench.  Everything was kind of messed up, but everyone had to deal with it.  So yeah the 1st lap I could already feel my legs tighten up.  I just tried to take it out from the start and make sure it was a fast pace, and Sam got me in the end.

ITT:  When you are running races like the 1600 and the 3200, what do you think about when you are running, or do you think about anything at all?
RB: Uhmm, that's actually kind of hard. I don't know.  Usually I'm thinking about the pain, and pushing it aside.  Other than that, just pretty much thinking about finishing the because once you finish, you're no longer in pain anymore.

ITT:  Do you ever hum a song while you are running?
RB: Not hum, but I get a lot stuck in my head a lot of times.  And it's always the most randomness songs.  Literally, there will be some random new song or some country song, which I don't like because usually those are slow.  Or it's some old 70's song, but I kinda like those.

ITT:  Alright, University Of Oregon.  Great school, lots of history.  What is the one thing you are looking forward to most, next year when you attend?
RB: Just meeting all the best people from around the country, and just having them on your team.  That will definitely be something special seeing the top talent in every event from around the country at practice.  It will be like a national meet everyday in practice.  That is going to be so crazy.

ITT: 4-minute mile.  You are close to breaking that barrier.  What do you feel you need to do to break this milestone?
RB: Definitely upping my speed workout.  We are quickening the pace on those now in practice.  I feel just that extra speed and strength should help me with breaking the 4.
ITT: I hope we are there when you do it. I will definitely have a picture of it.

ITT:  Speaking of speed work, have you ever done a sprinting event in competition?
RB:

Not in a race, but we have done speed workouts in practice to help build our speed.  I did the 100 a couple of weeks ago and I went 11.4 in flats, so if I was in spikes in a competition I feel I could get close to breaking 11 seconds.  That would be pretty cool.

ITT:  What advice would you give a young person wanting to run distance races?
RB: Trust in your training.  Pretty much everything you do in a race comes from training.  Not many people can not train real hard and go out and race very well.  As long as you are training as hard as you can and giving your all in practice, you can keep going out and setting personal best.

ITT:  Have you ever competed in a marathon?
RB: NO!!  And I don't think I ever will.  My friends want to this summer but on OR's I'm dying so another 15 miles or however many...I don't know about that, I might just drop.

ITT: This next part has nothing to do with track and field, just some random thoughts I like to bring to life.  Ready?  Let's go.

ITT:  What is your favorite hip hop song?
RB:

Hip hop...oooh.  That's a tough one.  I am going to have to go through my phone for this one. (literally goes through playlist on phone...too funny) I don't usually listen to hip hop that much.  I'll just go with Chill Bill by Rob Stone.
ITT:  Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift
RB: Oh..definitely Ariana Grande, I don't know why.  I've just always liked Ariana.  You can ask the people from my school.
ITT:  You know I'm kinda a Taylor Swift kinda guy.  I like Ariana but she just looks really young.
RB: I do like Taylor, but I miss her old country songs days. I like those songs.  I feel she just got away from that and started to do what was a fad and kinda got away from her true self.
ITT:  What is your favorite television show and why?
RB: Impractical Jokers. Oh my gosh.  Those guys...everything they do is funny.  Kinda reminds me of some of my friends and what we do every once in a while.  I love to get a good laugh in watching TV.
ITT:  Dragon or Duck
RB: Oooh.  That's a tough one. I don't know.  I've been a dragon my whole life. I am looking forward to being a duck, but ooh, that's tough...long period of silence...I will probably be a dragon my whole life.
ITT:  Dragon Forever
ITT:  Have you ever done a mannequin challenge?
RB: Yes.  I think it was for Milesplit, one time at a meet.  It was at Nike Nationals is when we did it. While we were in the gameroom they came over and said "mannequin challenge" We were like okay.
ITT:  Last question.  Name one way to improve track and field?
RB: Honestly for me, I feel it's the speed work that helps me a lot.  My coach would say it's the stregnth work.  You can be as fast as you want but if you don't have stregnth to maintain then it does you no good.  I will have to say the strength work.

Can a Texas High School Runner Run the 800 1600 and 3200

Source: http://www.insidetexastrack.com/Reed_Brown.html

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