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Check out our 2015 Maine XC previews as we prepare for the upconing season</p>
XC Watchlist: Lauren Brown - Waterville HS
Athlete Name: Lauren Brown
School: Waterville HS
Year of Graduation: 2016
2014 State Meet Finish: 5th in Class B 19:47.24
Tell us how your summer training is going.
My summer training is going well. I had a lot of fun training in Iowa when we helped my sister Bethanie move into her new apartment at ISU recently. There's a really nice paved trail at a park that goes around a lake and it's super pretty. I can run with Bethanie sometimes, if she's having an easier day, and one time we dressed in matching outfits and went for a run together like that. Recently training has been a little strange, though, since we've been traveling so much, and we've had to stop in some pretty random places to get miles in. We stopped at a little park next to the highway in Illinois and ran around in the noontime heat for a while, and we also ran loops around some neighborhoods in New York and ran on hilly back roads in New Hampshire. Running while traveling definitely isn't the easiest thing ever, but it does make the run more interesting!
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
I'd like to set a PR in the 5k. How long have you been running and how did you get started? I've run track since 6th grade but I've only been consistently running since the summer before my freshman year. Originally, I wasn't really a fan of running--I didn't know it was supposed to hurt--and I wasn't planning on running in high school at all, so when I decided to do XC my freshman year I had to work pretty hard in a short amount of time to prepare myself. Going to summer practices and being the weakest runner there motivated me to start working!
Will you be competing anywhere out of state this season?
I'm not sure.
What is your favorite course to run in Maine?
I like the Belfast XC course when it's not muddy; it's hilly, but it's also consistently the place where I run my fastest 5k. I don't think I've ever run on an easy course in Maine, but the hills and woodsy areas make races more interesting.
What is the toughest course to run in Maine?
I think the Mt. Ararat course is probably the toughest. The course takes you across all surfaces: tar, track, grass, mud, deep sand, and even a stone cliff! The first and only time we ran there, we had no idea what it was going to be like, and the first thing we all did after the course walkthrough was take out our spikes. They wouldn't have been much help running across a parking lot or up the mountain! I passed a girl running up the stone cliff and she was sobbing out loud--a feeling I completely understood.
What meet during the regular season do you put extra emphasis on to compete well at?
I don't really emphasize particular meets--I just try to do my best every week.
What is your favorite cross country race so far in your high school career & favorite cross country memory?
My favorite cross country race was States last year, where I PR'd and placed 5th in Class B. My favorite memory is getting the team runner-up award at Regionals freshman year and being able to be on the same XC team as my sister.
When you are not running what is your favorite thing to do?
I love reading, and I read all the time.
Favorite quote?
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." -Walter Bagehot
What shoes do you train in?
Nike LunarGlide 6.
What shoes do you race in?
Nike Victory XC.
What professional athlete would you most like to meet?
I'm not sure...I don't think a lot about meeting professional athletes because my own sister is an NCAA Division I runner who's gone to nationals and made all-american, so I've spent my whole life close to one of those crazy runner types. :)
What is something that most people don't know about you?
I took senior AP English as well as AP Calculus last year and got 5's on both AP exams. (Plus, I got my 15-20 page Senior Paper done a year early!)
