TCS New York City Marathon · Sun Nov 5, 2028

Road to Sub-4:00

Issac's two-year build: from a 2:36:43 half marathon (Staten Island, Oct 11 2026 — in the rain) to sub-4:00 over 26.2 miles through all five boroughs. Eight phases, one rule above all: the easy days stay honestly easy.

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Days
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Hours
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Minutes
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Seconds
Current VDOT 26.4 Goal pace 9:09/mi Safety floor sub-5:00 Max HR 180 · Easy 108–126 Now: Base 1
0%
of the journey done

Oct 13, 2026 → Nov 5, 2028

01

This Week

Where the plan stands today, figured from the calendar. Tick sessions off as you do them — your progress is automatically saved in this browser's local storage so it's right here next time you open the page.

Phase 1 · Base 1
Week 1
On the plan

    Switch browsers or devices. Your checkmarks save automatically in this browser via local storage. If you want to open this page in another browser or on another device, export your progress into a small file (or copy the text) and import it over there.

    02

    The Eight Phases

    Two years, eight blocks. Base, race, rebuild, peak — each phase re-tests fitness at a race and re-anchors the paces for the next. Tap a phase to open it in the plan explorer below.

    03

    Plan Explorer

    Phases 1 and 2 are written out week by week, every session. Phases 3–8 run on weekly templates with key sessions — the detail gets written as each block approaches and the paces are re-anchored.

    04

    Training Paces

    Daniels VDOT paces, per mile. Today's fitness is the VDOT 26 row — every race moves the number, and the paces follow the fitness, never the calendar.

    VDOTEasyMarathonTempoInterval

    The VDOT Climb

    26.4 today → 38 on race day. Each step is earned at a checkpoint race, not assumed.

    05

    Race Calendar

    The 2027 season doubles as the NYRR 9+1 campaign — nine qualifying races plus one volunteer shift in 2027 earns the guaranteed 2028 marathon entry. Two half marathons are already registered.

    06

    The Rules

    Nine rules that don't change across two years, eight phases, and every temptation to do more.

    07

    Race Day — Sub-4:00

    November 5, 2028. The fitness gets built for two years; the race itself is an execution problem.

    Pacing: boring on purpose

    Run even 9:09/mi splits from Staten Island to Central Park. The first 5K goes at 9:15–9:20/mi — never faster, no matter how good the legs feel on the Verrazzano. The bridges and the First Avenue crowd are where sub-4 goes to die; bank nothing, spend nothing early.

    If the day goes sideways, the floor is sub-5:00 (11:27/mi) — protect the finish first.

    Fueling: start early, don't stop

    • 60–90 g of carbs per hour, starting at mile 4 — before you feel like you need it.
    • Carry your own fuel; don't rely on what's handed out.
    • Drink to thirst at every station; electrolytes once the second hour starts.
    • Practiced all block long — nothing new on race day.