Fartlek running training program

As you can see, the workout was started with a nice, cool running pace that steadily increased to a race pace and leveled off. There was even some mobility training at the end, making this a well-rounded workout to add to your training plan. Fartlek runs are almost a necessity for people looking to improve their speed during their next race.

The varying and sudden burst of speed work can train the body to deploy this when it is needed in the final stretch of a long race. Runners should change up their training schedule to include critical threshold runs, fartlek workouts, interval training and even Tempo runs. A healthy training plan incorporates all of these types of workouts to give the body new challenges to face and overcome.

Now that you have the basics of a fartlek workout and how to complete it, you can hit the trail and go to work to improve your endurance, speed and overall fitness level. By Holly Martin November 15, Fartlek: The Complete Overview For experienced runners, many turn to a fartlek run as a new challenge that breaks up their normal routine.

What Is a Fartlek Run? In other words, the reps can be quite random! They can be made easier than traditional workouts so they help transition the athlete between easy running and hard running. If you want more specific fartlek workout examples, I recorded a quick video with my three favorites:.

Fartlek training can be easy or hard or somewhere in the middle and these three workouts deliver! Want more workout ideas? Fartlek training sessions can be run anytime — since they can be used for virtually any training purpose.

This has less to do with the physical demands of the workout and more with the mental challenges. There are times early in a training phase when an athlete may be phsyically prepared for a hard workout, but may not be mentally ready to take on a set of standard intervals and distances.

Sometimes it is just as beneficial to do a hard workout by placing the emphasis on feel and effort rather than being tied to pace and distance. I think so! Because these sessions are executed on these surfaces, they lend themselves to road or trail races.

I also think fartleks are great for:. Any runner! Have a friend joining your workout? Even if you both may run at different speeds you can regroup at certain landmarks or times. Hills are effective means to elevate your heart rate and work on strength, speed and endurance. Beyond physical benefits, fartlek also trains the mind, strengthening willpower, sustaining and repeating efforts when you feel like stopping.

The more training sessions we do that incorporate this speed variation, the more resistant we become to giving up mentally mid-race. The body can usually go much longer and faster than the mind would have it believe it can. A single session might consist of walking, cruising and sprinting. It might last for 20 minutes or 5 miles. The variations are unlimited. And that means some specific guidelines are in order so each session can be made as effective as possible. In most fartlek training sessions intervals are kept relatively short and frequent.

Anything too long simply becomes more like interval training.