Runner's Corner
Incorporating Fartlek or Speedplay Into Your Running
July 2008 Runner’s Corner
By Kitty A. Consolo, Ph.D.
If you just read the title you might be thinking there was a typo in regard to the second word, “Fartlek.” No typo and no, it doesn’t mean eating baked beans and then going running. Fartlek, (pronounced Fart-lake), is a Swedish word that literally means “speed play.” I prefer it to other types of speed work because of it’s flexible and that it’s fun to do, yet it can still help you become a faster runner.
How to do Fartlek
Warm up well first! As with any increased effort in your running workouts, it is important to allow your body to warm up well and literally be sweating before you try any fartlek. Now that we are in the summer months, it won’t take you long to work up a sweat, just be sure to start at a slow easy pace and gradually increase your effort.
What is Fartlek?
Fartlek allows you to increase your pace subjectively without having to worry about hitting a certain pace on the track or road. It’s a good way to get your body to run faster without a lot of pressure and is based on how you feel and your effort rather than having to run a certain distance in a certain time such as interval training on a track. Interval training is very valuable if you are trying to learn pace and run more even in your races. It is also helpful if you are very serious about running a certain time in a race. But for some runners, interval training is stressful and fartlek allows the runner to increase their pace and heart rate without worrying about an exact time. Try for efforts that are 70-85% of your effort, I always save my 100% effort for races. Also research has shown that for distance runners, training up to 85% is enough of an effort to show improvement in a race and that going 100% in training can actually detract from race performance.
Some Fartlek Options
Geographical Fartlek
There are endless options with fartlek, some of the fun ones are to use the geography of the course you are running and decide that every time you reach a hill, you are going to shorten your stride, increase you pace and work the up hill. Or you may decide to pick up your pace from one telephone pole to the next or from one fire hydrant to the next. The options are endless and you can make up the parameters as you go.
Counting Steps
Another option for fartlek training, is to pick up your pace for so many steps and then slow down. If you are new to distance running, you may only want to try a short distance such as 10 steps or so, if you are more experienced, you may want to do more steps in picking up your pace.
Going by time without worrying about pace
Another option for fartlek training is to bring a watch but don’t worry about how fast you are covering a certain distance. Instead, decide to run hard for a certain about of time, such as 30 seconds hard, 30 easy, or 1 min hard, 1 min easy, etc. This option allows you to vary your pace yet not feel the pressure of having to reach a certain time. Some stop watches have a count down timer you can set (such as the Timex triathlon watch) so it will beep every 30 seconds or whatever you set it to and that way you don’t have to keep looking at your watch.
Placement of Fartlek in Your Training Week
Since fartlek is a form of speedwork, be sure to allow yourself easy days before and after a fartlek workout. Don’t do it within a few days of a race or hard speed work on the track or long run. It you are starting to feel bored with your runs or stressed about your performance, this method can add some variety and fun without the pressure of having to hit a certain time.
Warm down
As with any speed workout, be sure to take 5-10 minutes to jog slow, allowing your heart rate to decrease. Then be sure to walk, take in water and stretch so that your body has a chance to warm down from the speed work.
Conclusion
Fartlek is a fun way to learn to play with speed without having the pressure of hitting specific times. It has endless options and flexibility and can help offset boredom or stressful running. The important point is the “play” with your speed, to really have fun. After all, if we have fun running, we are likely to keep doing it.
See you on the roads and enjoy yourself!
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