What is fartlek running?

Fartlek workouts are not only fun to say out loud, but they're fun to run. Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play," and that is exactly what it’s all about. Developed in the 1930s by Swedish Olympian Gösta Holmér, fartlek is relatively unstructured and alternates moderate-to-hard efforts with easy running throughout. After a warm-up, you play with speed by running at faster efforts for short periods of time followed by easy-effort running to recover. Most people choose to run time-based fartleks to time (ie 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow) but you can get imaginative (run fast to the next tree etc).

It’s fun in a group setting as you can alternate the leader and mix up the pace and time. And in doing so, you reap the mental benefits of being pushed by your friends through an unpredictable workout. The goal is to keep it free-flowing so you’re untethered to the watch or a plan, and to run at harder efforts but not a specific pace. Fartlek can also be a great option during the winter months as the non-stop aspect means there's no waiting round in the cold.

What are the benefits of fartlek training?

Updated: 26 July 2023.

What is tempo running?

Tempo workouts are like a sandwich, with the warm up and cool down as the bread, and a run at an effort at or slightly above your anaerobic threshold (the place where your body shifts to using more glycogen for energy) as the filling. This is the effort level just outside your comfort zone – you can hear your breathing, but you're not gasping for air. If you can talk easily, you’re not in the tempo zone, and if you can’t talk at all, you’re above the zone. It should be at an effort somewhere in the middle, so you can talk in broken words.

Pace is not an effective means for running a tempo workout, as there are many variables that can affect pace including heat, wind, fatigue and terrain. In terms of your perceived effort, it's about 7/10.

In terms of duration, tempo runs tend to last within the region of 20 to 40 minutes, although they can be broken up into shorter chunks. For example, 2 x 10 minutes, with 2 mins of jogging in between.

What are the benefits of tempo training?

Increased lactate threshold to run faster at easier effort levels. Improves focus, race simulation and mental strength.

What are running intervals?

Interval workouts are short, intense efforts followed by a period of recovery time. For example, after a warm-up, run two minutes at a hard effort, followed by two to three minutes of easy jogging or walking to catch your breath. Unlike tempo workouts, you’re running above your red line and at an effort where you are reaching hard for air and counting the seconds until you can stop – a controlled fast effort followed by a truly easy jog.

Intervals can be run based on time or distance – it's up to you – and be extremely short or relatively long. An example of some classic interval sessions are 12 x 400m at 5K pace with 400m of easy jogging between reps; and 3 x 6 minutes at 5K pace with 2 minuntes easy jogging between reps.

The secret is in the recovery as patience and discipline while you’re running easy allows you to run the next interval strong and finish the entire workout fatigued but not completely spent. Just like rest, your body adapts and gets stronger in the recovery mode.

What are the benefits of interval runs?

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