Training for the Boilermaker

Running the 5k

Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Boilermaker Sunday are my three favorite days of the year, as all three are family reunion days, of sorts.  At Christmas, we drive in from Connecticut (or fly in from Singapore) to celebrate in Utica, eat, exchange gifts, and wonder how all the kids grew so fast from the year before.  I don't think I've ever missed a Christmas in Utica, though if I did, it was rare.   At Thanksgiving, we drive in and celebrate in Syracuse, play touch football, eat, then watch football.  Each year, the kids get more athletic and have started taking over much of the scoring.  I know I've missed a couple of Thanksgivings along the way, including this past one, and while I've always celebrated Thanksgiving somewhere, it's not the same if I'm not in Syracuse with my family.

Many of the Kids Ran That Year

Which brings me to Boilermaker Sunday.  We always enjoy that weekend.  To the best of my recollection, it's never rained.  The race finishes at the brewery, where free draft beer awaits at a party for about 20,000 people.  It's just a great party in the sun.  Afterwards, we always head back to Dave's house for a pool party, food, and family time.  We get varying degrees of participation from the kids, but it's just another opportunity to get everyone together, only this time during the summer.

About 20,000 People at the Finish Line Party

When I was younger, I always wanted to run my best time in the 15k event.  My best time was just under 65 minutes, when I was much younger than I am now.  And there were several times that I ran the Boilermaker without training.  My times definitely were not good, but I could do that when I was younger, as I never thought of myself as someone who would ever be out of shape.  Looking back now, I can't remember the last time I was in shape!

Approximate Time? 8:10 a.m.

The last time I ran the 15k was in 2006, three years after we moved back from our first stint in Singapore.  I settled on running the 5k from then on.  My best time in the 15k since moving back was in 2005, with a time of 1:22:21, or almost two minutes per mile slower than my best time.  In 2004, my time was 1:28.31.  I'll be 52 on race day.  My goal is to try to beat 1:22:21.

With Rachel at the After Party

I'm now in week seven of training.  Now, keep in mind that I'm living in Singapore, where the temperature hovers at around 90 degrees every day, and the humidity makes my glasses fog over whenever I walk outside from an air-conditioned building (or vehicle).  Thus far, in seven weeks, I've run outside three times, but only after dark.  Most of my training will take place in the air-conditioned comfort of a small weight room at our condo on a treadmill.  Thus far, I have not added any uphill grade to the treadmill, which I'll have to introduce at some point given the hilly nature of the Boilermaker.  I've already suffered a couple of hiccups along the way, missing 10 days due to flu-like symptoms and a couple of days due to a sore heel.

We Always Meet at the Same Spot

So how does one train for a 15k when he's over 50 and hasn't run more than 5k in eight years?  I started out the first day trying to run for 20 minutes at 12 km/hr (12 km/hr x .62 mi/km = 7.44 mi/hr).  That would have me finish the 15k in about 75 minutes.  My heart rate was in the 160s that first day of training.  That didn't seem right.  So I did some research, and found that the rule of thumb is to subtract your age from 220 and then train at 50-85% of that number.  85% if you are an athlete, and closer to 50% if you're out of shape.  A quick calculation told me I had to adjust my training downward!  However, I couldn't possibly train at a heart rate of 84.5!  I get there when I walk to the refrigerator!  So I figured, I USED TO BE an athlete (my son smirks when I say that), so I could adjust that up a bit My routine is that I run five days a week, resting on Wednesday or Thursday (depending on my schedule and/or how I feel) and always rest on Sunday.

At the Finish Line

I have been training at 10 km/hr, which would have me finish the race in 90 minutes.  Slower than my goal, so I'll increase the speed once I feel I've sufficiently built up my endurance.  Each week, I try to increase my running time by 10%:

Week 1: 20 minutes

Week 2: 22 minutes

Week 3: 24 minutes

Week 4: 26 minutes

Week 5: 28 minutes

Week 6: 30 minutes

Week 7: 33 minutes

John Must Not Have Finished Yet

I plan to to continue to adjust up by 10% per week until mid-June, then taper a bit until race day.  During week 6, I wanted to do something a little bit differently, so I ran a 20 minute interval session on Wednesday, varying the speed from 8 km/hr up to a maximum of 16 km/hr, or about 9.92 mi/hr.  I'm hoping that breaks up the monotony a little bit.  I'll continue to do one day of intervals, and run outside once per week from here on out.  I'm happy to say I no longer get the warning messages from the treadmill telling me my heart rate is at a dangerously high level for my age!

All Six Murad Siblings at the Finish

I'd like to say I get that "runners high" while I'm training, but I don't.  I'm not complaining though.  I'm getting in shape and listening to a lot of old music, trying not to look at the clock while I run, because I HATE when I think I've been running for 25 minutes and look down to see it's only been 20!

Another Year When Many of the Kids Ran

Looking forward to seeing you at the finish!