The Norwegian Method for running. Built around your schedule.
Threshold turns your race history, schedule, and feedback into controlled threshold training: precise paces, conservative progression, and coach-level guardrails.
7 days free on iPhone · Syncs with Apple Health · How it works
Inside the app
Your plan, paces, and coach notes in one place.
See what to run today, how hard it should feel, and when the block needs to adapt.
Week
plan context
Pace
target ranges
Chat
coach feedback
Free for 7 days.
iPhone, iOS 17+.
Know what to run today
Your week, next session, streaks, and training rhythm stay visible from the home screen.
Keep workouts controlled
Open the session to see pace, heart-rate guidance, workout structure, and coach notes.
Ask with plan context
The coach answers with your current plan, recent training, and recovery profile in mind.
Build your plan in 2 minutes
A Norwegian-method plan personalized to your goal, current fitness, weekly schedule, and recovery profile.
Answer a few questions
Goal, recent race times, the days you can train, and how you recover.
Get your paces and weeks
Threshold, easy, and long-run paces from your results, laid out phase by phase.
Train in the app
Log runs or sync Apple Health. Your feedback steers the next block.
Your Goal
How it works
The Norwegian Method,
distilled.
The threshold-first framework behind Norway's endurance success, translated into practical weeks for recreational runners, competitive amateurs, and high-volume athletes.
Lactate-informed zones
Training zones anchored to the physiology of lactate accumulation. The 2.3–3.0 mmol/L Golden Zone guides the work while Threshold translates it into practical pace, heart-rate, and effort targets.
Controlled sub-threshold
Two to three threshold sessions a week at controlled intensity. Reps stay precise enough that the work is repeatable week after week, with twice-a-day doubles introduced only when your volume and recovery support them.
80/20 polarization
80% of weekly volume at truly easy intensity. 20% at threshold. Nothing in the gray zone that fatigues you without building fitness.
A real week
What the method looks like on a calendar.
Pick a runner. These weeks come straight from Threshold's plan engine: two controlled threshold days, easy days that stay easy, and a long run that respects the volume cap.
Week 6 of 14 · Build phase
Intermediate, 30 km/week, 3 years running, 5K target 19:30, 5 days available, no doubles, balanced difficulty.
- this week
- 36 km
- this week
- threshold days
- 2
- threshold days
- long run
- 10 km
- long run
Mon
EasyAerobic Volume
5.5 km · 31 min
Tue
Threshold3×5min at 4:34/km
6 km · 31 min
Wed
Rest
Thu
Threshold3×5min at 4:34/km
6 km · 31 min
Fri
Rest
Sat
EasyAerobic Volume
8.5 km · 48 min
Sun
Long run10km Steady
10 km · 57 min
Generated by Threshold's plan engine. Paces come from the runner's recent race results.
See all 14 weeksWhat you get
Not another generic plan.
Every plan is built from your race goal, fitness history, and schedule — then validated against a rules engine that enforces the constraints real coaches use.
Method-built plans
Your weekly structure and workouts are designed from Norwegian-method principles, tailored to your level.
Safety guardrails
Volume capped at 10% per week. Session spikes limited to 30%. Deload weeks every 3–4 weeks. Built to manage training load before small issues become forced time off.
VDOT-based pacing
Paces computed from your race results using Daniels' VDOT tables. Every interval, tempo, and easy run has a precise target.
Real periodization
Base, build, peak, taper, and transition phases — not just a weekly template repeated 16 times.
Coach chat
Ask questions, report fatigue, adjust your plan. The coach has full context on your training and can search current research.
Adaptive planning
Plans respond to your feedback. Consistently high RPE? Volume drops. Feeling great? The coach can progress you faster.
Common questions
The things runners ask before they sign up. If your question isn't here, read the method page or email threshold@athletemindset.app.
Do I need a lactate meter?
No. Threshold estimates your lactate-threshold pace from recent race results using VDOT tables, then refines it with heart-rate trends and session feedback over the first few weeks.
Do I need a Garmin or an Apple Watch?
No watch is required. Apple Health sync is live; Garmin, Coros, and Strava integrations are on the roadmap. You can also log sessions manually if you run with just your phone.
How is this different from Runna?
Runna is a polished running app built around coach-designed plans. Threshold is a Norwegian-method training system, from the two-session-a-week starter up to the full double-threshold model, with a rules engine that enforces the constraints good coaches care about: a 10% volume cap, deload weeks, and a capped long run.
What distances does Threshold cover?
5 K, 10 K, half marathon, marathon, ultra, and open-ended base-building plans. You can also pick 'improve my PR at X distance' without a race date, or a plan length from 4 to 20 weeks.
How much does it cost?
$7.99/wk or $69.99/year (saves 83% versus paying week to week). The annual plan includes a 7-day free trial. See the pricing page for details.
Is this safe if I'm coming back from injury?
Threshold's safety rules are designed specifically for this case. Volume increases are capped at 10% per week, no single session can jump more than 30% over recent history, deload weeks are forced every 3–4 weeks, and you tell the app about injury history in onboarding. For any specific medical concern, see a physiotherapist first — we are a training tool, not medical advice.
Train with the system
Your next PR starts
with the right method.
Build a personalized threshold plan in two minutes. Start with seven days free, then adjust as your training data comes in.
