Combining shorter more intense sections within a workout with longer more sustained sections can provide your body with a unique training stimulus from which to develop. This workout will enable you to develop these traits whether for distances up to half marathons or within triathlons of varying distances.
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 is often used by runners and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.
The inspiration for this post came from an article in the October 2012 Runner’s World magazine and is based on one Steve Prefontaine did in May 1975. Workouts of this nature that mixed both road and track work and gradual increases in speed were staples of the Oregon track programme from the 70s.
Pre Classic
- 10min WU Level II;
- 2x 1,200m Level IV-V, 1min RI;
- 5-8km progressive Run Level II-IV, 1min RI;
- 5x 300m Level IV-V, 100m RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) of ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II.
The Main Set involves three different sets.
Start on the track, the first set is made up of two 1,200m raps (three laps of the track). Start at your 10km pace and get quicker by two seconds each lap (Level IV-V). Take a one-minute Rest Interval (RI) between reps.
For the second set, move onto the road and run between five and eight kilometres. Start easy and gradually increase your effort until the final kilometre is a half-marathon pace (Level II-IV). Take a minute Rest Interval (RI) before commencing the final set.
Finish on the track with a set of five, 300m reps. Start at your 10km pace and get faster with each rep (Level IV-V). Jog 100m between each rep for your Rest Interval (RI).
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.
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