Here We Go Again

Hot summer days have finally arrived in New York. In typical northeast fashion, we complained this brutal winter, and again during a chilly and rainy spring. Then we were finally gifted a full humid heat wave. I don't mind - I embrace the sun! I appreciate any consistency within a season. Though it definitely means earlier mornings, sunblock, and different gear when it comes to running. 

Somehow, we are here again. Week 1 of NYC Marathon training has arrived. Though it feels like it never stopped, the official-ness of it all certainly has a different feel. Though I'm not following anyone's official plan, my plan is straightforward and based off my past experience, successes, and failures. The focus of my plan has three main components:

1. Base / Step-down week + Increased long run week
2. Injury prevention
3. Room for grace
   

1. Base / Step-down week + Increased long run week

The premise of most marathon training plans is simple. Each week you go up in mileage and the next week you go down. Up and down. For me that base number is going to be 8 miles. This is based off my past experience in terms of feeling 'just hard enough' and length of time running (just over an hour). Why not always up? It's not good for conditioning and repair. Which leads to my next point...

2. Injury prevention

Clearly I'm very injury prone (see: past 10 years of blog posts). While I've been injury free for a full year now (probably shouldn't have said that), I know that my ankles are weakened from past sprains and my IT band will flare up if I don't sequence correctly, properly rest, and manage my shoes. So much knowledge now. Unfortunately nothing I could have learned from a book. It's all very specific to me. This plan will focus on those components to reduce risk as much as possible. With almost certainty, something will happen. It always does. But hey, I can try?

3. Room for grace

Lastly, the third component allows room for error. This should not be confused for lack of effort. But more so the conditions outside of my control. Extreme weather, sickness, etc. It's ok to miss a week or delay slightly. The consequences of making a mistake are much higher than playing catch-up later.

Ok, so what's the grand plan already? Drum roll...

Bosco 2025 NYC Marathon Training Plan (air horn sound)

Week 1: 8 miles (this week!)
Week 2: 10 miles
Week 3: 8 miles
Week 4: 10 miles
Week 5: 8 miles
Week 6: 12 miles
Week 7: 8 miles
Week 8: 14 miles
Week 9: 8 miles
Week 10: 16 miles
Week 11: 8 miles
Week 12: 20 miles
Week 13: 8 miles
Week 14: 18 miles
Week 15: 13 miles (Staten Island Half)
Week 16: 20 miles
Week 16: 8 miles → Taper
Marathon 🎉

There are four big differences in my plan for my third marathon:

The first is that the first 4 weeks (July) are roughly just mimicking what I've already been doing. That winter + spring base I already described. So, July is just about consistency and generally low stakes.

The second thing involves less work (yay!) For my first marathon, I was running a few times a week. A mix of short runs and the big long run. For my second marathon, because I was injured during the bulk of training, I was only running twice a week - short run + long run. This will be the max I will be running for my third marathon. The other stuff I'm doing will support my running - the cycling, CrossFit, weigh-training. Running more is not going to make me a better runner. But running smarter will. 

The third change is pretty big - the introduction of a second 20-mile run. Most beginner plans call for just one 20-miler before the taper period. But as you move into intermediate plans, many experts start to suggest a second one. Why? Your body can handle it. It will provide additional feedback for race day pacing and planning. It can also help build mental fortitude. 

In a similar fashion, the fourth change is more of 'nice to have'. I'm planning to actually run the marathon course as part of my training. I remember thinking it was odd to not touch the course between 2023 and 2024...until that actual day. A full year apart. Of course I had memories of what to expect (and not like I didn't nerd-out to study every detail beforehand), but it's not the same as feeling it with your feet. Especially the part where I struggle most, from mile 21 coming off the Madison Ave Bridge into Harlem, down the 5th Ave big elevation climb, into Central Park, around Columbus Circle to the finish line at mile 26+. That part SUCKS. So I'm going to get really familiar with it. If I can have just an ounce more energy or confidence when I get off the Madison Ave Bridge this coming November, it would have been worth it.

2023: 05:12:08
2024: 04:57:14
2025 Goal: 04:45:00

This goal is extremely tangible. It's the same pacing plan I already followed, minus the giant slow down from mile 22+. And I have about ~10 minutes of leeway to miss my goal but still set a new PR. 

While I don't have any major races coming up until the Staten Island Half in October, I'm participating in my first ever organized cycling event. In just three short weeks, I'll be riding 25 miles along the south shore of Long Island (over a bridge!) in support of the Wounded Warriors organization. While the distance does not scare me, riding next to other bikes certainly does! I have no idea what that feels like from a mental, physical, or even safety point of view. I'll have a bib number, but it's not a race. I'm curious to time myself to see how long it will take me! 

Run in Gratitude

2025 BROOKLYN HALF RECAP: 

It was a whirlwind of emotions throughout the weekend into this current week. And what a weekend it was. Some disappointment, some soreness, but mostly gratitude. Thankful to be alive, not injured, and to have completed the task at hand. 

I've said this before, but this weekend could not have been a better example. Training does not equal race day. Race day is out of your control. This will sound harsh. This year's Brooklyn Half was probably the worst race I have ever run across any distance, location, or year. Yes, even more painful then both full NYC Marathons. 

The biggest factor at play was quite simple - the weather. The Brooklyn Half has had notoriously bad weather for the past few years. This was my 4th time running it and it has gotten worse each time.

Regardless of experience level, most runners (in the Northeast anyway) have been training in winter or mild temps. Similar to the NYC Marathon, most runners are doing the bulk of their training early morning - not mimicking the later start time of this race. On top of this, climate change has accelerated temperature increases. We've had a few unusually hot days already this spring. Lastly, the historical Brooklyn course is not favorable. The humidity in Prospect Park has runners in a chokehold for the first half of the race and the blazing sun upon black pavement on Ocean Parkway offers no relief for the second half of the race.

And the strange part is - I didn't even see any of this coming. Though I should have. I was beyond well-trained. Mostly well-rested. Nutrition on point. And in good spirits at the start. I studied my pacing plan well to hit my PR goal of sub 2:10 (hoping for 2:07). 

My wave and corral also felt like a big disadvantage. As wave 3, I had a later start than others. Then I experienced a big bottleneck of runners through mile 1 - crowded and extra hot. Though I was immediately suffering, I WAS on my target pace for miles 2-4. In the park, there's a sizeable hill to climb between miles 5-6 where there happens to be the most foliage and tree coverage (extra humid). That's where my pace took went off the rails going from a 9:21 to 10:49. I didn't panic yet, knowing the hill was going to be hard and that I had built in extra buffer time for this. But by the time I exited the park around mile 7...I knew there was no saving it. My pace then continued to plummet - 10:41, 11:13, 11:19. Then I received an alert on my watch from NYRR that a 'dangerous course' advisory has been issued (Ok, well at least I wasn't crazy).

I had to make a mental choice on how to handle the disappointment. I decided to "give up" and start having fun. I danced to spectators' music, I high-fived little kids, I smacked "power up" Super Mario signs, I took a sip of Drew's beer. I used the water stations as little 20-second walking pit-stops to recharge and say thank you to the volunteers. Brooklyn vibes were on point this year. While the race was the worst one I had ever run, the crowd support was inspiring. Strangers, taking time of their day. Celebrating their neighborhood and different cultures.

That was A LOT about me. I wasn't alone! There were over 20,000+ runners with me. Big and small. Black, white, brown, and everything in between. Old and young. Experienced and just getting started. Slow and fast. My people - just like me. With this burning, unexplainable calling. We are never satisfied. 

Rob ran as well (and happy to report that he also suffered, at least I can find solace in my competitive nature). I also tricked (I mean pushed) two newbies to enter the lottery this year on the premise that they'll "never get in". "Oops I did it again" - they got in. My coworker Caroline and my good friend Rebekah tackled their first official Half. While I ran my own race, I found joy in sharing parts of the experience with them, and proud of their accomplishment. There was also a few members of the Milltown crew!

Lastly, in addition to the crowd support, I had some pit crew help along the miles. While I didn't need any supplies this year (wow...I'm experienced now!), I certainly needed the support. And the beer at the end. Don't forget the beer. After, we all celebrated together in Coney Island with hot dogs, oysters, and clams.

Later in the day, I found out about some of the suffering of my people. Similar to past Brooklyn Halfs, there was an extremely tragic death of a young man. Bad news continued to pour in about several ambulances, cardiac issues, collapses, dehydration, and a mental breakdown.

With an official 2025 finish time of 2:18:30 (vs. my PR of 2:10:59 in 2024), I've come to the reality that I'm probably never going to PR this course again. The first thing that popped into my head when I finished was exactly that: I'm no longer going to chase a PR on this course. I'm simply "done". This will always be my favorite race, but I think I'm going to start enjoying it from mile 1 in the future. And simply run in gratitude. 

Attack the Half

Woah it's been a hot minute since my last post. I'm currently on a plane to San Juan, Puerto Rico - a dream trip for me. I've been wanting to come here since the first time I heard a trumpet wail or a reggaeton beat drop. Puerto Rico is music. And I am music. 

We wanted to come here for our honeymoon, but couldn't afford it. 12 years later, we still can't afford it! But through status, points, companion passes...we finally made it happen! But now instead, it's a family trip, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I started my day with an 8-mile pre-vacation run back at home. I've been keeping up heavy mileage since my November marathon running anywhere between 8-13 miles long-runs each week + one short run. This is an incredible advantage as I head into spring, with the Brooklyn Half around the corner. 

And, I've been feeling really good. My pace has improved since my 2024 ankle injury. Some days are slow and steady, other days I'm able to experience my pre-injury pace again. 

While 2024 was absolutely the year of PRs, 2025 has not been so far. I'm doing much better in training than the actual races. Many of these recent races have been brutally cold and on little sleep. I ran the NYRR Washington Heights 5K in early March, which happens to be my 5K personal best. But I couldn't hit it this year. I tackled the uphill amazingly, but couldn't get enough speed on the downhill which is odd - I was about a full minute off. 

2025 might be the year of maintenance and level setting for me. 

BUT: I do think there is hope for two distances in particular - the Half and the Marathon. The shorter distances require such effort for such small change, essentially an all out sprint. The longer distances provide more opportunity for small improvements over time. 

I'd like to really attack my Half time this year. 

I'll have two opportunities - Brooklyn (May 17) and Staten Island (October 12). I wasn't satisfied by my marginal PR in Brooklyn last May. I trained so much better than what actually happened that day (same old story). 

This year I'm trying something new. I'm currently in a "plan" to overtrain a bit to 15 miles and a longer two week taper. This avoids doing the last long run just 7 days before the race, and bumps mileage up past the 13.1 that I actually need to run for the Half. We shall see the output of this madness!

Additionally, I've been really focusing on weightlifting this winter - being more consistent about CrossFit and utilizing my new YMCA membership. I might have said it wasn't my year for big running PRs, but I've certainly hit a few lifting ones.

Deadlift = 115#
Back squat = 110#
Strict press = 50#
Overhead squat = 35#

The kids have also been active with us. Pietra ran her first NYRR "mini" race in Washington Heights with me. And Giovanni joined the whole gang for this year's local Saint Patrick's race. Dude took like 20 minutes off his time from last year (little legs!) He told me he likes the finish line feeling the best - don't we all buddy. 

Looking forward to getting in a short run to explore old San Juan this weekend. Travel running is the best form of therapy.