This is an actual word! It's Swedish for "speed play" and has forever changed my world of running.
According to my sources, a fartlek is "simply sprinting and jogging off and on during a run." I completed my first fartlek workout last Saturday as part of my half-marathon training. I thought for sure I could do the advanced workout, since I've been steadily running since May and I am up to a long run of 5 miles. I was wrong.
I used the treadmill since it's easier to keep track of pace, distance, and time. (Thank goodness I lugged that thing in from the garage last week--this freezing weather has dampened my outside running plans!!)
Let me be frank. I am not, nor have I ever been, a fast runner. My happy pace on the treadmill is between 4.0-4.5 mph. That is not fast at all. I am a distance runner and technically consider myself more of a "jogger" than anything. So I figured once-a-week fartlek workouts would be beneficial to my overall progress as a runner.
I ended up doing the beginner level (well, my homemade version of it). I have since worked out a beginner, intermediate, and advanced fartlek schedule to follow throughout the next 6 months. Even though it feels like torture, it's nice to change up my routine once a week.
So, here is my Fartlek--Beginner workout:
I'll be posting later about
2 comments:
I thought my dog had already perfected the "fartlick" - toots followed by bewilderment at the sounds coming from his tooshie, followed by licking. LOL
BWAHAHAH at meredith! :))
Your Dad used to do some sprinting while he was jogging--and 4.5-5 mph is quite the brisk pace, regardless of what you think. I felt I was racing at 2 mph.
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