Aerobic Development

Percy Cerutty’s training philosophy for distance runners, 50 years on

Fifty years ago, on August 14, 1975, the great Australian coach Percy Cerutty passed away in Portsea, Australia—the same sandy, windswept coastal town where he trained some of Australia’s top middle distance runners in the 1950s and 1960s.

Cerutty was best-known for the accomplishments of his coaching charges John Landy and Herb Elliott—Landy being the second person to break four minutes in the mile and a bronze medalist at 1500m at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and Herb Elliott being the greatest miler of his day, who at age 22 was Olympic champion, Commonwealth champion, and world-record holder in the mile (3:54.5) and 1500m (3:35.6).

Cerutty also had a longstanding coaching rivalry with New Zealander Arthur Lydiard, whose name would become synonymous with high-mileage training during the 1960s.

Perhaps because Cerutty intentionally eschewed narrowly “systematic” approaches to training, there’s very little discussion of “Cerutty-style” training the way you hear runners discussing “Lydiard-style” training. Cerutty left behind no pre-written workout template, no system of formulas, and little in the way of universal dictums for training.[1] He did, however, leave behind quite a lot of writing.

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Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen’s Norwegian Single Threshold training approach

Perhaps the most unlikely sporting hero to come from Norway’s famous Ingebrigtsen family is Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen.

Though he has no Olympic medals, European titles, or world records like his brothers Jakob, Filip, and Henrik, the eldest Ingebrigtsen brother has accomplished a much more relatable goal for many recreational and amateur runners: losing 25 kg, getting back in shape in his mid-30s, and running very respectable times (32:58 in the 10k and 1:12:11 for the half marathon) while training once per day as a family man with a full-time job.

Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen’s training, set by his brother Henrik, has served as a source of inspiration for a burgeoning Norwegian Singles Approach to training, which attempts to apply the principles of the Norwegian model of training (pioneered by Marius Bakken and later advanced by the speedier Ingebrigtsen brothers) to self-described “hobby joggers”: ordinary people with ordinary jobs, who still have ambitions of improving their times.

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Marius Bakken in his own words: double threshold, lactate testing, altitude, periodization, and more

Double threshold training is one of the hottest topics in distance training right now, with many runners aiming to replicate Jakob Ingebrigtsen's incredible success in the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m. The double threshold method does not originate with the Ingebrigtsens, though—it was first pioneered by Norwegian 5k runner Marius Bakken.

Marius Bakken’s 2022 blog post on the Norwegian Model of training has become a key resource for English-speaking runners interested in the practical implementation of double threshold training. Aside from that blog post and an excellent 2025 follow-up, though, English-language resources on double threshold training are lacking—most of us have to make do with second-hand recaps of Norwegian-language articles or interviews.

One of the main resources for Norwegian-speaking runners has been Bakken’s appearances on the Norwegian-language podcast I det lange løp (“In the Long Run”). That podcast, which ran from 2019–2023, hosted Marius Bakken several times to talk about double threshold training.

In this blog post, I am presenting what I hope will be another significant English-language resource for understanding the practical use of double threshold training: a translated version of Marius Bakken’s two-part interview on I det lange løp, plus commentary and footnotes.

The interview covers Bakken’s personal training history, the development of the double threshold method, the use of altitude training, intervals versus continuous runs for improving threshold, and more. I also wrote up a short commentary that follows the text of the interview.

Make yourself your favorite beverage and find a comfy spot to sit down, because there is a ton of in-depth training wisdom in this interview—the original interview runs nearly two hours, and even in writing, it’s quite a long read!

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Notes on Randall Wilber's "Altitude Training and Athletic Performance" for runners

If you are interested in altitude training, Randall Wilber’s book “Altitude Training and Athletic Performance” is a fantastic read. I apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I’m recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery last week and am not up for doing a whole lot of sitting (in fact, I’m typing this out standing at ... Read more

Brief Thoughts: Are hard workouts counterproductive?

Since my mission to write a set of comprehensive articles detailing the most common running injuries (the “Injury Series” here on RunningWritings) has morphed into a colossal undertaking, I’ve decided to break things up a bit with a new occasional, hopefully weekly series entitled “Brief Thoughts,” which I intend to be shorter, less-scientific musings on ... Read more

When threshold training isn't threshold training

Most runners are familiar with threshold training.  It's been the chief contribution to real-world training from the field of exercise physiology.  In principle, it's simple: there is a "tipping point," physiologically speaking, when incremental increases in speed become progressively more difficult.  Training right at this sweet spot should raise the threshold, moving that "tipping point" ... Read more

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