New York city MARATHON PLANS
Plans based on Pete’s first-hand knowledge from finishing 3rd in the New York City Marathon and many years’ experience coaching marathoners to master the course.
ABOUT THE PLANS
The most important factors for marathon performance are building endurance to handle the marathon distance and improving lactate threshold pace (LT pace) to improve your marathon pace.
NYC MARATHON SPECIFICITY
New York City is the second toughest of the World Marathon Majors (after Sydney) with 810 feet of elevation gain and 5 bridge crossings. There aren’t many long stretches in which you can just tick off the miles and kilometers. Knowing how to run the course can make a big difference to your finishing time. The challenge is to prepare well to run a marathon and to prepare specifically for the New York City Marathon course.
1. ENDURANCE
Endurance is developed through carefully planned long runs and progression long runs to marathon pace that build your capacity to sustain effort over the full distance.
2. LACTATE THRESHOLD PACE
Pete’s plans are designed to raise your LT pace through targeted workouts, including structured threshold sessions, progression long runs to marathon race pace, and two well-placed tune-up races. These sessions improve your ability to run faster for longer — a critical component of marathon performance.
3. RECOVERY
Just as importantly, each plan balances demanding workouts with appropriate recovery - a proven approach Pete has used to guide thousands of runners to personal best performances.
The 14-week training plans range from Level 2 (31-47 miles [50-76 km] per week) through to Level 5 (66–84 miles [106-135 km] per week).
Simply select the level that best aligns with your current training volume and experience.
CHOOSE YOUR LEVEL
Current Mileage:
At least 25 miles (40 km) per week.
Plan Weekly Mileage:
Week 1: 31-35 miles (50-56 km)
Builds to: 42-47 miles (68-76 km)
Plan Duration Options:
14-weeks
Your Plan Includes:
4 runs and 1-2 optional sessions of aerobic cross-training per week
Lactate threshold workouts tailored for NYC Marathon preparation
Progression long runs based on the NYC course and finishing at marathon race pace
Long run stepwise progression from 11-12 miles (18-19 km) to 19-21 miles (31-34 km)
VO2 max workouts including 1000m, and 800m intervals
Hard-easy training pattern with strategically planned recovery weeks to reduce injury risk
A tune-up race of 8K to 10K as a training benchmark
Running drill videos
Pete’s 3-week progressive taper to optimize your energy level for marathon race day
Emphasis on recovery and adaptation to support consistent training
Daily coach’s notes describing each workout and guiding your marathon preparation
Current Mileage:
At least 40 miles (64 km) per week.
Plan Weekly Mileage:
Week 1: 46-52 miles (74-84 km)
Builds to: 53-60 miles (85-96 km)
Plan Duration Options:
14-weeks
Your Plan Includes:
5-6 runs and 1 optional session of aerobic cross-training per week
Lactate threshold workouts tailored for NYC Marathon preparation
Progression long runs based on the NYC course and finishing at marathon race pace
Long run stepwise progression from 12-14 miles (19-22 km) to 19-21 miles (31-34 km)
VO2 max workouts including 1200, 1000m, and 800m intervals
Hard-easy training pattern with strategically planned recovery weeks to reduce injury risk
A tune-up race of 8K to 10K as a training benchmark
Running drill videos
Pete’s 3-week progressive taper to optimize your energy level for marathon race day
Emphasis on recovery and adaptation to support consistent training
Daily coach’s notes describing each workout and guiding your marathon preparation
Current Mileage:
At least 55 miles (89 km) per week.
Plan Weekly Mileage:
Week 1: 57-64 miles (92-103 km)
Builds to: 64-73 miles (103-117 km)
Plan Duration Options:
14-weeks
Your Plan Includes:
6-7 runs and 1 optional session of aerobic cross-training per week
Lactate threshold workouts tailored for NYC Marathon preparation
Progression long runs based on the NYC course and finishing at marathon race pace
Long run stepwise progression from 14-15 miles (22-24 km) to 20-22 miles (32-35 km)
VO2 max workouts including 1200, 1000m, and 800m intervals
Hard-easy training pattern with strategically planned recovery weeks to reduce injury risk
A tune-up race of 8K to 10K as a training benchmark
Running drill videos
Pete’s 3-week progressive taper to optimize your energy level for marathon race day
Emphasis on recovery and adaptation to support consistent training
Daily coach’s notes describing each workout and guiding your marathon preparation
Current Mileage:
At least 65 miles (105 km) per week.
Plan Weekly Mileage:
Week 1: 66-74 miles (106-119 km)
Builds to: 75-84 miles (121-135 km)
Plan Duration Options:
14-weeks
Your Plan Includes:
7-9 runs and 1 optional session of aerobic cross-training per week
Lactate threshold workouts tailored for NYC Marathon preparation
Progression long runs based on the NYC course and finishing at marathon race pace
Long run stepwise progression from 14-16 miles (23-26 km) to 20-22 miles (32-35 km)
VO2 max workouts including 1200, 1000m, and 800m intervals
Hard-easy training pattern with strategically planned recovery weeks to reduce injury risk
A tune-up race of 8K to 10K as a training benchmark
Running drill videos
Pete’s 3-week progressive taper to optimize your energy level for marathon race day
Emphasis on recovery and adaptation to support consistent training
Daily coach's notes describing each workout and guiding your marathon preparation
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Training designed to prepare you for the specific demands of the NYC Marathon course.
Level 2-4 training plans for runners with “intermediate” mileage and experience; and level 5 for high mileage runners with “advanced” experience
Stepwise increases in long run distance and training volume for optimal marathon preparation
Daily coaches’ notes explaining each workout
Hard-easy training pattern with strategically planned recovery weeks to reduce injury risk
Optional cross-training sessions
Easy access to your training plan anytime, anywhere via the Final Surge app
Seamless integration with all major training platforms, apps, and devices, including Garmin, Strava, Polar, Suunto, Apple Watch, COROS, Wahoo, Stryd, MapMyRun, RunGap, and more
Advanced performance insights to track and refine your progress, pace, heart rate, and more
Each plan is available as miles-based or kilometer-based
