How I Took My 5K From 18:30 to 16:56 on Less Than 25 Miles per Week

I took my 5K from about 18:30 to 16:56 while running less than 25 miles per week.

A 16:56 5K is about 5:27 per mile.

Other than occasional strides, my fastest training intervals were right around 6:00/mi pace.

I wasn't hammering 5K pace, doing weekly VO2 max workouts, or running massive mileage.

I was using an approach modeled on the Norwegian Singles method.

We'll call it the Hybrid Athlete Guy Modified Norwegian Singles Method.

Quick disclaimer: Yes, I have good genetics for running, but that doesn't mean you can't learn something from what has worked for me (and lots of my clients).

The "Norwegian method" most people know

If you've heard anything about Norwegian running, you've probably heard about the Norwegian 4×4 workout.

The Norwegian 4×4, four hard four-minute intervals designed to improve VO2 max, is probably the most commonly known "Norwegian method."

It can be a useful workout, but it has very little to do with how the Ingebrigtsens (or any of the elite Norwegian runners/triathletes) train. Very few of them build their training around workouts like that.

The Norwegian model used by the Ingebrigtsens is built around accumulating a high volume of controlled threshold work.

Elite runners might complete one controlled threshold workout in the morning, another in the afternoon, and run a massive amount of easy mileage around them.

And most of their "threshold" work is done at an intensity most of you would consider Zone 3. In other words, the intensity a lot of you are running your "easy" runs at and insisting that it is, in fact, easy and fully conversational. 😂

They use lactate testing to control the intensity and keep both workouts from becoming too hard and stressful. The goal is to accumulate a lot of high-quality aerobic work without creating so much fatigue that they can't train again.

It has worked incredibly well for some of the best runners in the world.

It also makes absolutely no sense for most normal people.

You probably have a job. You might have kids. You might lift heavy 2-3 days a week.

You probably can't train twice a day, take a nap between sessions, spend $10-$15 on lactate strips every session, and structure your entire life around running.

And guess what?

You don't need to.

That's where Norwegian Singles comes in.

What are Norwegian Singles?

Norwegian Singles takes the main principles behind the Norwegian model and adapts them for people who only have time to train once per day.

The version most people now associate with Norwegian Singles was popularized by James Copeland, known online as "sirpoc."

Copeland built his approach partly by studying the training of Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen, Jakob's older brother and a serious runner who wasn't training as a full-time professional.

Copeland modeled his own training around those ideas and eventually took his 5K from roughly 18:50 to 15:01 as a masters runner. He later wrote the book Norwegian Singles Method: Subthreshold Running Kept Simple.

If you want to go all the way down the rabbit hole, this Norwegian Singles guide explains the method and links to Copeland's book, the original forum thread, pace guides, and other resources.

A typical Norwegian Singles week includes 6-7 days of running:

• 3 sub-threshold workouts
• 3-4 genuinely easy runs, with a hard cap of 70% of max heart rate (very easy and slow!)

The goal is to fit as much controlled work above easy pace into the week as you can tolerate, recover from, and repeat.

Quality workouts are done just below threshold. That small reduction in intensity allows you to complete more quality volume at a much lower recovery cost.

The biggest key to making it work is keeping everything else truly easy.

A sub-threshold session might include:

They all stay just below threshold.

Recovery between intervals is ~1:00 standing rest. You accumulate a lot of quality running while keeping the pace under control.

You should finish feeling like you could have completed at least one more interval at the same RPE/pace/HR.

If you're lying on the ground afterward questioning your life choices, you ran too hard.

This will be the biggest adjustment for most of you. Your "hard" workouts shouldn't be nearly as hard as you think they should.

The Hybrid Athlete Guy version

6-7 days of running still doesn't make much sense for many people who are also trying to lift.

I kept the main principles of Norwegian Singles and changed how I accumulated the rest of my aerobic work.

When I was building into the method, I usually completed 3 total sub-threshold sessions per week:

• 1-2 sub-threshold runs
• 1-2 sub-threshold bike sessions

As my body became more tolerant of the running, that shifted toward:

• 2-3 sub-threshold runs
• 0-1 sub-threshold bike sessions

Instead of doing easy runs on the other three or four days, I did most of my easy aerobic work on the bike. Sometimes I added one easy run, but cycling allowed me to build far more aerobic volume without taking the impact of running every day.

When I was doing more Hyrox-specific training, I replaced some easy rides with easy work on the rower, SkiErg, or other machines, sometimes with Hyrox movements mixed in.

The exact modality mattered less than keeping the effort controlled and adding aerobic work without beating up my legs.

Most recently, as I've been coming back from neck surgery, I've been taking a similar approach.

I've just recently switched from 2-3 ST bike workouts per week to 1 running ST and 2 bike ST and soon will transition to 1-2 running ST and 1 bike per week.

Why I like this approach for people who lift

Over the past 2-3 years, the pattern behind most of my running injuries has become pretty clear.

Faster running is usually what causes problems for me.

That might mean shin splints, knee pain, hip issues, or one of those smaller annoying injuries that doesn't completely stop you from training but never fully goes away either.

Threshold running, VO2 max intervals, and speed work all create more strain on the body. That becomes even harder to manage when your legs are also recovering from squats, deadlifts, lunges, and other lower-body lifting.

Sub-threshold work dials the running intensity back just enough to make a major difference.

When I ran 16:56, my threshold pace was around 5:50 per mile. My short sub-threshold intervals were usually around 6:00 pace, medium around 6:10, and long around 6:15.

10-20 seconds per mile doesn't sound like much, but it made all the difference.

For me, it was enough to make the workouts significantly easier on my body while still providing a strong training stimulus.

I could complete more quality work, recover faster, and train consistently without constantly dealing with major injuries or smaller aches and pains.

That consistency matters far more than squeezing another ten or fifteen seconds per mile out of one workout and then losing the next week because something hurts.

What I think the sweet spot looks like

For most people trying to get stronger and improve their running, I think the sweet spot is usually:

• 1-2 sub-threshold running workouts
• 1-2 easy runs
• As much easy biking or low-impact cross-training as your schedule and recovery allow
• 2-3 lifting days, depending on your goals

That still leaves a wide range of possible programs.

Someone prioritizing strength might do 1 sub-threshold run, 2 easy runs, and 3 lifting days.

Someone preparing for a half marathon might do 2 quality runs, 2 easy runs, and 2 lighter lifting days.

The exact balance should depend on your current ability, running history, goals, available training time, and how much impact your body can tolerate.

The Norwegian-inspired sub-threshold work provides the foundation, and other workouts are added when they have a specific reason to be there.

A half-marathon program needs longer runs, half-marathon-pace work, and longer progression-style sessions.

A 5K, 10K, or Mile peak may add threshold, VO2 max, race-pace work, or faster speed sessions as the race gets closer.

Those workouts have a purpose. They're integrated into the program when your goal calls for them instead of being thrown into every week because harder feels better.

The goal is simple:

Complete enough quality work to get faster without creating so much fatigue that you can't keep training.

Capacity Training

I built Capacity Training to plan your running and your lifting together, from your training history, your goals and the time you have to train. Your 5K time sets your training paces, and you can add cross-training like biking or rowing, or switch a run to an indoor bike.

Run faster. Get stronger. capacitytraining.app

Mike