Remember this winter? It was freezing all the time! I ran sporadically and very inconsistently because of my lack of warm weather motivation. Until March, when I realized that I probably needed to up my training into the double digit mileage since the Brooklyn Half was creeping up.
I was officially signed up for a big 2026 race year though, The Brooklyn Half Marathon, Tallin Estonia Half Marathon, Montreal Marathon and the New York City Marathon, so it was time to drop in.
HIT THE STREETS
I ran a few 11-12 milers as well as one 14 in April and started rolling hard with my team on Wednesday mornings for speed work. Manhattan Track Club has around 25 runners who show up for the Wednesday morning sessions and it’s very fun. Painful, but fun. There’s a group of 4-5 teammates who run the same pace as I do, so we rock a flying V during the workout and it’s been a blast. This single factor has ramped up my endurance.
WHERE’S MY BIB
NYRR changed the bib pickup this year, moving it all the way to the eastern side of Prospect Park. Not sure why. It used to be on a pier along the Brooklyn waterfront, and taking the water taxi over was honestly one of the best parts of the experience.
I did get to see my old friend Liz there, who is a NYRR Coach, so it was nice catching up with her over a coffee.
STICK WITH THE PLAN
I’ve been experimenting with food since I started running in 2008. I’ve gone through shrimp scampi phases, years where I made ‘race burritos’, and most recently my steak era. Emily makes a restaurant quality rib eye steak with broccoli and sweet potatoes for me the night before and it could be the perfect meal. I’ve done this now on four marathons and a bunch of half marathons and it always has me full of energy on race day. Do it.
I was asleep by 10pm.
TAXI!
I was up at 4:30am, with no alarm, and psyched to get the party started. Emily woke up with me, made me her signature oatmeal for the road and then went back to bed. Yes, I’m spoiled and quite lucky.
I grabbed my bag of snacks and headed downstairs for my 5:05am Uber pickup.
“What’s in the snack bag, Baker?” Glad you asked. One container of Emily’s oatmeal with honey and blueberries (scheduled for 30 minutes before the race), two bananas because every marathon needs a backup banana and you never know when another runner might need one, Gatorade, and gels.
I went with a car this year because the last two years on the train were complete chaos, despite living one block from the 72nd Street 2/3 station.
I stopped off in FiDi to pick up our friend Jenna who was also running.
ONTO THE FIELD OF BATTLE
We arrived at the entry point in perfect time, 5:45am, giving us a full 30 minutes until bag check closed. I was through security with my snacks and in Corral A by 6:00am.
I got to see my friends Ben, Emily G., Rob, and a bunch of team mates before finding my friends Rowland and D. I’ve been running alongside these guys for 16 years, the ultimate flying V. As the corrals collapsed, we all made our way to the starting line up by the Botanical Garden. The weather felt great, although we all knew it was gonna get cooking on the back half.
Rowland and D. were going to run 1:30, and I wanted to hit 1:25, so once the gun fired we fist bumped and I did my thing.
PHASE ONE, THE STREETS
I really dislike the out-and-back through Grand Army Plaza. The first 1 to 2 miles are always a complete mess with everyone jockeying for position.
You also get a lot of ‘freshman’ runners absolutely hammering the pace and trying to pass the entire field during this stretch, which is honestly pretty entertaining to watch. Bro’s, you still have 12 more miles to go, and half of them are going to be in direct sunlight. Relax.
My pacing was high, 6:18, 6:21 and 6:07 for mile 3. I wanted to be in the 6:30 range to hit 1:25 and not blow up, but here’s the thing, it felt easy.
PHASE TWO, THE PARK
As I was nearing Prospect Park, I could feel the temperature and I was a sweaty mess.
Immediately after hooking the hard right into the park and making my way up the eastern edge I saw my friend Bojana cheering me on! Her husband and my good friend Sweendawg was also running.
I really don’t like this part of the race and never have. It’s a three mile loop that kind of all feels the same, so I just plod along and try and maintain some sort of a consistent tempo. I was pacing in the 6:25 range while in the park… just hanging on for the explosion.
PHASE THREE, THE STRAIGHTAWAY
I fucking love the back half of this race. Most people hate it, but once you get there, all the variables disappear except the weather. At that point it’s simple: lock in, get laser focused, and drop the hammer (intelligently).
I studied Shaolin Kung Fu many years ago, and our Sifu had us look way into the distance, past your goal, when attacking. I do that here as I stare down Ocean Parkway. It’s as if I can see Coney Island and the sea. Mile 8 was a 6:13, maybe a bit fast but I still felt great.
MANHATTAN TRACK CLUB CHEER SQUAD
As I cleared mile 9 in 6:19, I caught up to my teammate and friend Alex. He’s one of the guys I run with on Wednesdays, so I rolled alongside him and we cruised together for a bit. I had my first gel here.
We both knew what was coming next: our team cheer squad at mile 9.5. Avenue M for Manhattan Track Club.
They were absolutely epic.
I kept pushing along knowing that mile 10 and 11 were coming up and mentally, after that things would ease up. I was trying to keep my pacing steady and not fluctuate, and I hit mile 10 in 6:16 and 11 in 6:19, so I was on target and at this point was not in jeopardy of blowing up.
THE BEND
There’s like this slight bend in Ocean Parkway at mile 11.4 or something, followed by running under the Belt Parkway, which signifies… the end is near! I ate my second gel here mainly to unload the dead weight and I really like the Coke flavor. I cleared mile 12 in a 6:17 and was now starting to do finish line math calculations. I wasn’t going to PR, but I was having a great race.
When you take that right onto Surf Avenue, the Parachute Drop, which is where the finish line is, always seems so far away. Such a mind fuck.
I finished in 1:22:58, which is way faster than my goal of 1:25 and a full 4 minutes faster than needed to qualify for the New York City Marathon next year, my main target, so I was pumped!
BOARDWALK BEER BLAST
Walking through the finish in local races is always a blast because I inevitably see friends. A guy that was tailing me congratulated me and thanked me for dragging him along. Then, I saw my friend and teammate Meagan who had finished a few seconds ahead of me. We ran into Ashish and Howie soon after as well! On Wednesday speed workouts I actually pace with these 3 often.
We high tailed it over to Ruby’s on the boardwalk (where I’ve spent many an after party the last 9 Brooklyn Half’s I’ve run) and celebrated with the team. It seemed like everyone had great races.
As the morning wore on Bojana, Sweendawg, Maura, Hannah, Joan, Jamie, and many others came to hang out.
As I’ve mentioned before, The Brooklyn Half Marathon reminds us of the great local New York City running community we have, which is why it continues to be one of my favorite races.
