If you’re a running nerd like me, you’ve probably heard plenty about the Norwegian method of training. Double thresholds, lactate sensors, and the Ingebrigtsens running circles around the world.
But let’s be honest: while double thresholds are fascinating on paper, most of us juggle work, family, sleep, and a life outside of running. Training hard twice a day just isn’t happening for most recreational runners, even the very dedicated ones.
More recently, a new Norwegian school-inspired training method has been getting impressive results: Norwegian singles.
Norwegian singles training involves running two-to-three sub-lactate-threshold sessions across your week, and making all your other runs easy.
It’s less taxing and time-consuming than doubles, and recreational runners have been using it to level up their training, bust through performance plateaus, and set new PRs.
Let’s break it down.
What Are Norwegian Singles?
Norwegian Singles take the original double-threshold concept and simplify it for runners who don’t have enough time or bandwidth for double sessions or all that threshold running.
Instead of scheduling two threshold workouts on the same day, you spread out two-to-three sub-threshold sessions across the week, then keep every other run easy. That’s the backbone of the system: repeatable quality work, surrounded by relaxed mileage.
For amateur runners, this typically translates to 20–25% of weekly mileage at sub-threshold intensity. You get the same aerobic benefits as more intense sessions, but with far less strain on your recovery system.
Compared to other coaching methods, such as Jack Daniels, Norwegian singles removes much of the traditional intensity variety. Instead of a VO2 max day, a threshold day, and a long-run-hard-finish day, you get two or three moderate but highly controlled aerobic sessions and then lots of easy running.
And compared to the full Ingebrigtsen approach, Norwegian singles skip the time-consuming and intensity of double-threshold days. You still target similar physiological adaptations, but the structure finally fits inside a normal person’s life.
How To Find Your Sub-Threshold Sweet Spot
You may be wondering how fast or how hard you should be running these workouts.
Your lactate threshold is the effort you could race for roughly an hour. This is the point where lactate starts building faster than your body can clear it. For most trained runners, the true threshold sits around 4 mmol/L of blood lactate, though it varies from athlete to athlete.
Sub-threshold, the zone we’re aiming for in the Norwegian Singles method, sits comfortably below that, typically in the 2.5–3.5 mmol/L range. If you happen to train with a lactate meter, that’s your target: stay under the ~4 mmol line and spend the bulk of the workout accumulating time in that lower, steadier range.
For the rest of us, effort and pace are the best guides.
As the name implies, sub-threshold means you’re still below that first rise in lactate, which is the point where your anaerobic system starts kicking in and running shifts from “working” to “grinding.”
This should feel firm and controlled. If the pace feels like it’s tipping toward strain, it is too hard. These sessions should live solidly in the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) 5–6/10 zone—never more than “comfortably hard,” never close to gasping, or something that leaves you wrecked afterward.
A sub-lactate pace is one in which you can still speak in full, but short, sentences.
James Copeland, a runner and cyclist who has spent years experimenting with Norwegian-style training, has written extensively about this approach and his success using it.
He points out that heart rate isn’t a reliable tool mid-workout, and running power is still too inconsistent to anchor a session.
Pace, on the other hand, gives you a steady, repeatable proxy for sub-threshold, allowing you to hit workouts you can comfortably repeat two or three times a week without trashing your legs.
You can think if sub-lactate pace as the aerobic intensity between marathon and half-marathon pace. It sits just below your lactate threshold, so it’s hard but controlled. Fast enough to build stamina without accumulating excessive fatigue.
The exact pace you use depends on your fitness level and the workout structure. Longer intervals or continuous efforts will be closer to marathon pace, while shorter intervals drift toward half-marathon pace.
Why Norwegian Singles Work
The magic of Norwegian singles isn’t intensity, it’s consistency.
Many traditional marathon training programs revolve around one all-out VO2 max session and one super-tough threshold workout each week, plus a long run that often turns into a stealth “tempo” when we end up running them too fast (which most of us do).
Sub-threshold work, on the other hand, keeps intensity steady and manageable. You can accumulate far more minutes at or just below threshold without burning out.
That means more aerobic stimulus, better metabolic efficiency, and fewer days feeling like you fell down a flight of stairs. You finish sessions feeling worked, not wrecked, and that’s the whole point.
Who Is This Method For?
This method is particularly effective for marathoners and half-marathoners, or anyone with a strong aerobic foundation who wants a smarter way to add quality training to their routine.
If you’ve been running consistently for several years and average 50–70 miles per week, you’re likely a good candidate. If you’re a newer runner or are currently building mileage, it’s best to hold off until you have the durability this approach requires.
Where it’s less ideal is for true middle-distance specialists like 800m and 1,500m runners, or fast-twitch-dominant athletes who rely heavily on anaerobic power. Too much sub-threshold work can dull the very system they depend on.
That said, if any runner stays in the sub-threshold lane for too long, they risk gradually losing their top-end speed and neuromuscular sharpness.
A Typical Week Using Norwegian Singles
Here’s what a well-structured Norwegian singles week might look like in practice, along with sample sessions to help you understand how each day fits together:
- Monday: Sub-threshold session: Example: 3 × 10 min at sub-threshold pace with 60-second gentle jog recoveries
- Tuesday: Easy run
- Wednesday: Sub-threshold session: Example: 5 x 6 min at sub-threshold pace with 60-second gentle jog recoveries
- Thursday: Easy run
- Friday: Optional third sub-threshold session (shorter set) or another easy day, depending on durability and recovery readiness
- Saturday: Long, easy run
- Sunday: Rest Day
Run your easy days truly easy, including the long run. This protects your recovery so you can hit your sub-threshold sessions consistently and get the full benefit of the method.
When To Shift Toward Specific Race Prep
Norwegian singles are fantastic during base training or early-season builds because they push your threshold up quickly. But as you get within six to eight weeks of a goal race, it’s time to shift toward more specific work.
For 5K and 10K training, this means adding race-pace intervals and a bit of controlled work above threshold.
Marathoners transition toward longer blocks at marathon pace and lower-lactate aerobic work to improve fuel efficiency.
How To Make Norwegian Singles Work for You
Norwegian singles are an effective way for experienced recreational runners to build a massive aerobic base quickly, without overloading the body with excessive intensity.
But they’re not a year-round solution. Blend in speed maintenance during base phases, transition to race-specific work as your event approaches, and always keep your easy runs truly easy.
No single method works for everyone, but Norwegian singles can be a great tool for creating reliable, sustainable fitness in runners who want to get faster without burning out.
If you are interested in double thresholds, check out this next guide:
