or getting close to race day, Green notes, Emily Infeld—who won the national title in the women’s 10,000 meters—told reporters she incorporated double thresholds into her training once (sometimes twice) a week. She wasn’t a stranger to them before this training cycle, though. She also mentioned doing a few with her former coach, Jon Green, head coach of Verde Track Club, World Championship team in 2022 World Championship team in 2022.
Popularized, in part, by four-time world record holder and two-time Olympian with gold medals in the 5,000 meter and 1500 meter, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, double threshold training has made its way all around the world. “If you were to scroll through any [pro runner’s] Strava, especially those doing significant mileage, they’re more likely than not going to be doing double thresholds in some form or fashion, is my guess,” says Green, who also coached Molly Seidel to the Olympic bronze medal in the marathon.
Eager to hop on the double threshold train, I sat down with Green to discuss what exactly double threshold workouts look like for his athletes, why they’re so popular, and how to tackle double thresholds for the first time. Plus, read on to learn the mistakes I made in my first attempt at the workout, so you don’t have to do the same.
What It Means to Do a Double Threshold Workout
In the simplest terms, threshold pace represents the maximum speed you can sustain before lactate accumulates in the blood at a rate you can’t clear fast enough and therefore fatigue. Another useful way to think of it is the fastest pace you can hold for about an hour straight, Green adds.
A threshold workout is any workout that includes bouts of threshold-paced efforts, with recovery in between. These speed sessions are designed to help you run faster for longer distances. A double threshold, in its truest form, is doing two threshold workouts in one day—one in the morning and one in the evening—with the intention to maximize volume, Green explains.
Double thresholds aren’t exclusively for elite runners, but whether they’re right for you and your training depends on your fitness level and running goals. Green has seen recreational runners incorporate double thresholds into their programming to get better at threshold pace, which can help improve the aerobic Associate Health & Fitness Editor.
As an experienced runner (I’ve been running consistently for about 10 years), but one who is training for my first marathon, I was curious to see what a double threshold might look like for me, and how it might benefit my training.
Why Coaches and Pros Swear By Double Threshold Workouts
Threshold pace raises your ceiling so you can run at a harder aerobic effort for longer before reaching an anaerobic effort, Green says. Longer-distance races are overwhelmingly aerobic, so improving aerobic capacity allows runners to perform better, become more comfortable at race pace, and improve overall fitness. Because of this, double thresholds are best suited for those training for longer distances, like the 10K, half marathon, or full marathon.
By splitting threshold work into two sessions (morning and evening), runners can accumulate more threshold volume in a single day than they could in one session—without excessive fatigue, Green explains. More volume at threshold pace allows you to buffer lactic acid and recover quicker in distance races, he says.
Essentially, double thresholds help push the body’s aerobic adaptations further while still managing recovery, so you’re able to race faster.
How to Try a Double Threshold Workout
The Song That Fixed My Tempo Runs before Marathon Workouts to Get Faster double day. Green recommends doing at least six to eight miles worth of threshold volume in a single session before considering splitting it into two.
“If you’re not doing at least that amount of volume ahead of time, then breaking up the session is almost detrimental,” says Green. He explains that the necessary buildup in threshold volume ensures that your body is ready for the increased training stress that comes from doing two sessions.
Once you’re able to do a double threshold session, you likely won’t return to single threshold sessions unless there are special circumstances to consider like recovering from injury, dealing with fatigue, Other Hearst Subscriptions.
Green’s rule of thumb is to do threshold intervals between 800 meters and two miles for both sessions, but generally, the evening session should be lower volume than the morning. Beginners should start with intervals between 800s and 1Ks, as longer intervals will be more daunting. (For professionals, Green tends to assign one- to two-mile repeats for morning sessions and intervals ranging between 1Ks and 2Ks in the evenings.)
While some coaches might do shorter intervals or “riffs” off the traditional double threshold, Green believes shorter intervals (like, say, 400s) don’t provide the same sustained threshold stimulus as longer intervals. Longer intervals provide the full aerobic benefit that threshold training is designed to offer because they keep you working in the aerobic threshold zone for longer, training your body to clear lactate more efficiently, he says.
Tempo Pace Trick intensity, which can make you work harder than you need to, counterproductively pushing outside of a threshold effort, Green says.
To find the threshold pace you need to hit during those intervals, plug your most recent PR—preferably a 10K—into a pace calculator. Traditionally, lactate threshold testing is done in a lab or using a portable lactate analyzer (which requires a few finger pricks), but you can also do a 30-minute time trial.
However you find your threshold pace, it should feel like a 7 out of 10 rate of perceived exertion (RPE), taking on a.
If you’re trying a double threshold workout for the first time, it might look like this:
Morning session:
- Warm up with 2 miles of easy running.
- 6 Verde Track Club.
- and refuel properly, rest, and kick your feet up throughout the day.
Evening session:
- How Emily Venters Is Managing Her Race-Day Nerves.
- 4 Verde Track Club.
- Cool down with easy running for 5 minutes.
Timing of each workout is important, too. Each session should be about eight to 10 hours apart, which gives you enough time to fuel (and refuel) properly, rest, and kick your feet up throughout the day.
If you have an extra busy day at work, Green adds, like a day full of meetings or a day where you’re on your feet a lot, then it’s best to schedule double thresholds for another day of the week where you can remain more sedentary and de-stress.
In terms of frequency, Green has had some of his runners repeat double threshold days once a week every other week for four to six weeks during training, while some pros might do multiple double thresholds weekly. Swapping one workout on your training plan to start can help you ease into it, Green says.
What Happened When I Attempted Double Thresholds During Marathon Training
Best Massage Guns interval workout on my marathon training plan of six to eight 800-meter repeats. To turn this into my first-ever double threshold workout, Green suggested doing six in the morning and four in the evening, like the example above.
“This way, you get to increase your volume [of threshold work] without hitting a major point of fatigue because it’s split into two sessions,” Green says.
The Dos and Don’ts of Double Workout Days easier than my track intervals. “Intervals are significantly faster than what’s defined as threshold,” says Green. To put that into perspective, my typical time goal for Yasso 800s is 3:25 to 3:30, while my 800s at threshold is roughly 4:00 (which equates to a mile pace between 7:58 and 8:08).
that evening feeling like I had a better understanding of threshold pace, particularly how it should effort mid-workout: “If you can sing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ then you are probably running at a threshold pace,” says Green, explaining that you shouldn’t be able to hold an entire conversation, but you should be able to get in a line of a song at a time. I noticed halfway through my intervals, I was able to do that, so I figured I was holding onto the pace pretty well.
Even with that test, though, I still ran the reps way too fast. Most of my 800s fell around a 3:40 to 3:45 range. I was tempted to treat each session like its own pared-down interval workout, which isn’t the point.
Determined to get the pacing down, I attempted double thresholds a second time, and my splits were much more consistent, especially later on in the workout. My times ranged from 3:48 to four minutes—most of them clocking around 3:55—and by my second-to-last rep, I hit four minutes exactly.
I got a major confidence boost holding an 8:00 mile pace because it felt more manageable than it did in previous training cycles. I walked off the track that evening feeling like I had a better understanding of threshold pace, particularly how it should feel for me.
Threshold Workouts to Build Speed Endurance speed workouts, that I forgot what Green stresses about threshold pace: It’s about fitting in lots of volume at a consistent, quality effort. The more time I spend doing that, the more I can improve my ability to run faster for longer, and that’s a crucial component to Amazing Runners World Show.
Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner’s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.
