Ten Weeks to Brooklyn Half

Ten weeks until the Brooklyn Half from this weekend. It's Brooklyn's destination race (one of the ones you put on your calendar and say: I'm going to run this).

Over the next 10 weeks, I'm planning to offer you hints, tips, thoughts, etc. as you get ready for the race. Details of the course are still to be posted, though there's no reason to think that the course won't be the same as last year: a loop-plus in Prospect Park before heading out along Ocean Parkway to Coney Island.

Some things to do if you haven't to help prepare for the May 22 race:

*Build out a running schedule, that includes both a gradual increase in both weekly mileage as well as the weekend long runs (for example, if you're running 18 miles a week and your long run is 6.5 miles, build up both over time)

*Target some key, shorter races that allow you to focus on both pace and distance (the Scotland Run, a 10K on April 3, in three weeks, is a good example: Can you run your proposed pace, or do you need to modify your goals?)

*Find other people who are running the Half, and arrange training runs with them. Plenty of organized club runs, and if you're in the park often enough, you'll see some familiar faces.

*Make sure you're familiar with parts of the course. Prospect Park is hilly. Ocean Parkway is flat (and mind-numbing). So arrange to train over both.

*Keep a running log. It gives you a sense of what's working, and what's not.

*Sign up now. The race cap at NYRR races is somewhat arbitrary, so worth locking your entry in now.