To race successfully having the ability to start fast, settle into a rhythm and then finish strong is crucial. A workout like this Tempo Sandwich provides all these elements and will help improve your efficiency for distances from 10km through to the marathon and longer.
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.
This workout is inspired by an article written by Andrew Simmons of Lifelong Endurance on TrainingPeaks to take the boredom out of base training. You can read that article here.
The Tempo Sandwich
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4x 400m Level V, 400m Level I-II RI;
- 5,000m Level III, 400m Level II RI;
- 4x 400m Level V, 400m Level I-II RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) for ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II.
There are three Main Sets. The first set involves completing four, 400m repetitions at Level V. Jog a further 400m at Level I-II for the Rest Interval (RI). This set is the the first slice of bread in the Tempo Sandwich.
The second set (the meat or the cheese of this sandwich) is a single 5km effort at Level III. Jog a further 400m at Level II prior to the second slice of bread.
Same as the first slice of bread in this sandwich the final set is another four, 400m repetitions at Level V. Jog a further 400m at Level I-II for the Rest Interval (RI).
The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for at least 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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Download the Garmin (.FIT) files for this workout for FREE
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