2022
People who know me know that running is a big part of my life. It’s painful and enjoyable and horrible and therapeutic all at once! The Brooklyn Half Marathon in particular is the largest half marathon in the United States and this year’s race drew over 25,000+ eager runners. The course is 13.1 miles long, spanning the entirety of Brooklyn, NY’s Prospect Park and ultimately finishing on the boardwalk of Coney Island. The race was on May 19th and I thought I’d share my experience, pre and post-race.
The week of May 13th through May 19th was as rainy a week as we’ve had all year in the city. Sometimes the clouds almost seemed like special effects out of an action movie.
This definitely put a damper on the Brooklyn Half expo which was held at Pier 2 in Brooklyn. It was a foggy, rainy and cold night.
It poured for most of the night, but my friends and I were undeterred. We had a good time at the expo, eventually collecting our race shirts and our race number.
Running takes up a lot of energy, and for a long race like a half-marathon, you need to eat a lot of carbs! Pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread are your best friends leading up to a race. The day after the expo, a few of us went to a local pasta restaurant in our neighborhood called Ornella Trattoria Italiana. On Thursdays, they have many pasta platters at a cheap price.
The pasta platters were a bit small so I took some liberties and tried two plates. When I carb load for a race I don’t worry much about my portion control 🐷
I started with the Orecchiette con Rabe....
....and finished up with the Pasta Arrabiata with sausage and chicken.
After a big Italian meal like this, some refreshing gelato from Gelato and Co. is a perfect dessert!
The night before a big race is an important one. The Brooklyn Half started at 7:00 am so runners need to get to bed the night prior as early as they can. A typical ritual for most runners is to lay out their running items the night before, so you don’t have to rush in the morning.
On May 19th I was up at 4:30 in the morning. I had a quick breakfast, got dressed and got in a taxi to the starting line for the Brooklyn Half. Did I mention it rained all week in NYC? Race morning was no different but you gotta stay positive!
Most runners were smart enough to bring a poncho or dress in garbage bags to keep themselves as dry as possible before the race started.
The race was brutal. Tons of rain, puddles and fighting my own will to not give up but in the end….I broke my best time! My new personal best half is 01:33:45. All the hard work and training paid off!
Even better, my friends also ran their fastest half marathon time!
You have to really love running to wake up at 4 in the morning and run 13.1 miles in cold and rainy conditions! After a race like that, all that’s left to do is celebrate and replenish the lost calories!
I always recommend starting with a cold beer from the Steeplechase Beer Garden.
As for food, Coney Island is an amusement park that has numerous summer food choices. You can get burgers, pizza, ice cream, corndogs and cotton candy to name a few….
But as is tradition for many of the thousands of Brooklyn Half finishers, the food of choice is a Nathan’s hot dog. The original Nathan’s was opened at Coney Island and is still standing tall today.
The menu has grown a bit over the years but, after the race, I typically come in for the basics: crinkle fries and hot dogs!
A hot dog from Nathan’s is the best snack one can have after the Brooklyn Half!
Nathan’s isn’t known for wings, but we were all hungry so we decided to indulge a bit. Hard to decide between buffalo wings and BBQ wings, so why not try both?
At this point in the day, most runners have already been up nearly 12 hours or so. After a long subway ride home and a nap, I went out to a local watering hole called Madam Marie’s. The bar has a beach/boardwalk theme going so it was a very appropriate place to keep a celebration going.
Several drinks and some more junk food noshing later, Sunday finally came. I had been snacking very liberally post-race and my wife and I went for one last indulgence at Chip NYC. This place is known for making huge, rich cookies and there is usually a line to get your hands on these treats.
We tried one of each of the choices the had available: chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip and white chocolate with macadamia nuts. Also two big cups of milk to wash it down. There was also a summery adult beverage involved, purchased at Diamond Dogs in Astoria. At this bar, you can buy specialty cocktails and eat food (or cookies) purchased elsewhere.
Were the cookies worth the 20 minute wait in line? Absolutely.
All in all, the days leading up to the Brooklyn Half Marathon and the snacking afterwards made for a solid week in otherwise dark and stormy weather. Beating your best time is a great feeling and I feel very proud of my efforts. I have many more races on my calendar this year and I look forward to each and every one of the challenges ahead!
Nice to see you participant there . once i regular participate Half marathon . not gain my weight then last 3 year not attend in Dhaka Half Marathon .
