Congratulations—you’ve made it! Just qualifying for the Boston Marathon is worth celebrating. Oftentimes, as marathoners who enjoy type-A fun activities (like marathons), we lose sight of how epic it is to even be at the start line and have the privilege to compete amongst the world’s best. Throw in the most unpredictable weather each year, and you’ve got yourself one of the most celebrated days in the running universe. Be prepared for the course and know what to expect!
Bakline's Official 2019 NYC Half Marathon course strategy post. For newbies, the headline is:some early hills and sharp turns, a generally flat middle, and a steady uphill final 5K. For those who ran last year, the headline is:more Brooklyn at the start, less Central Park at the end, a hairpin turn, and a basically unchanged middle stretch. Read the full post for elevation analysis and advice on how to tackle the course.
By now, you probably know thatNew York Road Runnerschangedthe courseof its premiere United Airlines NYC Half. (If you didn't, surprise!) The old course was a favorite for many, and for a half marathon in NYC, it had an elevation profile that only the Brooklyn Half could beat. Now, just about the only thing in common between this year's course and last year's is the name of the race. You may be running on some of the same terrain, but you're in for an altogether different experience. Hang on to your energy gels, ladies and gents.
After my first day of medical school in the fall of 2015, I made my way to what would soon become my second home for the next couple of years—a study space we called the Blue Room. It was ratty and rundown, with a row of desks and cubicles under dim lighting and in near-constant dead silence. At the end of my usual row of cubicles, the wall featured a poster of Steve Prefontaine racing at Hayward Field, emblazoned with one of his famous quotes: "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
My college coach still holds a grudge against one of my teammates for asking, "Do you like... make up these workouts on the spot?" My teammate thought she was complimenting our coach in good fun, but the idea that he was just throwing workouts out there with no deeper thought was disconcerting, to say the least. It's a lesson that I took to heart, and still hold to this day: just because you "know your stuff" doesn't mean that you want to prescribe workouts on the fly.
Writing marathon training plans is just about second nature to me at this point. But that doesn't mean that a lot of time, effort, and love will go into each and every plan. So how does a coach know what will work for you? Click "Read More" to see the full post.
