Patriot Half Iron Weekend

Well it's finally here ... The big race season has begun. I will be racing in the open division with the big boys on this one. I will be going hard. Enough said, I am hoping this is a race that I finally earn some respect in this sport - we'll see.

Last weekend's last huge training; 115 miles on the bike (4 loops of the course +) and 30 minutes of hard running, followed next day by a 20 mile run (7.5min/mi) is over - thank god. My mileage last week was the biggest ever; 350 miles bike, 55 runing and ~ 10K yards swimming. I wouldn't even consider this tapering for the race, but the timing is for me to be peaking with Lake Placid approaching. That is the race, Patriot will have to come second to the IM training. Anyway, I'm told to keep training by the coach - no days off, so I'll keep the high cadence stuff going, light running and moderate swimming. I'm looking for the big PR in this race, so wish me luck. I'm also anticipating big PRs on the swim and bike legs.

I hope everyone has a great race - team mates, friends, training partners and all! This should be an interesting inaugural race. I've already placed my money on my coach to win, probably by a landslide. Hopefully, he will tire everyone out from chasing him and I'll place in the top decade or so of the open cat.

Cheers! I'll post a race report when I get back.

-Kyle

Pivotal IronMan Training Day

So you are thinking about doing an Ironman sometime. Lake Placid is always a good choice, because you don't need to get on a plane (if you live in the Northeast US or Canada). Unfortunately, if you do sign up for a race (the year before, because they sell-out in about an hour), you'll need to do these kind of pivotal workouts - unless you want to suffer out there on race day, which I don't recommend. Read on ....

Sunday's workout:

105.4 miles on the bike; 7mi warm-up, 3x25+ on with 7mi recovery.

10 mile run; 2.5 warm-up, 4x1mi with .25mile recovery, 2.5 cool-down

We averaged overall about 19 mi/hr including warm-up and recovery loops, so I figure that the on-ntervals were between 21-22 miles an hour. All good when considering the on-interval loop climbs Oak Hill (only the locals can appreciate).

My 1 mile run splits were between 6:00 (1st) and 6:20 (last) and I felt real good, but the last one took some effort.

The total workout time was 7 hours. Not a bad day at all. I felt great all day and I am feeling real good on the bike for a change. I thought I might actually run four 6min flat miles, but the fact that I could run as well as I did after riding 5 1/2 hours, means I'm pretty fit. I hope I feel that good on race day - it will be a big day for me (cross fingers).

I followed up today with 1:44 run (12+ miles) not too fast, but to keep those legs going. Light commute on the mtn bike with back-pack et al. - I also like to get in a different (upright) position. I hope to get in 3200 in the pool tonight.

Tomorrow back to the track for some fast 400s, probably an early morning ride. This weekend will be the townie road race, which I hope to bag, but seems every year that a non-local comes in to take it. The following day is the next scheduled complete day off - June 17th - exactly three weeks from the last.

Anyway, the 42 year old body is holding up okay. I need to add in some type of yoga or I guess more stretching to keep the body loose. Anyone that has any questions about Ironman training should feel free to email me (included in profile). I continue to be coached and am doing some coaching, so I can see both sides of the fence.

We are 6 weeks away from Lake Placid IM http://www.ironmanusa.com/ . I'll do another one of these in two weeks, but it will probably be less miles because of the Patriot 1/2 Iron race http://www.patriothalf.com/ .

I'll conclude with three words; bike, bike and more bike.

Party On!

-Kyle

Race Report Mooseman International Distance Triathlon

I don't think I've ever won anything at a triathlon before, certainly not at a race this big, not to mention the short distances I didn' have big hopes for this race, but I managed to grab 2nd in my age group and 25th overall.

The weather held out and didn't produce any rain, in fact at times it was very sunny and felt hot.

The race featured Jarrod Shoemaker (Pro/ITU/U23 World Champion), who was just looking out over the water taking in the sights as he passed me by from the out and back run, cruising along at a 5min/mile pace.

This race for me is a big disadvantage because of the long swim. I did go into the race thinking I would try to swim hard and follow with a fast bike. I sprinted at the beginning of the swim and got into a decent pack which I held onto throughout the swim. A few times I had to sprint to stay in the paceline, which was just fine with me, since we were moving at a good pace (and I wasn't leading). I am getting better at taking a breath every four strokes on the sprint, which is helping me a lot. Also, I stop kicking to preserve the legs for later in the race. I didn't start kicking until the end, where I opened back up and sprinted in. Probably my best swim at a tri to date and felt really fresh going into T1. I had a good bike. I rode hard, but I got passed by my AG competitor at shoreline drive and I really needed to stay with him. I am kicking myself because I know I could have stayed with him - I just needed to ride harder. I could see him throughout the run, but could not reel him in, despite a hard charge the last two miles. I felt hot on the run and really didn't have a fast run, but I'll take it. I think it is all a result of the heavy training the last few weeks, with many hours on the bike. The most important race is July 22.

Some fast times the next day at the 1/2 iron race. Almost all of my team mates had PRs. My biggest AG competitor for Lake Placid (that guy from Quebec) put in some blazing splits and won the AG with no competition. It's motivating me to reanalyze what I need to do for Placid. I'm not concerned with the swim, but I need to get faster on the bike and still have a great marathon.

Anyway, a light couple of days and back to it tomorrow. Here's the splits from the race:

Swim (1mile) - 24:52, Bike (27+mile) -1:15:03, Run (10K) - 40:24, Total - 2:23:00

Back Online May 25th

Hope everyone's IronMan training is going well. A large number of athlete's at Walden Pond this morning at 5:30am. I know some are training for Coeur D'Alene in June, which I plan on in '08, but most of us are training for Lake Placid. It feels great to be swimming open water again.

I'll summarize the last couple of weeks: allergies, sick, 2 hours a day each day on the trainer with the cold, rainy weather, stress, not much fun. My coach is telling me to cycle 350 miles a week. A distance I have yet to reach (mostly in the mid-200s), but now that the weather looks like it's going to be decent for a stretch, I think I can come close to that mileage. Last weekend was the Lion's Sprint Triathlon. Any race that starts with the word "sprint" is not going to be a great race for me, but I managed 3rd in my AG not far behind some pretty quick guys.

Swimming is going well. I've ramped down my swimming lately, but the 5 days a week over the winter has really paid off. I think I have made it over the hurdle, finally. I am also trying to keep my running fitness and still improve on speed, but I will continue to concentrate on the bike. It is my best opportunity to shave off time the IronMan.

Race Schedule is:

June 2 - Mooseman International Distance, Bristol, NH
July 1 - Patriot (Inaugural) Half Iron, Freetown, MA
July 22- IronMan Lake Placid, NY

I am doing things different this year, doing different races and distances. I want to keep this sport interesting and the best way to do that is to mix up the races. The coach's theory is: rather than doing the Mooseman 1/2 and taper/recover, instead do Patriot and not taper, then I can recover and taper for the IronMan at the same time. The schedule also has fewer races, so I can focus on the primary goal and get to race in Kona this year.

This weekend is the "Sufferfest" 55mi bike + 6x1mi on the track at 6:00 pace (or faster) with 30 second rest. I think we'll be doing a post ride of maybe 25. It should be fun. It will be nice to get out and train with some of the local pro-athletes.

Anyway, evrything is going well. I had a massage yesterday and feel good, although the transition to heavy biking from marathon has had some small impact on the legs.

See you on the road,

-Kyle

Epic Training Weekend

I'll keep this post short. Here it is: 10 A-team triathletes, one weekend of training.

Friday Workout Day #1: 5600 yds swim, 56 mile bike, 4.3 mile run.

Saturday Workout Day #2: 3000 yds swim, 100 miles bike, 1.25 mile run

Special thanks to MD for making this happen. We were on a roll. For me, Sunday was the NE 10K championships in Groton. I managed to run okay, even after the intense days of training. It did feel a little bit like a run off the bike, but all things considering, I'm happy with it. I'm not sure I will ever race again 13 days after running a marathon.

I did a short spin (1/2) this morning and already swam 2500 yds. I'll finish the day off with 1/2hr easy running. That's called a recovery day.

I feel good. It's amazing I did that much cycling without any reaction from the body. I'm still a little tired though, so tomorrow may be moderate also. Next Sunday is the NE 5K championships in Westford. I'm hoping to PR, but don't want the race to get in the way of the IronMan training.

Get out on the bike everyone!

-Kyle

Post-Marathon "Noodle" Week

The recovery week has gone pretty well. I managed to escape my 24th marathon without any issues. I went for a massage on Friday (I'm finally doing things right this time) and that was the end of any signs of the race. Not much to speak of this week. I call it the "Noodle week" because even though I did some stuff this week, it didn't really amount to anything - some light running, spinning and 30 mile ride on Saturday morning. I even managed to "blow off" my 5 mile run later Saturday morning - see, there is still hope! Although, I struggled, wasn't even sure I could do it! Thought I might have to run later in the day, but I managed to keep from doing it. Took the ENTIRE day off on Sunday. Just enjoyed the beautiful weather on my deck, without worrying about being carried off by mosquitoes. Three hours of yardwork later on killed any need to do any training that day. I think the lousy weather really took the desire to do any real training last week. I made up for it by eating barabecue ribs, ice cream, all-you-can-eat chinese buffet (they lost money on that one), the typical post race loss of discipline, but that is now out of the system and I'm back to reality. I really hope this weather will stay with us for a while, we've definitely earned it.

Some quick stats and recap of Monday:

2:53:11

We did score 4th masters, results finally corrected: 4. B.A.A. 8:36:39 (Bell, Bowers, Nerrow)
24th marathon, 11th straight Boston

PR by 5:15 seconds, Boston PR by 9:19 - almost ten minutes!!!

Some folks have asked if I think I can get faster at 41. I think I can go much faster!!

I hope everyone had a good noodle week. The training has already started again today. I am back on the bike and need to go for my run now, spring swimming session resumes tonight.

Next stop: IronMan Lake Placid July 22, 2007

I am ready to train at a higher level than before. I am going to train my head off!

I want to win this race!! No Secrets!

Back to it!

-Kyle

Race Report - The 111th Boston Marathon 2007

You may have seen one of these lime green shirts over the bridge at 128. The cheering section was pretty hard to miss. Even a fellow BAA teammate cheering on noticed all the green shirts and asked, "Are you guys cheering for Kyle Bowers?"

I would first like to thanks my wife, who shuttled 1/2 dozen athletes to the start and picked us up at the finish. My family, friends, MRC teammates, BAA teammates and everyone that has supported me over the last year. I sit here writing this with a Guinness in my hand, and boy does it taste good.

I would also like to congratulate my BAA and MRC teammates who ran. The times are unbelievable! I will definitely have to get faster next year.

Here is the report: I saw BAA coach Jeff on the way to the village and he said he had heard a report that there were bands of showers coming through. Just as he said that, it began to downpour a very cold rain. I opted for the long sleeve coolmax, my hat and gloves. The plan was to keep everything dry as long as possible. The race shoes and socks went on seconds before the start. In the corral, I dropped one of my gloves in a puddle while lubing, before I could grab it a squeeze the water out, someone picked it up and threw it away. The gun went off and I was quickly warm, wishing I had gone with the coolmax tee. As always, off to quick start - first 5k was 6:22 or something. It's aways fast coming down the hills, it's just going to happen. It felt so good to be running! The two days off before the race; the first day my legs were tight, the second day was worse. I guess I'm just not made to stop! I spent a lot of time soaking and messaging - to try to losen them up. Race day everything felt great. I even got some sleep with the wind and rain pounding the side of the house. Anyway the first half felt like nothing and I went through at 1:24 and change. I was hoping to sustain that pace throughout, but I knew I would lose time in the hills. I got whipped with some wind and rain up the first hill, but I could feel the conditions getting cooler and windier going up Heartbreak. From there on the headwind was tough, it's going to slow you down. It's in your face, there is nothing you can do. I was on target for 2:50 and I know I have it me, but this year wasn't the day. It was starting to look like 2:52. I also started to feel a cramp coming on the last three miles. I tried to keep from lifting my right foot high on the kick and just turnover as fast as I could. My nightmere of my calf seizing, but of course that didn't happen and I finished strong.

Here are the stats:

Finish: 2:53:11

I scored 2nd for the BAA masters, behind my talented teammate Mark B. - check out his race report: http://runfastermaster.blogspot.com/

Why aren't we scored as the fourth masters team?? Does anyone know?

1st Local runner Acton/Boxborough

468th Overall

438th Gender

70th Division

14th Massachusetts Master

I hope everone had a good race and are satisfied. You never get ideal conditions in New England. There is always some curveball thrown at you. This year was advantage us, because we've trained in lousy conditions all winter and are mentally prepared for it.

I'll be checking the other bloggers to see how things went - Michael?:

http://love2runcanada.blogspot.com/

Anyway, I am ready to get faster as a runner, but next stop is the:

IronMan Lake Placid July 22, 2007

I am hoping for the same type of performance at IMLP as I had at Boston. For me it's all about the bike. Training resumes in one week and as you have guessed, it will go to the next addicted level.

Bottoms Up!

-Kyle