Fartlek Training

Friday Fartlek Run: Andrew Simmons’ 50/50 Run

This session is great to improve speed for runners over 5-10km. It is perfect for both runners and triathletes alike.

Each week I will be posting the Friday Fartlek Run Sessions that you can do to enhance your running. Fartlek is a Swedish term that runners often use and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.

The inspiration for this session comes from an article on Training Peaks written by Andrew Simmons from Lifelong Endurance.  Read the original article here.

Andrew Simmons’ 50/50 Run

  • 25min WU Level II;
  • 25min Level III-IV;
  • 10min CD Level II;
  • 10min Stretching

Start this run Warming Up at Level II.  I’ve set this up for a 60-minute run but the idea is that you do 50% of your run at an easy aerobic Level II pace.

When you are halfway through the run (I’ve also allowed for a ten-minute Cool Down afterward) increase your pace to Level III-IV which Andrew Simmons describes as Half Marathon to 10km pace.

The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for a minimum of ten minutes.

Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.

If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.

I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.

Join over 2,884 people who have already signed up to be kept up to date with great workouts and training information in my informative newsletter.

Share this post so your friends can benefit as well.

Download the Garmin (.FIT) files for this workout for FREE

If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.

Friday Fartlek Run: Improve Your 5km Time With This Workout

To improve your 5km Time by over 2:30 in ONLY 5 Weeks get my most popular run programme here. Results Guaranteed. Use discount code CR30 to get a 30% discount.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.