NYRR just announced the Brooklyn Half is to be the largest half marathon in the United States this year with over 26,000 participants. The weather is lining up to be 55-65 degrees with overcast and a little rain—ideal conditions for staying cool and letting it absolutely rip. And that's exactly why patience is the name of the game for a great performance. Here's Bandit resident race coach, Steve Finley's top reasons for staying patient on Saturday.
- The race is bright and early. You’re gonna be up at 5am (probably not when you're used to rising), you're going to be rushing through bag check, into your corral, finding/avoiding your friends. You likely won't get in the warm-up your body needs, so that's what the first three miles are for. They're rolling ups and downs and will get your legs acclimated for the rest of the race.
- The hill at mile 5 in Prospect Park is the real deal. Take it seriously. You should expect it to be tough and you should be okay with your pace slowing down. Don’t be afraid to let people go on that hill—they'll come back. If you push up that hill and you build up lactate, you’re not going to necessarily feel it on the downhill, but it will come for you on Ocean Parkway. Last year, women's winner (and Bandit athlete) Erin Gregoire came off that hill in 5th place and 30 seconds behind the leader... The rest is history.
- The Brooklyn Half has one of the best cheer zones of any race in the country at mile 7. This is when your race should start. Use the momentum from the downhill and the madness of the cheer zone to crush the back half. If you've already expended your energy, those moments can take more than they'll give.
- The last 6 miles are net downhill, pancake flat, and will allow you to get into a great rhythm. You’ll get the most out of these miles and gain the most ground if you were smart on the rolling hills in the early miles. The boardwalk and the ocean air will take care of you. You want to use this to your advantage, not as your survival strategy.
Good luck and godspeed. We'll be at Mile 3.5 / 7 cheering our booties off for ya.
