Tip: Fartlek Problems, Part 1
August 10, 2009
Note: The training tips for the next several weeks will focus on the simple fact that as you gain fitness, you'll need to make some minor tweaks to your training.
Fartlek Problems, Part 1
The fartlek workout is not only a simple workout that you can do anywhere (a city park, treadmill, wooded trail, on the beach, etc), but it's also an elemental workout that teaches you how to pay attention to your breathing and your effort without relying on a heart-rate monitor or splits on a race course. Fartlek is a Swedish term that means "speed-play" and for some runners it's simply a run with various paces throughout, covering speeds from a mile pace to a marathon pace.
The American interpretation of the workout has the runner oscillating between two paces for a set amount of time at each pace. Today I did a simple fartlek of 1 min on, 1 min off, with the pace roughly at 5k race pace for the on, and for the off, a couple notches faster than my normal easy day pace. The overall pace of the workout was challenging, but doable. My goal was to do roughly 10 sets, but as I was just making it up on a single track trail, I knew that I wanted to run the last mile to the car easily. I think I did 8 sets, so I got back a little faster than I had guessed I would.
I share this because on the very first "push" (i.e. the 1 min on) I started WAY TOO FAST. How did I know? Well first of all, I said to myself, "Could I really run this pace for a full 5K?" The answer was no. Then I slowed down and smiled because I had just committed the classic rookie mistake; I ran the first 1 min on too fast and had I not corrected it, I would have had an very unpleasant experience. My fitness is just getting to level where it's fun to do workouts, but just like many of you, I have to be careful that I don't get into trouble with this new level of fitness.
*Coach Jay’s advice is provided as general training information. Use at your own risk. Always consult with your own heath care provider for questions relating to your specific training and nutrition.
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