The Norwegian Singles Method
It all started with the best ever thread on the worst site on the internet.
What began in July 2023 as a simple comment by Sirpoc, a then-anonymous amateur runner, has snowballed into a movement. One that promises PBs across distances from 5K to the marathon while offering a more sustainable way to train, with less fatigue and fewer injuries.
Some claim Sirpoc has solved hobbyjogging. Whether or not that's true, there's a strong case that most amateur runners would benefit from understanding the Norwegian Singles Method.
Trouble is, the good stuff is buried in a 5000+ comment thread. Half of the posts are trolls or, as one user put it, "some wizard claiming how inefficient this is". Even if you enjoy internet chaos, Let's Run might be the least navigable and most aesthetically cursed site you'll ever come across.
Some attempts have been made to consolidate what's known, but Let's Run and Reddit remain full of questions and confident misunderstanding. People keep asking for a book. This isn't it, but it might get close.
If you want the TL;DR, this isn't for you. But if you're serious about understanding how the method works — and how it might transform your training - follow along as it's unpacked, step by step.
Background
Sirpoc is something of an iconoclast.
He stands apart from other internet-famous runners - there's no YouTube channel, you won't find him on podcasts, and he doesn't offer a £115/month coaching package.
For someone with a 5K PB of 15:01, there's no sign on his Strava of the lung-busting hero workouts that are the staple of most sub-elite training. In fact, if you follow him on the platform you'll struggle to discern anything interesting - there's no trip to Kenya, no hills, no x-factor sessions and even the easy runs are slower than most coaches would prescribe.
If anything, his approach to training looks pretty boring, if not wrong-headed. But he's stuck with it for almost three years - eschewing conventional wisdom and the temptation to implement the latest fad workout.
His results are anything but boring.
At 41 years old, he ran his debut marathon in 2:24:08, having never completed the distance in training.
He did this on a day when most runners blew up in the heat. After a night down the pub, three hours sleep and a Mars bar for breakfast.
It's tempting to chalk this kind of performance up to prodigious natural talent, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He ran his first ever Parkrun in 21:34 and, after a year of following traditional running plans, plateaued at a respectable but unremarkable range of 18:30-19:00.
He has some pedigree in cycling and competed in time trials at the sub-elite level. But, as we'll see, his performance on the bike and as a runner is not about having the right genes.
It is his ability to perceive and develop insights into what really drives improvement - to isolate and focus on this relentlessly and consistently - that has underpinned his success.
The good news? If it's not about natural talent, this is something anyone can replicate. But before we dive into how to implement The Norwegian Singles Method, it's helpful to understand why it works. To do that, we need to trace its roots back to two separate but related advances in endurance training...
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