Training for the Boston Marathon with over a hundred inches of snow on the ground wasn’t the easiest task, as Boloco’s CEO Patrick Renna can attest. “This has been the worst training season I’ve encountered,” Renna tells BostInno. “During the height of the snowfall, roads were simply not safe to run on.”
But despite our city’s record snowfall, Renna still managed to keep his training in check. Here, the CEO of Boloco and member of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association tells us how he’s been preparing to run his 11th Boston Marathon.
Marian White: Why did you decide to run the Boston Marathon this year?
Patrick Renna: I decided back in 2013 after running my 9th Boston Marathon, that I would run every year that my legs would allow me. I wrote a blog about the experience and had considered 2013 to be the last one for a while after so many, but that day changed my mind.
MW: Being the CEO of a company, how do you find time to train for the Boston Marathon?
PR: I’m an early riser so during the week, I would mostly run in the morning before work. I have a gym very close to my office and would go for a run during lunch. I run all year long, but I have to allow more time during marathon training due to the increased mileage.
MW: How have you been preparing for the marathon over the last few months?
PR: I run three to four days a week, with a long run usually on Saturday morning. I follow a pretty standard training program that I’ve used for several years. I start the Monday after Thanksgiving which is 20 weeks out. It’s all about building up to that long run on the weekend. It starts at eight miles the first week and grows to 21 miles, three weeks before the marathon.
MW: Has this winter’s record snowfall affected your training this winter?
PR: The biggest impact was that it forced me inside on a treadmill more than I would have liked. Most of the sidewalks were not clear and the roads were so narrow and snowbanks so high, that it wasn’t worth the risk of getting injured. Over the past month, I’ve been able to resume my outdoor running. I live in Hingham and on the weekends I’d come into Boston and run part of the course either with the MS Team or friends.
MW: What are your favorite running accessories?
PR: I love wearing my long sleeve marathon shirts from different years. Even in the summer I prefer long sleeves. I run with my smartphone during the week and use the Nike running app and have for years. It tracks my distance, pace and also plays my favorite music playlists. I’ve done over 340 runs with it logging over 2,100 miles and use it as much as I can. Usually on my long weekend runs, I don’t use it, as I’m usually with a group of people.
MW: Can you tell us more about the team you’re running with?
PR: I run for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and have since 2004. My mother has MS and after running my first marathon in 2003 (my first was Boston as a bandit runner), I decided to apply to the MS team. The MS team has approximately 50 runners and it’s been great to be a part of the team all these years.
MW: What are you most looking forward to after running this year’s Boston Marathon?
PR: Immediately I look forward to getting home and having a couple of cold beers with some Chinese food. It’s become a tradition over the past few years. I also look forward to taking a week off from running and just resting my legs. I’m running a half marathon at the end of May in Boston so I do have to get back to running soon after.
