Norwegian Singles Method: Subthreshold Running Kept Simple

by James Copeland, Asha Zimmerman MD (Editor), Marius Bakken MD (Foreword)

A middle aged former time trial cyclist shares his experience in the (sometimes miserable) world of running and the methodical system he used to conquer it. This book shows how he went from a 28 minute 5k to 15:01 and a 2:24 debut marathon.

Ideal for time-crunched runners, this guide provides a sustainable pathway to make the most of your training. Includes sample weeks, load management and pacing guidance from the 5k to the marathon with an in-depth look at the theory behind the philosophy.

Foreword provided by Marius Bakken, the first and foremost expert of what became known as the 'Norwegian Double Threshold" system, this book looks to how you can apply these principles to your own running, whilst taking your own busy life and schedule into consideration.

223 pages, Paperback

Published November 28, 2025

Reviews

[Yan Yi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heard of this method earlier in the year and had spent some time with it, whilst going through the work of reading Reddit and LetsRun. This book is a good consolidation of the idea. I liked the idea, but would really want to have consistent 6 months with it before having any strong opinions.

One thing I learned the most from this book was that my easy runs weren't easier enough; I'm trying to strictly adhere to what the book guides. Considering a newbie to races, the pacing guides were good enough.

That said, my only gripe is that the sidebar/notes sections were way too complex for me to understand today. Hope those sections will click one day for me.

[Ignacio Fernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple pero un libro genial de entrenamiento. Comparto los principios, un gran recurso.

[Gabriel Beltramini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly excellent book about running. Every idea is well put together and organized in a way that makes understanding everything super straightforward. What was before the daunting task of going through forum posts, wikis and Reddit, is now a well formatted and very clear book. Anyone interested in running can learn something from this.

[Kevin Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

succinct description for the fundamental building blocks of good training

A useful breakdown of a different view for the fundamentals for endurance training.

It is written in accessible prose and with personal stories. The integration of short anecdotes and insets from other contributors (other than Copeland) leads to amusing but but helpful meta references to the genesis of Norwegian singles (eg LetsRun forum).

For the training rationale and physiology descriptions, the apt usage of literature citations were informative but not overbearing.

I hope to incorporate the learnings into my own training!

[Thanawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copeland translated and tuned the concept of “Norwegian Double Threshold Training” into actionable “Norwegian Single Threshold Training”. The science part was not that persuasive. The training part was like his own training logs. However, this book provides the most actionable program for NST-integrated marathon plans. Previously, we had Running Formula and Advanced Marathoning. Subthreshold training is going to have its own era.

[timothy m sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, compelling case for run training in a different and more sustainable way. Shame about some slightly iffy graphs.

[Numminummi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brings nothing new to the table while introducing unnecessary complexity like wind and heat impact on pace…

[Louis Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book which summarises and clarifies lots on the NWS method.

[Korey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cycling training concepts applied to running. Simple, but powerful. He takes it to the Nth degree by factoring in shoes, temperature, wind, elevation, etc. Some good stuff in here.