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Okay. Let’s get this outta the way straight off the bat. Before you read any further, say the word ‘fartlek’ to yourself 20 times. When you’re done giggling like a schoolboy, we can continue… As amusing as the name might sound, fartlek is Serious Business.

Fartlek translates directly as “Speed Play” and it’s a notso- new training technique that a lot of athletes swear by. Not only that, but the FBI has been using it for years as a training tool – they’ve even named “Fartlek Hill” at the infamous Quantico training base after the method. Fartlek was developed in the 1930s by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér, to help get the Swedish cross-country teams to finally beat their fiercest rivals, the Finns. It’s a not-very-scientific approach that produced remarkable results – so much so, that it’s been developed to suit all manner of sports and fitness levels since. The easiest way to describe it to someone who hasn’t tried it yet is “interval training for runners”. The idea is to vary the speed and intensity of a training run at prescribed intervals, to maximise the cardio and endurance benefits. Confused? Yeah – so were we.

There are a number of benefits to the style of training – but you’re likely to get the most out of it if you’re an established runner. However, one of the major benefits that running newbies might see is an important part of becoming a better runner: self awareness. For the average runner, the best bet is a simplified form of fartlek.

All you need to do is change up your pace a little as you run. For instance, if you’re putting in a 5km run, every 400m or so, pick a point that’s 100m away, and run hard to that point. When you get there, slow your pace again to a normal stride. Take note of how your body responds – when do you start breathing harder? How long did it take for your breathing to get back to normal? Most importantly, how did the sprints make you feel?
All of these things will teach you what your body is capable of when you’re running – giving you a better idea of what you can achieve. Best of all, the bursts of increased pace will lead to an increase in speed and endurance, as they provide a ‘boost’ to your training that you wouldn’t normally get from a standard, single-pace run. The important thing to remember is that there are no strictly prescribed intervals – the key to fartlek is to learn what your body can do and let it be the guide.

Short bursts of high speed will help you improve your overall running speed, while bursts of longer, medium pace running will help with your anaerobic threshold. Just remember not to think of the name while you’re running – it’s hard to sprint 400m while you’re pissing yourself laughing.

Basic fartlek workout

Step 1: Warm-up -easy 5-10 minute run. This should be done at your normal warm up pace, taking into account that you ll be working a little harder at various points in your run than you might normally have done in the past.

Step 2: Hard run for 1.5 to 2.0 km. It s time to put the hammer down and really push yourself. This seg ment should be done at a hard, but consistent, pace. It s important to leave a little bit of energy in the tank. Being able to judge your level of muscle fatigue to help you pace your way through a long race is crucial to becoming a more accomplished runner.

Step 3: Recover -brisk walk for five minutes. Time for a rest. It s important here that the walk is performed at a reasonable and consistent rate. Too slow and you run the risk of warming down too far. Too hard and your muscles simply won t have time to recuperate for the next round of running

Step 4: Speed work -easy running, with 50m sprint bursts. The easiest way to achieve this is to work yourself at an easy pace, picking landmarks that are 50m away from time to time and sprinting to get to them. When you reach them, resume an easy pace as close as you can to the pace you were setting before the sprint.

Step 5: Easy run with ‘quick steps’. This period of the run, you can imagine yourself in a race situa tion with another runner on your heels. At random intervals, imagine they re making a move to overtake you and respond as you would while racing.

Step 6: Full speed. You ll need to find a decent uphill section for this part, as this is the stage where you get to really push your body as hard as you can. Try for at least 200m of uphill running at a fast (not sprinting) pace.

Step 7: Fast pace run for one minute. You ll need to watch the clock for this one and it works best just after your uphill run. Keep up a consistent, fast pace for a predetermined period of time we suggest starting with one minute, extending that each time you give the fartlek run a try.  Return to Step 1, and continue through the steps until your workout time (usually an hour) has elapsed

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www.mensfitnessmagazine.com.au