Friday Fartlek Run: Modified Meb’s Marathon Session #2

Meb Keflezighi is a legendary runner. On top of his marathon success, Meb has a Marathon PB of 2:08:37 and was the silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Men’s Olympic Marathon. He was also the winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon and the 2014 Boston Marathon. This workout targets slightly faster than race pace to your body is exposed to and can develop. Although this session targets marathon events specifically, it is also of benefit for runners and triathletes preparing for events from half marathon distance and above.

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.

This workout has come from Meb Keflezighi & Scott Douglas’ book Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner. The modification comes with running for time rather than distance. You can read the original workout here.

Modified Meb’s Marathon Session #2

• 10min WU Level II;
• 2x
  • 9min Level III, 3min RI;
  • 5min Level IV, 2min RI;
  • 3:30min Level V, 1:30 RI;
  • 1:30 Level V+, 1:15 RI;
  • 4min RI Level I-II between sets;
• 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.

The main set is made up of two sets. Within each set there are four reps that as they decrease in duration they increase in intensity.

Start with nine minutes at Level III. Follow this with three minutes of recovery prior to the next rep.

The second rep is five minutes long and run at Level IV. Take a two minute Rest Interval (RI)

The third rep is run at Level V for three and a half minutes. This is followed by a minute and a half Rest Interval (RI) prior to the final rep.

The fourth rep is at Level V+ for a minute and a half. Take a minute, fifteen second Rest Interval (RI) prior to a four minute jog at Level I-II prior to starting the next set.

Once you’ve completed both sets move to the Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level I-II) for a minimum of ten minutes.

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

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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Trains like Olympic marathoner and 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi

With his historic win at the 2014 Boston Marathon, Meb Keflezighi cemented his legacy as one of the great champions of long-distance running. Runners everywhere wanted to know how someone two weeks away from his 39th birthday, who had only the 15th best time going into the race, could defeat the best field in Boston Marathon history and become the first American man to win the race in 31 years.

Meb For Mortals describes in unprecedented detail how three-time Olympian Keflezighi prepares to take on the best runners in the world. More importantly, the book shows everyday runners how to implement the training, nutritional, and mental principles that have guided them throughout their long career, which in addition to the 2014 Boston win includes an Olympic silver medal and the 2009 New York City Marathon title.