Fartleks

[Pheidippides]

I am strongly considering adding some fartlek runs to my training routine. I used to do them in high school so I'm familiar with the general concept, but, like everything else I did back then, I really have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to specifics. I do understand the benefits, though.

Do any of you regularly do any sort of interval training (whether fartleks, Yasso 800s, or whatever) and, if so, how do you structure them? Double points if you base your intervals off of specific HR zones because that would be easy to translate over.

[All-American]

I am strongly considering adding some fartlek runs to my training routine. I used to do them in high school so I'm familiar with the general concept, but, like everything else I did back then, I really have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to specifics. I do understand the benefits, though.

Do any of you regularly do any sort of interval training (whether fartleks, Yasso 800s, or whatever) and, if so, how do you structure them? Double points if you base your intervals off of specific HR zones because that would be easy to translate over.

I've done a couple of different interval type runs and not noticed a great difference between them as far as effectiveness goes. I would run two or three miles jogging to one light post and sprinting to the next. I also did one where I did six sprints of thirty or forty-five seconds (alternating each time I did it) with a minute of rest between them. I've also done a workout with about 20 40 meter dashes.

I'm sure one was more effective than another, but I wasn't smart enough to tell the difference. I hated all three of them, though.

[byu71]

I knew there was a secret to PAC's prowess as a cycler.

[ERCougar]

I've kind of winged it on these, but it's worked for me. I'm curious to hear what others have done.

For a speed workout, I try to do 1/4-3/4 mile distances in the 170's (I'm 35 and my max HR is about 188, so that's 90-95% range). After each, I walk until my HR drops into the 120s (65-70% range), then do another leg. Total speed legs at about 3 miles (not including walking intervals). I do 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown.

EDIT: Before I had my Garmin, I had a Polar HRM, and I would do these with calories, with speed distances of 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 calories.

[doctorcoug]

As a team we would get in a line aeperated by about ten feet per runner with about 7-10 runners in the line. The fartlek was the guy in back would run to the front. It was a pretty simple thing to do. It was probably an interval q2-3 minutes.

[All-American]

As a team we would get in a line aeperated by about ten feet per runner with about 7-10 runners in the line. The fartlek was the guy in back would run to the front. It was a pretty simple thing to do. It was probably an interval q2-3 minutes.

Ah, yeah, "Indian runs," as we called them. Didn't mind those as much, to be honest.

[Slim]

Yeah we used to do those back of line to front things.

But most often we would also do these 60-30 things where the coaches would drop us off at the bottom of a mountain and tell us to do 80% for 60 seconds and then jog slowly for 30 seconds and repeat for a given number of times as we ran up the mountain.

This was before GPS though and none of us had heart rate monitors as high schoolers so I imagine there are much more efficient ways of doing this now.

[Teenage Dirtbag]

I do fartleks all the time. They are completely unstructured and have no rhyme or reason. I'll pick up the pace till I get to a random light pole, or a tree, or whatever. The word literally means "speed play" which is how I treat them.

[bluegoose]

I've never really liked doing fartleks during my runs. I need more structure when I start out in the morning. Otherwise its just too easier for me to turn any run into a medium paced mileage run.

Last year, my interval program varied between 400m, 800m, 1200m and 1600m intervals. It usually totalled about 3 miles of intervals per workout.

This year, its much more simple. On Wednesdays, I do either 800m intervals, hill repeats or a tempo run. 800m intervals vary from 4-8 reps. I try to follow Yassos rec to run them at the same # of minutes that you want your marathon finish time to be. Its pretty tough beyond about 3 reps.

[cowboy]

I try to do 800's and jog for a half mile in between. Since I've been nursing shin splints for a year, I haven't done them. Really, I liked them but I had no idea if I was doing the right thing. I just ran with a goal to keep my HR aneorobic for at least 3/4 of the distance (182 with my 192 max and 60 RHR.) It usually took three or so get to that point.

[Eddie]

I've really primarily done fartleks when I'm on a treadmill. I don't have a heartrate monitor, so it is tough to tie that into it.

Anyway - I don't have any theory to back up why I've done them this way, just that this is what worked for me - but there have been 2-3 methods to my madness.

First - I would run 2 1/2 minutes at my regular speed, and then kick up the speed by 2 mph for the next 30 seconds, then back down to my regular running speed.

Next - once I got so that I could continue on after the faster speed, I moved to 3 minutes at regular speed and a full minute at 2 mph faster.

Finally - I started mixing it up a little with incline. So I would do one interval in which I went 2 mph faster, and then the next interval I would only go 1 mph faster but would add 2-3% incline as well.

Anyway - I know that doesn't necessarily help when you are on the road. But that's what I've done.

On the road my fartleks have been more inconsistent and been more along the lines of Teenage Dirtbags - picking it up for a block, to the next lightpole, to the church or school, to the top of the hill, etc. Varying distances.