Modifying the Norwegian approach to lower mileage

Yes, you would have to do more "volume". This system has 3 workouts a week instead of 1 interval session. Read the start of the thread, the whole thing is pretty simple

It seems like you're not putting much thought into this. If you do one interval session a week and mostly easy running to get to 35mpw, modifying to sub-threshold for that one day probably won't improve your performances. You're running 17:45, and that is a solid level for 35mpw and only 1 day of intensity. Unless you are pushing your easy runs, this is a very manageable amount of training.

But the idea instead might be to go from 1 to 2 interval sessions (or even 3) with the bulk of them being sub-threshold. Now you have added more quality running to your 35 -40mpw (it should go up a bit with this added workout), and you should be able to handle it because the intensity will be somewhat reduced. It will take some time, but you should see some improvement. Instead of 3 miles of faster than easy pace per week, you might end up being at 6.5-7.

ask coach wizard

You should read the thread. If you are running 7 mins miles for your daily stuff, you are running that way too fast based on your pb. The easy pace talk in my opinion was as important as the easy pace stuff.

I actually disagree with others who say this is all very simple. I think it is once you understand the fundamentals of it, training loads or what one is trying to achieve. But to most runners this concept would seem strange or alien, probably due to contemporary modern and mainstream training literature which is opposite to this thread.

I actually agree it would have made a good podcast or a good training book. In fact if you don't into this thread and commit to it it's already probably more informative than books I have paid $25 for.

Sad to see sirpoc finally come down with an injury, saw this on Strava yesterday. Wish him a recovery if he's still reading this thread.

Anyone know what happened or how long for? Sad to see this, was impressed with almost 2 years with no days off.

He is still running, so far.

He may give an update. If not, best we leave it at that.

Is there any advantage to running a 5k at threshold vs. a threshold interval workout?

Sirpoc says:

" I stupidly damaged my foot when I was drunk and acting half my age the other night in a totally non running related accident."

From seeing sirpoc comments on Strava, I don't think he takes running too seriously and it comes second to enjoying life. Personally I'm glad to see someone enjoy life and put running as a hobby second, I think some people take this thing way too seriously.

So drinking beer was the key and secret to this system after all. I was impressed enough already at progress and results but now I know my Amstel not hurt my 5k time I am total on board.

Very funny but my best injury was crashing my arm and break it at a party as result of drunk many years ago, put me out of triathlon for 3 months. So I raise glass to drunken injury!

Great post. Some people hate on sirpoc and for no reason. He could easily have never shared his thoughts and we'd still be in the dark.

Great post. The impression I get is the dude doesn't even like the attention, I mean the thread/us kinda of made it about him rather than him wanting the thread to be about him. But this is only because people are genuinely interested and can relate to his story. Plus he seems like a good, all round normal dude and not an a**hole. That combined with the other good contributions here with hard work like spreadsheets etc thrown in for free is why this thread is an absolute winner.

Interestingly Kristoffer has started doing something akin to strides. I think he did 6x30s after a workout and has also been using spikes for 200s and for some 400s. Maybe some faster stuff is the “next step” or a way to enhance this approach

Interestingly sirpoc mentioned I think that this system will eventually max out and that speedwork or some hills might be the best way to combine with a longer run to up some TSS on the Saturday, then within a couple of weeks KI started doing that. KI started earlier than sirpoc so probably got there earlier. I personally think perhaps that little bit KI has been doing is maybe the factor that allowed him to break 33 finally in the 10k. That now puts him slightly faster than sirpoc . So maybe that is the difference maker. I don't expect sirpoc will ever break 33 if he doesn't add in some speed work himself. I suspect he will have some disappointing results coming up as I don't now see how he can do anymore. Not that 33 isn't an incredible PB that most of us would kill for, but I think now KI has shown to jump to the next level you should probably take the extra injury risk and include some speed work.

he's worth well under 33 already now. all his threshold training is faster than mine and i run around 32 right now. I think you are right that at some point you hit a plateau where maybe to improve you would need to do more speed work but people tend to underestimate how much they can improve aerobically even for 5k races. I think it can go on for a long time

I do.

I run the exact same workout every day on the same dirt road - in January when I started it was all 200m threshold intervals. It would be a bit hard to recover in 60s - really sucking wind - my thresh paces were about 8 min mile pace which was too fast but I got better pretty quickly.

FF to today and everything I run now is 500m and the thresh pace is 6:30 and a subthresh about 7:10. I alternate fast/slow days by making fast days mostly thresh pace and slow days almost all sub-thresh pace - same distance and reps every day. I can feel like crap some slow days and have never had a fast day that gave me a problem (other than some minor injuries).

I also now generally recover in about 30s but I still take the full 60s as a rest. No more sucking wind for any thresh intervals. In the beginning was doing about 30 mpw now up to 60 mpw (some of that is walking).

My resting pulse has also dropped from 56 to 50 over that time period.

For me these are easier (especially mentally) and more productive workouts than I have ever done in decades of running. Boring yes - but still improving every week and feel like I still have a long ways to go.