Salute To Seniors - Derek Bolser - P.K. Yonge
What was your most memorable race?
The Bolles Bulldog Classic 1600 my Sophomore year when I ran a 13 second PR to break 4:30 for the first time.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
The 1A State Finals 1600 last year.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments which stands out the most?
Finishing 4th at the 1A State Finals in the 1600 last year.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would have taken to 800 and 3200 more seriously. Typically I ran for the win, not for a fast time, and I regret it.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Contracting Lyme disease in the beginning of XC season this year. I put in a lot of miles over the summer and all signs pointed to a great season, but as the season progressed I began to feel weaker and weaker during distance runs and workouts, and I was racing poorly too. My legs became so weak that I had to be hospitalized the week before the state meet because I was unable to walk. I eventually recovered enough to be able to walk around and go about most of my daily activities, but there was a period of more than two months where I was unable to run at all. All throughout this time nobody could figure out what was making me so weak. I began to doubt that I would ever be able to live a normal life, let alone run again, until one of my many doctors discovered that I was afflicted with Lyme disease. At this point the Track regular season was almost over, but after a few weeks on antibiotics I was able to start running again. With hardly any training I surprised myself by running fast enough to earn a spot on our 4x800 and 4x400 teams, both of which finished 6th at the State meet.
What will you miss the most?
The local meets and all of the friends I've made through competition.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Run every race like it's your last, because you never know what the future holds.
How have your coaches influenced your performances and your life goals overall?
My first coach, Randy Hollinger, introduced me to the sport of running. Coach Hollinger didn't train you to be fast, he trained you to be tough, you just got fast along the way. He was an expert motivator and he knew the importance of some well-timed comic relief. I have a great deal of fond memories from his time coaching us. When he departed P. K. Yonge Dave Milliman stepped in to be our coach. Coach Milliman was a member of the Florida Track Club during its glory days and ran with the likes of Frank Shorter, among others. He taught all of us how to train smarter and had a wealth of knowledge about everything that had to do with running. When he had to leave P. K. Josh Horn became our coach. It was the first time Coach Josh had ever been a head coach, but he could not have done a better job. Under his tutelage just about all of my teammates progressed as runners and dropped huge chunks of time off their PRs. In just 6 weeks he was able to get me in to 2:01 (800) and 52.1 (400) shape. He was able to get the most out of all of us and help us achieve our goals in a relaxed, fun environment. I am truly grateful for all of my coaches and I would not be where I am today without them.
What are your college plans?
I will be running for the University of Florida next year. Go Gators!
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Want to be featured in our Salute To Seniors series? Drop me a line: TGrasley@milesplit.com and answer the questions above! Congratulations to the class of 2012 on all their hard work and success.