Fartlek Workout

Friday Fartlek Run – Stride Out Runs

Stride Out Runs are a great way to expose an athlete to speed work, especially early in a build-up as you continue to build your base fitness. These types of runs are great for developing neurological pathways for speed and setting a benchmark for further intensity to be built from. These sessions can be beneficial to all runners including marathoners and ultramarathoners.

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.

Stride Out Runs

  • 10min WU Level II;
  • 10x 15sec Level V, 45sec Level I-II RI;
  • 10min CD Level II;
  • 10min Stretching

Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) for a minimum of ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II. See the chart below for recommended warm-up durations for various total durations.

The main set is made up of ten reps of 15 seconds at Level V, with a gentle jog for 45 seconds between reps at Level I-II. Stride Outs are NOT a max sprint, they are just a quickening of the pace maintaining good form for a short duration.

The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for a minimum of ten minutes. See the chart below for recommended warm-up durations for various total durations.

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

Warm Up (WU) and Cool Down (CD) durations for various total durations:

Total DurationWarm UpCool Down
30min10min10min
35min15min10min
40min15min15min
45min20min15min
50min20min20min
55min25min20min
60min25min25min

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.

Share this post so your friends can benefit as well.

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

Price: $ 0.00
Garmin .FIT files for both Pace (min/mile or min/kilometer) and Power (Watts), as well as Zwift (.ZWO) files for Pace

Get my 24-week Half Marathon Training Plan with 25% off

When you cross the finish line of your Half Marathon, having run faster than you have in recent events you will have accomplished something very special.

Designed for Intermediate runners who are looking to run the Half Marathon faster, the primary goal of this training plan is to prepare you to

COMPLETE your Half Marathon FASTER than before. Crafted by myself, Ray Boardman PGDipSportsMed, PGDipRehab, PGCertSc (Exercise Science), BSc (Anatomy), and DipSportsStudies this plan encapsulates my passion for the sport, my experience from completing dozens of Half and Full marathon distance finishes, and my success coaching hundreds of runners and triathletes.

Starting 24 weeks before your Half Marathon (this plan can be started any time and is re-usable), this plan progresses through phases to build you to your peak performance. Each week typically contains 3x runs and a flexibility session. You will build up to 2:00 hrs running in a single session. Although not necessary, I recommend using a heart rate monitor in conjunction with a GPS watch (such as a Garmin).

When purchasing use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.

Prior to using this plan, you should be able to run for 90min consistently.

Purchase of this plan gives you access to my fortnightly coaching calls where you can ask me any training or racing-related questions.

When purchasing use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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