Training for a Fall Marathon on Brooklyn Streets

Brooklyn has few uninterrupted paths, the sidewalks are crowded, and you will stop for red lights. The longest stretches are the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, where 22 of a planned 29 miles are finished, and the Shore Parkway Greenway. Here is a sixteen week plan.

Weeks 1 to 4: base

Keep almost every run easy enough to talk in full sentences. Four or five days a week, with one weekend long run that grows about a mile at a time. The Prospect Park loop is made for this stretch: car-free, well-lit, and honest about your fitness.

Weeks 5 to 10: strength

Add intensity. Once a week, bridge repeats on the Manhattan Bridge or the hill in Prospect Park. Once a week, a tempo at a pace you could hold for about an hour. Long runs build toward 16 to 18 miles. Strength work twice a week helps you absorb the hard weeks.

Weeks 11 to 13: peak

Your 20 mile runs go here. Link Prospect Park to the waterfront, or run the Shore Parkway Greenway out of Bay Ridge. Practice race day fueling on every long run and take carbs early, before you are empty.

Weeks 14 to 16: taper

Cut volume 20–30% a week and keep a little sharpness. You'll feel restless and half-convinced you're losing fitness. You're not. Sleep more, eat well, trust the work.

A few things only locals know

• Plan long runs past park fountains and bodegas. Brooklyn has no aid stations.
• Jump on a club long run; nearly every Brooklyn club has pace groups, and they make the miles vanish.
• Racing NYC? Rehearse the late bridges. The Pulaski and the Queensboro arrive when your legs are already arguing.
• Rotate two pairs of shoes once mileage climbs; your legs last longer and so do the shoes.

Want it mapped out day by day?

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