Training Like The Ingebrigtsens
Last winter I found myself burnt out with running. After hammering away at 100-mile weeks for a few years, and seeing my progress plateau, I was on the verge of quitting.
That’s when I came across a book called “The Easy Interval Method” by former Dutch 5000m champion Klas Lok. Lok’s system called for daily easy intervals, frequent racing, and a big reduction in volume.
I tried it out and ended up running a 4:05 mile (huge lifetime best), rekindling my passion for training. You can read all about that experience here.
As my time training under EIM came to a close, I realized something important – I was having a blast testing the limits of a new training system. While I was tempted to continue the EIM method that had worked very well for me, I was more excited about the prospect of trying out a new method.
So, I decided to train like the Ingebrigtsens.
Marius Bakken and the Origins of the Norwegian Method
Jakob warming up for the 1500m at the ‘22 World Championships
The “Norwegian Method”, originally developed by Marius Bakken, is a system that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years due to international success of three of its disciples – Henrik, Filip, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Their father, Gjert, should be credited for successfully implementing this system as the almost lifelong coach of the three brothers.
Bakken, Norway’s top distance runner in the early 2000s, noticed that he ran his best races off the blocks of training that focused on high-volume threshold work and high mileage. When it came time to focus on more intense interval work, his performances would plateau and regress.
So, he decided to buck the conventional approach of his time; one that emphasized pace specific reps and lots of high intensity running. Instead, he went all in on what he thought worked. Thus, the Norwegian formula was born:
Double threshold sessions (AM and PM) twice a week, with a more difficult session of hills or track intervals at mile/800 effort on the weekend: A 1,500m-10,000m approach with a heavy emphasis on lactate threshold work. Bakken ran personal bests of 7:40 for 3k and 13:06 for 5k in 2001-2004. He also finished ninth and twelfth at the 2001 and 2005 World Track and Field Championships.
How it Works
The Norwegian Method is built around the principle that a runner’s primary goal in training should be to maximize the amount of time they run at or just under their lactate threshold.
Bakken notes that in his era, many runners considered the goal of lactate threshold training to be running exactly at “threshold pace” for the duration of the run. Bakken, however, felt that this would inevitably lead to a runner exceeding that threshold for much of that run, diminishing both the effects of the workout, and the amount of time one could spend training at such an intensity.
So, he preferred to stay comfortably below it. If his threshold pace was, say, 4:50, he would do repeats at closer to 5:00 pace to ensure that he wasn’t accidentally tipping the scales.
In the Norwegian system precision is key; they don’t “guess” lactate levels, but instead test frequently throughout a session to ensure that they are staying under.
While speed, hills, and strength are still present, their development is considered an ancillary goal of the program. The one-a-week mixed sessions are typically more intense than the threshold sessions and are important for exposure to the specific demands of middle-distance racing.
Why I Chose the Norwegian Training Method
Coming off of EIM training I felt faster than ever. My form was great, and I was running 13 seconds for 100m strides pretty comfortably. If there was any drawback for me it was that my endurance had seemed to take a hit (I tried a few longer races/ pacing jobs indoors that did not go well.)
So, I wanted an approach that would prepare me for the 5000m without sacrificing the speed gains I had made over the winter. The Norwegian style was a perfect fit.
While there are countless resources to learn about the Ingebrigtsen training all over the internet, this review is intended to help adapt the program for the sub-elite runner. The one who works, lacks professional resources or time to recover, has a social life, and enjoys the occasional life splurge.
Basically, anyone who doesn’t have the training, racing and lifestyle opportunities those three do.
P.S.: If any of the Ingebrigtsen’s are reading this, I’d love to talk about signing the three of you to Elmwood Athletics. I know Nike and Norwegian Television could not match our offer.
How I Made the Ingebrigtsen/ Bakken Model Work for Me
The Norwegian method required me to be thoughtful, intentional, and disciplined with how I structured my training.
The first thing I should mention is that I did not use a lactate monitor. I know that I said precision was a key part of the Norwegian system, but I also said this article is for the everyday runner. For me, it wasn’t practical to prick my blood every three minutes on a workout. So, I went by a combination of feel and heart rate.
I train at 6000 ft, and frequently run on a dirt loop. So, determining a threshold pace based on my sea-level track PRs wasn’t going to work. Most of the time I was pretty conservative with my paces. As I mentioned before, in the Norwegian system, being slightly under the threshold is OK, but going over can hurt the session.
A second adjustment I made was on account of the lifestyle differences between Jakob Ingebrigtsen and myself. My training doesn’t consume my life 24 hours a day, and I don’t have the talent, resources, and time for recovery that they do. So, I knew I couldn’t handle the same threshold volume those guys do.
Personally, I aimed for about 13-14 kilometers (about 8-8.5 miles) of threshold on Tuesday’s and a similar amount on Thursday’s if I did a double session.
Realistically, I knew I could not complete a double-double every week. Instead, I aimed for consistently hitting double sessions Tuesdays, and granted a little more flexibility with my session(s) on Thursday. 800-1500 pace stuff was for Saturdays, and with supplemental speed stuff built around the demands of those three anchor days.
Norwegians love In-N-Out? Double-Double 2 x per week…
What Were the Results?
Finish line at the ‘22 Bryan Clay Invitational
Well, to put it simply: I had a lot of fun and the results exceeded my expectations.
I could feel myself shaving seconds of my 5k pr every breath of a double threshold day. There were plenty of days that I felt pretty tired, but I rarely felt that I was on the edge of overtraining.
On occasion I would feel incredible no matter the day's work.
1500m and 5000m Breakthroughs
On paper, I made some pretty big jumps, primarily in my target races of the 1500m and the 5k:
1500: I ran an altitude converted PR of 3:45.4. This was a PR by 6 seconds. For those who raise their eyebrows at altitude conversions (I don’t blame you, I don’t really count them either) I did run 3:48.71 in one sea level attempt on a double. This was still a 3 second PR.
5000m: 14:02.74 at sea-level, a PR by 20 seconds. This might have been the race of my life up to this point, and probably the result that gave me greatest confidence in this training method. The 5000m is a race that I felt I had consistently underperformed at on other training methods. Finally having this massive breakthrough at the distance, despite doing no long runs and reducing my total volume substantially, was a big eye opener. The way I felt in the race was eons better than my 14:22 PR from a year ago. I’ve always loved coming from an under approach when aerobic endurance is high enough (race the 1500m a lot while doing tons of LT work). It makes the 5000m feel pretty relaxed for 2000-3000m. I raced 3:50-52 for the 1500 at 4800-5300 ft of altitude three times, in different weather, so coming through in 4:12 at the 1500 on a perfect LA April night felt pretty relaxed.
Training Stats
Duration: 8 weeks
Average Weekly Mileage: 82.5
Long Run: 71-77 min (10 miles) Usually these were run at a jogging pace of 7:25-7:45 pace. Twice I ran these at 6:50-55 pace.
Easy Runs: Typically 7:30-45 pace
Lifting: Usually hit 1-2 per week
Average LT Pace: This varied quite a bit. LT was more of a “state-of-being” for me, as opposed to a specific pace. For example, if my LT session consisted of 400m repeats, the pace was faster than it was on 2k repeats, despite the general effect of the sessions being relatively similar. The interval paces generally progressed throughout the 8 weeks.
Common paces: 4 x 2k on track in 6:40 (~5:20 mile pace) w/2 min rest. 15 x 400 on track in 72.5 w/45 sec rest. 5 x 1k on track in 3:15 w/1 min rest. I have lived and trained at 6,000+ft for seven years. I think 2k reps up here are worth 15-20 seconds to sea level.
Sample Week With No Races
M. AM - 60 min easy + 5 x hill sprints, flat sprints, or strides
PM - 30 min easy
T. AM - 4 x 2k at LT w/2 min rest + 3 x 100
PM - 15 x 400 at LT/10k w/45 sec rest
W. AM - 60 min easy
PM - 30 min easy
Th. AM - 4 x 2k at LT w/2 min rest or 8 x 1k at LT with 1 min rest if no double session
PM - 5-6 x 1k at LT/10k with 1 min rest if double session
F. AM - 60 min easy + 4 x 100m
PM - possible 30 min double
S. AM - 14 x 200 hills
Su. AM - 70-75 min easy or steady
Race Week Alteration:
Thursday Workout: 3 x 200 in 30, 4 x 150 in 21
Racing Log
This part of the article is basically just my racing log (including random ramblings and stories about the trips.)
If you’re just here for info about training, feel free to skip this section :)
Nielson 2 mile (Did Double Workout Tuesday and Workout Thursday) - 9:44 (0.06 faster than I ran in December). Trail 2 miles with a U-Turn at altitude. To put it in perspective, Justin Chaston has the record at 9:35 and he made the British Olympic Team three times in the 3k steeple with an 8:23 PR….granted he did it when he was 42. Joe Gray has attempted it many times and has a best of 9:37. Joe is the best American trail runner and has run 28:18 for 10k on the track. I’m sure those guys could’ve run faster but those are the standings.
CSU Pueblo 1500 - 3:50.06 at 4,800 ft altitude - converts to 3:45.4 on everyone’s favorite NCAA conversion calculator. Perfectly paced race in good conditions. Finished 4th. Think my splits were 44, 61, 61, 61
CSU Pueblo Spank Blasing 1500 and 800 - 3:52.38 at 4,800 ft altitude - converts to 3:47.8 on the calculator. Felt a little sick and no rabbits. Finished 3rd. Closed in 58.0. 800 - 1:58.73…Rough. This meet was one week after the last CSU Pueblo 1500
CU Invite 1500 - 3:52.58 at 5,300 ft altitude - converts to 3:46.9. Finished 2nd. Splits - 44, 62, 64, 60. Windy. Slower times across the board today
Bryan Clay 5k - 14:02.74. Splits - 2:48, 2:51, 2:52, 2:49, 2:40. Last 1600 in 4:22. Last 400 in 60.1. Perfect conditions and incredibly fast meet. Got out on 2nd. Stayed there till 1600 when I led till about 2600. Fell back to 5th-8th. Closed hard the last 600. Finished 3rd in my heat. The winner of my heat ran 13:59! Brian Fay (Washington) won the whole meet in 13:16. The race was scheduled to start at 6:55 PM. It actually started at 7:30. They even told us to go for a stride while they ran another decathlon 1500 before our race. While I was at the other end of the track, Callum beelined for me to get to the start line. Thankfully, I jogged over and arrived 30 seconds before they shot the gun. They neglected to announce it or anything so two guys missed the start by 3 seconds…criminal for the exorbitant race fee.
Bryan Clay 1500 - 3:48.71 - 4th in my heat. Felt a little dead after the 5k. Sea level pr. This is a good double for me as I have historically been streaky doubling. Splits - 45, 64, 60, 59. Here’s a journal entry I made just after the trip:
Elmwood boys (+ Callum) at the Long Beach State track
The trip was one I’ll never forget. We commuted and toured all over LA, sat in traffic, raced at three different meets, made British-American jokes to no end, and atlas spent the final day at the beach. We stayed four in one room of a quality inn one night and the other 2 nights on the couch/floor of Zev’s friend's house. Callum popped a tire of our rental car the morning of my/UCCS guys 1500 and 5k races. Our plane had a total of 50 seats and was 6 feet tall. The trip home was serene: serious turbulence, hunting for Jeff’s prius at the airport lot at 11:15 pm in the cold (we planned to drive it home for him because he flew in and out of different airports), and the true beauty of this sport…
The races were purely magical. My senior year of high school I ran a “10:02 3200m, hand timed, on a good day” - Josh Ferenc, my middle school coach/teacher and longtime mentor. 14:02 means I averaged 8:59 through 3200m. My best 1600m in high school was 4:26. Just like the indoor mile race, I am planning to really appreciate this one. The improvement resembles investing in the S&P 500 for the long haul: never linear, but bumpy and possible to find oneself at a higher level than imagined.
While I’m hyper-competitive in anything I pursue and in a state of deep appreciation of the marks I was able to run in the past three months, the real beauty of running is in the experiences, people, and memories. I will never forget this trip to California. Callum and I went from distant friends to lifelong mates. Heck, he even admitted to me he was from a modest town called Doncaster instead of the typical British elitist persona of London. It’s easy to forget a lot of the hard work and planning that went into these results. Being post collegiate, you have to plan/adjust your season and logistical side of it all while working and living life. It took a lot to say the least.
A few examples: coaching during my 2k reps as my 800 guys did their reps or I would start at 5:30-6 AM. One day, I remember waking up at 4:45 am, dead tired from a double threshold, work, life, etc to do 12 x 200 hills before a 12 hour Saturday of coaching in the sun.
Evening workouts. I would always be planning how I could sneak this double threshold in on the indoor track and still spend the last few hours of the night with my beautiful girlfriend. For that, I thank her, The Elmwood Crew, UCCS Track/XC, and mentors for the endless support. We had so many nasty Tuesdays of weather which meant usually a torturous morning session before an evening session on the indoor track. One day I ran all 16 miles on the indoor track - 4 x 2k in the morning and 5 x 1k in the evening because the weather was so bad. Warmups and cooldowns too. My brain is scrambled to say the least!
Who Would I Recommend This Style of Training To?
I would recommend this training method to many sub-elite/elite runners. I think the principles are fairly universal. A caveat is that volume needs to be adjusted relative to a runner’s background.
A reason I was able to handle some weeks of 82 miles and 5 workouts is because I have strung together 3+ years of seasonally consistent 100-mile weeks, speed work, supplemental work, and a decent holistic lifestyle leading up to this.
While I think many suspect that this style of training is only effective for the “aerobic monster”/ slow twitch types, I believe, perhaps counterintuitively, that it might be even more effective for middle distance runners born with tons of natural speed. Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman would be examples (oh that’s still sour…sorry Jakob).
Doing so much up-tempo work probably helped me maximize my aerobic power without the detrimental effects on speed that come with 130-mile weeks of slogging 8-minute pace.
I would also recommend this style to runners with a big background in speed, or who will use it in conjunction with a block of “speed-focused” training. I believe running like a Norwegian directly following my Easy Interval Method macrocycle was particularly effective.
Lastly, I’d recommend this approach to runners who have a lot of discipline. There are a lot of pitfalls that, if you aren’t careful, could absolutely derail a season. Specifically, there are 3 points of caution I would give during a Norwegian block:
1. Staying on top of reactive, speed work. Being fresh for it too.
2. Discipline with workout/recovery paces. It is crucial to not throw caution to the wind.
3. Weather - With so many workouts, having an indoor track or reliable hard surface in the winter is key
What’s Next?
After completing the Norwegian block and concluding my track season, I spent the summer doing a mix of different things. I took a break, focused on sprint training for 5 weeks, and worked back up to 80+ mile weeks with a conventional approach.
Now heading into the fall I’m targeting some road races and I might look to fit a half in there somewhere. My plan is move forward with a combination of EIM and Norwegian principles, taking the best of what I’ve learned about training and myself as a runner over the past 9 months of experimentation.
