Norwegian Singles Method: Subthreshold Running Kept Simple

by James Copeland, Asha Zimmerman (Editor), Marius Bakken (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.

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2025

Reviews

[Ignacio Fernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.