Fartlek Runs

Fart-what? A fartlek is a swedish term which literally means speed play. According to dictionary.com, fartlek is “a training technique, used especially among runners, consisting of bursts of intense effort loosely alternating with less strenuous activity.” This is often used as a first step towards more traditional track workouts. When running a fartlek workout you would simply run an easy warm up of a mile or two before starting your fartlek session. You can run it however you want, it’s that simple. Run one minute hard and one minute easy or two minutes hard, one minute easy. You decide how fast or slow you want to run.

Recently I ran a great fartlek session with the following formula: I alternated 1 minute at 5k pace with 2 minutes at 10k pace and continued alternating between the two for ten rotations. I warmed up with an easy 2 mile jog and followed the workout with a 1½ mile cool down. I was actually a little nervous going into this workout as I wasn’t quite sure how long I’d be able to last. Turns out it was a lot easier than I was expecting and I actually lasted the entire ten rotations. I can’t believe that after three years of running this was the first time I’ve ever run a fartlek. It’s a great way to add a little it of unstructured speedwork into to your regular running routine and change things up a bit. Next time you’re out on a run remember the fartlek and give it a try.