March Madness: Fartlek

I have added fartlek to my diet. Sure, it sounds like it has to do with flatulence, or possibly beano, but it’s actually a Swedish term meaning “speed play”. I am using fartlek to spice up my running routine (because I am surrounded by snow and am currently training on a treadmill which is booooooooorrrrrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnnnnngggg), which could make me ultimately run faster and may result in more fat burning than straight up distance running.

Fartlek is a fancy Sweedish way of saying interval training (although it does refer to a specific method of interval training). What the shit is interval training? Interval training is when you change up what you are doing for certain amounts of time, distance or other “intervals”. Running fast for 2 minutes then walking for 2 minutes, then running again is an example of something you might do if you are interval training.

Fartlek, as I understand it*, is different inasmuch as you don’t necessarily run for a set time, you let your body decide when it’s time to stop and go. People who are on Core will have practice with this sort of concept as they check-in with their hunger signals on a regular basis to discern when to stop and go food-wise.

The following italicized bit is from the second link provided below, and explains fartlek better than I…

Here’s how a typical fartlek session would work. After a steady warm-up, simply pick a landmark – for example a tree, lamp-post, or phone box – and run to it hard, then jog until you’ve recovered. Then pick another landmark, run hard to that, recover and so on.

There doesn’t need to be a set structure to the run. For your first quick burst you might choose a target that’s just 100m away and sprint to it flat out. Then for the next hard run you’ll see something 800m away and stride towards it at your 5K race pace.

It’s entirely up to you how hard or easy you make the session. Unlike track intervals, fartlek doesn’t require you to set a distance to run, or a time to recover. A watch isn’t necessary (although in the absence of landmarks you can use one to pick different times for your hard sections), as you listen to your body to determine your recoveries. After a hard spurt, jog until you’ve got your breath back, the lactic acid has drained from your legs, and your heart’s stopped thumping. Then go again.

So, how did my first fartlek session go? It went well! I wasn’t as bored as I can be when I do 5 k on the treadmill, worked up quite the sweat and feel all rejuvenated and relaxed right now (which could also be from the sauna I sat in for 20 minutes following fartlek).

What did I do? I did a slow warm-up run for ten minutes (warming up is integral to avoiding injury). Then, I ran hella-fast for 2ish minutes, followed by a normal pace run for 3-5 minutesish, walked for 1-3 minutesish, then started up with the fast running again. I did this set 4 times and then walked it out for like 10 minutesish. Yesterday I kinda fartleked, I ran fast 2 out of every 5 minutes for 5 k. Both runs were enjoyable, albeit challenging. I do this sort of stuff because my main WW goal isn’t a number, it’s about getting to a fitness level where I can do the things I love with my friends and family.

Fartlek doesn’t have to involve full-out running. It’s about knowing your body and challenging yourself in an healthy and intelligent fashion. So, if you try this set achievable goals for whatever level of runner you are, ensuring you challenge yourself a bit.

Anyways, the point: if you are experimenting with running fartlek is a good way to challenge yourself, burn fat and improve your speed!

*Note: I work in statistical analysis and have no training on how to run or train for distance running or any of that jazz - this is just my $0.02.

Links:

What is fartlek?

How do I fartlek?

day 4: pounding the pavement

Note: the following is probably only amazing to people who have met me, and have thus experienced the zeitgeist of scatterbrainedness that is me.

Do you ever surprise yourself by discovering something where you thought you left it - without like ransacking your entire 1 bedroom apartment and storage space just in case? I found my gym membership and lock within like 2 minutes of looking yesterday - how crazy is that?? (And remembered the combination! I have had literally 4 locks cut off my storage space because I never remember what the fuck the numbers are. In fact, it is unlocked right now, and it is possible someone has stolen my bike at this point. Little do they know that the breaks are broken. Twahaha.) Anyways, the point is I have started running again. I had forgotten how much I actually enjoy running… now I just have to find the right time of day for me to do up. Optimally, I should be running in the morning cause I can’t eat before I pound the pavement without getting incredibly nauseated, and I drag ass if I run after work. BUT, I heart sleeping-in to the max. So we’ll see what the deuce happens with this situation.