Team Running Free Athlete Profile: Mike Bosch
Home Store: Team RF Ajax
Team: Running
Age: 42
Occupation: Registered Massage Therapy Student
Home: Pickering
About me: I have always been a very competitive person in track, cycling, tennis, etc. During several of my adult years, as I tried to forge out a career, it came at the cost of my health. About 5 years and 90 pounds ago I realized that this path I was on needed to change.
Sports: Mostly running. At the moment I'm really focusing on training specificity. That doesn't mean I won't go out for the occasional bike ride.
Athletic Accomplishments: 17:08 for 5km at 2010 Sporting Life 10k race.
34:55 for 10km at 2010 Sporting Life 10k race
1:20:48 half marathon at 2010 Chilly half-marathon race.
1:55:42 for 30km at 2010 Around the Bay.
2:48:30 for the 2010 Mississauga Marathon.
Athletic goals: To have fun while attempting a perfect race. You know when everything comes together; the training, body health, race day weather and race day execution of strategy.
For 2010 I'm looking to go sub-2:50 for the full, sub-1:19 for the half, a gold Bay (sub-2:00), and sub-17:00 5km.
My most catastrophic racing experience was: The 2004 Around the Bay race. This was 3 months back into running and 3 months into a marathon program targeting the Ottawa marathon. I was running too fast for someone who had been so inactive for such a long period of time. My calves were becoming increasingly tight with each long run and hill workout. It got to the point that the day of the Bay race, going down the very steep hill that leads to the Valley Inn Road uphill, I felt something was wrong. It wasn't until after the uphill when I was running the last 3.5km to the finish that I felt the excrutiating pain that would turn out to be a tibial stress fracture. It left me deep water pool running 4 days a week for almost 4 months.
My most memorable racing experience was: The 2009 Good Life Toronto Marathon has to be my most memorable. You always hear coaches telling you to not go out too hard in the first half (21.1km) but most of us never listen. Well, this fall, after a rough finish in the Buffalo marathon (May 2009), I decided to listen to my coach and pace PROPERLY. I did and had a great 2nd half and finished in 2:56 which was a 12 and a half minute personal best.
Even better was the fact that I felt great at the finish.
Favourite footwear, clothing, or equipment: Shoes: Mizuno Wave Precision, Mizuno Wave Rider and Mizuno Wave Elixir for training
Racing Shoes: Mizuno Wave Ronin2 (wicked fast flat!)
Favourite race: Around the Bay
Favourite race food: Training: GU2O or GU gels, 7Systems supplements
Racing: GU Roctane and Saltsticks
