Carlos Miranda is a student of the sport. The Palmetto Ridge junior studies the form of one of the best distance runners of all-time, the Moroccan "King of the Mile", Hicham El Guerroj. He says the Olympic double gold medalist is one of his all time favorites.
"I'm obsessed with Hicham El Guerroj. I like him of all athletes just because of his talent. He's a very special talent and it takes a lot of hard work to get to his level. His story is amazing."
As an 8th grader at the middle school state championships he learned a valuable lesson. Running with the lead pack he heard his coaches advice and decided to listen. However, the race didn't pan out and he says he wishes he would have trusted his instincts.
"I learned to not listen to people about how i am feeling and when I am ready to go because coaches would tell me to wait and kick, but then before you knew it I waited too long and the kid outkicked me at the end."
He went onto finish 3rd in the 1500 and second in the 3000. As a high school freshman Miranda finished 30th at the 3A state meet in 16:36.84. His sophomore campaign he dropped nearly 25 seconds off his time at state placing 18th and running 16:11.77. The Palmetto Ridge standout also made a name for himself at Foot Locker South where he placed second in the sophomore division. He says his training consists of easy morning and tough afternoon workouts.
"It's kind of a secret. I do a little distance and speed; three miles in the morning and a couple of 400's or 200's after school."
Miranda literally wears his motto for success on his sleeve and over his heart. The junior dawns a Nike t-shirt that reads, "Nobody works hard to make excuses." He realizes the effort he puts in to the sport will give back to him in the end.
"This year we have a new coach and the philosophies are different. My new coach makes us work a lot now, but it might seem that way because I was younger when I started with our old coach. A lot of people make excuses these days and it's not like that. I run, go to school, eat, sleep, run, and repeat the process."
Confidence. It's something Miranda says has gone up over the past two years. Three weeks into the cross country season, Miranda already has two wins under his belt. The first came at the 9-11 Memorial Invitational where he crossed the line in 16:31.51. He followed that up by placing first at the Fort Myers Optimist Invitational in a new season best time of 16:07.43. He is hoping to ride that momentum hrough November to Dade City. After two successful runs at the state meet the junior is eyeing the main prize, a gold medal. He wants to finish first as do most runners, but he know he has to be patient with the process.
"My goal is to finish first individually, but patience will be the key to getting there. I know all the hard work I put in should pay off, but it doesn't always work that way so I have to sit back and wait."
Interview: 2011 Fort Myers Optimist Invitational
Personal Bests
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1600 Meter Run4:19.50
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3200 Meter Run9:52.88
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5000 Meter Run15:57.00
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