2009 Recap

I guess New Year's eve is a good time to reflect on 2009 and then move on. One thing that comes to mind, even from the ATT guy - way to much in 2009!! I trained almost 11 months straight, with only a short respite after LP. 2010 needs to be much more focused and maybe a shorter season - at least in running and triathlon. I just squeaked by without injury this year. Maybe next year finish earlier and do cyclo-cross again. That said; I am racing at the half marathon championships in 5 weeks!

Okay, so here's my conclusion on 2009:

Best Swim:
Lake Placid 65:01 - even though it is not a PR (64:45 IM France 08) - it is by far my best swim to date and the fact that I came out with the good swimmers is huge. I will look to better that time at LP this year.

Best Bike:

I have two (1) the 430 mile Rochester Ride - nothing could be more mentally challenging then riding 3 days in the rain. (2) and this will surprise a lot of people - Clearwater 70.3 2:18:27 (24.3 mph) and even though I had an issue with a race official (I don't do the peleton thing like every one else), I was absolutely flying and I think 2010 on the bike is going to surprise a lot of people.

Best Run:
This won't surprise anyone; The 113the running of the Boston Marathon, 2:52:10 a new PR at age 43!!!! In fact, this may have been my best race ever! As things just went perfect from preparation to crossing the finish line. A sub-2:50 is in sight and that will be the goal on April 19th, 2010.

Okay, enough blogging about myself. I hope everyone has a great New Year and it is time to kick of marathon training as April is right around the corner! Cheers! I will post a race schedule soon.
-Kyle

Kyle Bowers Crowned Canadian Bareback Champion

The "other" Kyle Bowers that is ... Hey, this guy is pretty hard core - on his last ride he dislocates his shoulder and is in a whole lot of pain, as they crown him champion. Maybe this Kyle Bowers is Addicted to Riding or Addicted to Rodeo Training? Whatever the addiction is, I'm sure it is in the blood, as this guy seems to have it ... and I like pain .. why else would I be in the sport of marathoning and triathlon? Anyway, enough of the addicted non-sense. I hope everyone had a good holiday! The start-up back running is going well - if I can just keep the fork out of my mouth - I will return to normal body weight. This picture brings me back to my teen years when I used to ride horses and cared for a horse on a farm when I was 15. Luckily they did not make me do shovel duty - just stuff on the other end and brushing, etc. Anyway, you can google this guy as he seems like the other Kyle Bowers athlete on the internet. We have family up in Calgary - maybe sometime I will get to meet this cowboy. Anyway, I PROMISE to recap the year on my next post and take a last look on 2009! Cheers, Kyle Bowers the "Runner/Triathlete"!!!

TG That's Over!

Three weeks and no running, a bad recipe for the ATT athlete. Only the other addicts understand what the ATT is like, good or bad. I ran 3 miles this morning on a treadmill at the gym. Not very exciting, but I need to re-acclimate with New England weather - especially with the arctic blast that is going on. Also, I have started up again, but with a lifetime of experience doing this; I understand to ramp up very slowly before the real training starts. That said, I will continue to cross-train and focus on core work along with the base marathon training. Anyway, the weight thing is under control and I am trying to drop a few pounds over the next week (only to be regained over the holidays). The knee thing was definitely from turns in the pool (I seem to remember the same thing last year?). After swimming outside all the way into fall and then swimming in a pool, it can be appreciated that there could be up to a 100 or more turns swimming 3000 yards or so, depending on the workout! I'm trying to push off easier and that seems to be helping. Everything felt dynamite during the run and I'll start testing things on some longer runs in a week or so. This pic is from Clearwater of course, with the palm trees by the beach. Hmm ... so why am I living in New England? I'll post again next week and recap 2009, as it looks like I will be off the air through the holidays. -Kyle

Fresh Air Fund And The NYC Half-Marathon

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 21st. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier half-marathon road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children. Over the last year, support from fund-raising has helped us give nearly 10,000 inner-city children country experiences that they're still talking about! We rely on donations this time of year to keep our programs strong for the summer months, and helping children is a cause we are interested in. To make a donation:

http://freshairholiday.org

For more information on the NYC Half-Marathon:

http://freshairholiday.org/#NYC

Two Down, One To Go

The first two weeks of no running is now over. Plan is resume from the respite on 12/17 - a full three weeks off. For the first week, I was definitely lost and didn't know what to do with myself. It is a difficult thing for me and the addiction is strong, but this week has gone much better and with a week to go I will start-up again and drop the pounds I have been gaining at a rapid rate. I need to be careful because the masters half marathon championships is 2/7 and that is only six weeks of training plus one week taper - plenty of time, as long as I don't get too fat! I think running through the holidays is a great idea, especially with this off-season loss of discipline thing. I need to avoid gaining all that weight like last year. I am a little afraid to step on scale, because every time I do, it is at least one pound more! I have also been off the bike - time to put the cross tires back on, as winter has come to stay and I have a full three months of winter bike commuting ahead. Anyway, I am always amazed at how quickly this time of the year flies by - I am looking forward to joining my BAA team-mates for some long runs and getting back and spin/bricking with MRC boys. I'll recap 2009 on my next post. -Kyle