MileSplit Fast Four: A weekly glimpse at four of our nation's best

Each week here at MileSplit we will be giving you a quick look at four of the nation's best runners. Featured this week are Michael Wallace (FL), Amanda Winslow (GA), Brian Shrader (AZ) and Megan Goethals (MI).

Michael Wallace
Jr., Bishop Kenny
Jacksonville, FL

Highlights:  Won third consecutive 2A District 2 XC Championship (15:38) … Placed second at Elite Pre State Invite with a personal best time of 15:21 …  Finished third (16:00) at Great American Race of Champions behind Tennessee standouts Bill Mathews and Matt Sonnenfeldt …  Ran 15:54 at the Katie Caples Invitational, placing first …  As a sophomore he was the 2008 2A 3200 state champion (9:22) and 1600 meter district champion (4:21) …  Wallace (Photo courtesy of Kristin McWilliams) finished third at the 2007 Florida State XC Championships

Coach (Kristin McWilliams) says: “Mike is one of the most coachable athletes I have been blessed to coach over the last 8 years.  Not only is he gifted athletically, but also he listens carefully to my instructions for training and race strategy and works incredibly hard, which in turn motivates his teammates.  He has developed into an incredibly intelligent racer over the last 2.5 years, and has the ability to react to his competitors’ race tactics, utilizing his phenomenal finishing speed.  He takes care of the little details in his nutrition and training to ensure his success, and has developed a true passion for running.  Mike’s confidence and superior work ethic have allowed him to achieve many lofty goals over the past two years, and his leadership and sense of humor make him a pleasure to coach. I am excited to see what the postseason will entail, as well as his junior track campaign.” 

Wallace says: “When I got into high school I decided to run cross country and found out it was my passion. This year I want to make it to Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego that would be awesome. I want to go to college and get a scholarship for running. After that, try to make it to the Olympics. The thing I really love about running is the feeling of success after a race. It kind of becomes a part of you.”

Summer mileage (max): 75

Weekly mileage: 65-75

Training shoes: Brooks Adrenaline

Superstitions: Watches Entourage before every race

Hobbies: Ping-pong, playing the guitar

Favorite movie:  Pineapple Express

Amanda Winslow
Sr., Collins Hill H.S.
Suwanee, GA

Highlights:  Began her career in Ohio before her family moved to Georgia prior to her junior year … Ran 18:00 at the GHSA Cross Country Championships, placing first for the second straight year, helping Collins Hill to its sixth straight state title ...Other victories included the Region 7 5A Champs (17:30), Reebok Coach Wood Invitational (17:31), Gwinnett County XC Champs (17:40), Carrollton Invitational (18:48) ... Finished second at the McDonald's XC Festival at Maymont (18:22) and fifth at the Great American XC Festival (18:01) ... On the track as a junior, she won the state 1600 and 3200 titles, setting a state record of 4:48 in the 1600 ... Placed fourth in the Mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals … SE Regional runner-up in 2007

Coach (Andrew Hudson) says: “Amanda is so individually driven I think she was going to be a successful runner anywhere she went. I think having the team and the legacy and success that we had has helped. Having teammates pushing her in practice, I think, that was a good thing for her. She’s just such an incredible competitor and probably the most consistent runners I’ve ever coached in terms of her workouts and her races. Everything she does is just really incredible. She’s a consistent competitor. I have not known her to shy away from a challenge or back off of a workout. She’s just always able to do incredible things when she runs.”

Winslow says: “I think winning the team title is really special because it’s something the whole team gets to share. That’s really neat. It’s something I never had any experience with in Ohio. It was hard for us to even have enough people for a team there, so it’s completely different winning a state title here. I like going out and running even if it’s not the competing part of it. I just like getting out there and escaping everything and getting out for a run. Also, I’m a really competitive person too.”

Summer mileage (max): 40-45
 
Weekly mileage: 35

Training shoes: Mizuno Wave Nirvana

Superstitions: Paints her nails with creative designs and carries a cinder from her old high school track in Ohio  

Hobbies: Drawing, painting, photography

Favorite athlete: Shalene Flanagan

Brian Shrader
Jr., Sinagua H.S.
Flagstaff, AZ

Highlights:  After playing football as a freshman, Shrader (Photo by Margot Kelly) turned to running …  Won his second straight Arizona 4A II XC title with a personal best 15:15, five seconds better than rival Tim Freriks … Recorded victories at Grand Canyon Region Championship (16:04), Jack Boehle Memorial Invitational (16:38), Mingus Invitational (16:35) and the Four Corners Invitational (15:56) ... Also a two-time state track champion, winning the 1600 and 3200 as a sophomore ... Placed 30th at Foot Locker West Regional in 2007

Coach (Bo Reed) says: “In every single meet, except for Ray Wherley where he ended up in an ambulance, but in every other meet, he came out of that chute and ran back to the course to bring his team home. The team means a great deal to Brian
and that doesn't always reflect in team performances. If they understood exactly what he does for the team, instead of look up to him they would strive to be successful with him. Brian did not have a celebration after the region meet - he was actually disappointed because his team wasn't going to state.”

Shrader says: “Last year I won [the state cross country title], but I was an underdog and nobody was really looking for me. When you are an underdog it’s a lot easier to win any race, really, than when you are the favorite. This year, everyone I knew was gunning for me. This one definitely feels like I earned it a lot more than last year. I really love running. There is nothing more that I like doing.”

Summer mileage (max):  Shrader did not train during the summer due to mononucleosis

Weekly mileage: N/A

Training shoes:  Asics Gel Nimbus

Superstitions:  Shrader follows the same routine before every race

Hobbies: Frisbee, anything outdoors

Favorite school subject: Physics 

Megan Goethals
Jr., Rochester H.S.
Rochester Hills, MI

Highlights: Michigan State XC Champion, setting an all-time, all-class record of 17:11 … Won the Regional Championship in 17:10 … Oakland County Champion, defeating defending state champion Shannon Osika in a course-record effort of 17:55 … Set a course record of 17:39 en route to winning the Spartan Invitational … Goethals (Photo courtesy of www.rissleyphoto.net) broke through last spring with a 4:59 to win the Emerging Elite Mile at the NON

Coach (Larry Adams) says: “She was dedicated before, but we kind of upped the ante this year a little bit; increased her summer miles, increased our intensity. Pretty much every day, whether it be a distance day or hard workout day, the intensity was just at a higher level throughout the entire season. She accepted every challenge. I don’t think she ever had a workout where she didn’t meet the goals that were set for her.”

Goethals says: “I was able to get a lot better training in this year. I was able to do more miles, have more intensity, and I started doing weight training. I think everything together just really helped me be able to run much better. At the beginning of the season my goal was to break 18 minutes for the whole season. Probably around the time of counties, when I won that, I thought maybe I would have a chance to get the state record, but I wasn’t really sure. Then at the regional meet I ran 17:10 there, and I thought that I could probably have a pretty good chance the next week. I’ve been really lucky I’ve been pushed during races. I think that’s helped because it makes me run that much harder and prepares me to run with girls that are way faster than me. I know how to push myself during a race.”

Summer mileage (max):  50

Weekly mileage: 50

Training shoes:  Nike Bowerman series

Superstitions: Goethals wears the same hair ribbon and socks every race

Hobbies:  Bicycling, reading, hanging out with friends

Favorite Book: Anything by Robin Jones Gunn