His \'90 Honda Accord rolls out of the Forest Meadows Trailhead on a Tuesday afternoon. It\'s another day on the trails for the Chiles distance squad. Media attention is nothing new to Chiles for they have the latest cross and track state titles in their trophy case.
Senior distance ace Alex Miletich is now heavily publicized around Florida as a result of his consistency in cross or on the track. Alex attributes this to the dictated training schedule of Coach Gowan. In his four year career running at Chiles, Miletich\'s times continue to drop. \"It\'s periodized. He wants us to progress throughout the season, but I take every race pretty seriously.\"" And for someone who\'s been used to leading the front tier in North Florida, and the state – that\'s not always an easy thing to do. He\'s already grabbed the top spot on the 3200 meter run leader board in the state with his 9:23.65 3200 meter solo performance. \"I felt pretty good, but the meet didn\'t have much competition. I\'m really trying to focus on continuing to improve my times this season,\" said Miletich on the current fastest 3200 meter time in Florida.
Miletich has found success at a variety of distances. \"I don\'t have a preference. The main focus is to win the state title as a team in track.\" He will undoubtedly double in the 3200 and 1600, but Miletich insists he\'ll do what it takes to win the team crown again. \"Hopefully I\'ll be able to do a good double,\" said this fall\'s 3A cross country state champion.
The Florida State bound senior will see his stiffest competition from some a few south Florida boys. Tim Harris of Booker T. Washington (Miami) and Land O\'Lakes\'s Stephen Bell seem to be the most likely spoilers for Miletich. \"I definitely don\'t race those guys until state, but they have always run pretty good in the mile,\" added Alex, who\'s one of three brothers.
Miletich isn\'t overly tall and doesn\'t possess an over intimidating demeanor, but brings an intensity to his racing that few high school talents possess. He has cemented his own resume at Chiles. This fall he set out on a mission to win the team and individual honors in cross country. En route to that accomplishment his season was highlighted by a 15:27 to finish 3rd at the FLRUNNERS.com Invite, along with notching impressive victories at Deja VU Classic and the FSU Invite.
But, now it\'s back to the track for some unfinished business. He will even compete in some open races at FSU in the 1500 meters, including this weekend\'s FSU Relays, but the State Finals later this spring is the top priority. He has another team title crown in front of him.
He\'s consistent, confident, and has two supportive parents behind him. \"They play a major role. They push me and they support me and pretty much get me everything I need for running,\" says Alex of his parents.
As a freshman he came out for cross country after moving from the Washington, D.C. area. His team ended up finishing fourth at state with the majority of the team being underclassman. This whetted his appetite for state superiority.
His time in the Chiles distance dynasty is dwindling. Miletich has committed to the Seminoles over Florida and Arkansas. Alex feels at home with the distance guys and Coach Braman. \"The other thing is just the amount of trails in Tallahassee. It has more to offer. That\'s a big selling point.\" The state champ will be in tough company. Florida State chalked up another ACC Track this winter, and their cross country team was second behind only North Carolina State in the fall.
\"It\'s just about wanting to get better as I go college. Pretty much everyone that runs sets bigger goals as they move up,\" said Miletich.
His \'90 Honda Accord rolls out of the Forest Meadows Trailhead on a Tuesday afternoon. It\'s another day on the trails for the Chiles distance squad. Media attention is nothing new to Chiles for they have the latest cross and track state titles in their trophy case.
Senior distance ace Alex Miletich is now heavily publicized around Florida as a result of his consistency in cross or on the track. Alex attributes this to the dictated training schedule of Coach Gowan. In his four year career running at Chiles, Miletich\'s times continue to drop. \"It\'s periodized. He wants us to progress throughout the season, but I take every race pretty seriously.\"" And for someone who\'s been used to leading the front tier in North Florida, and the state – that\'s not always an easy thing to do. He\'s already grabbed the top spot on the 3200 meter run leader board in the state with his 9:23.65 3200 meter solo performance. \"I felt pretty good, but the meet didn\'t have much competition. I\'m really trying to focus on continuing to improve my times this season,\" said Miletich on the current fastest 3200 meter time in Florida.
Miletich has found success at a variety of distances. \"I don\'t have a preference. The main focus is to win the state title as a team in track.\" He will undoubtedly double in the 3200 and 1600, but Miletich insists he\'ll do what it takes to win the team crown again. \"Hopefully I\'ll be able to do a good double,\" said this fall\'s 3A cross country state champion.