Nothing radical. Just stay healthy, get lots of sleep, gradually increase mileage, take season breaks until you're excited to run again every summer and after xc season, and gradually ramp up target workout paces. Hills will be a crucial ingredient to run a fast time at Van Cortlandt Park, so do not stint on several varieties of hill workout, short, steep hard sprints of 6-8 seconds, walk down; longer 200-300m hill sprints; and circuits with long hills.
For target workouts, think about hitting 5k pace on 5-7x1k on 2 minutes rest, gradually reducing to 1:15 rest as you get closer to target races. These would be good to do on a course that simulates your race course. Good luck and ignore all the other "advice" above.