So many corny jokes to add, but I am going to refrain from that today and keep things serious and informative. No gassy jokes here or how eating beans might help with your speed work, nope, not today folks, so straight to business....
I feel like fartlek training has become a well known term for those who like to follow run training plans, or read articles about running. For those that haven't come across it, the word “Fartlek” is Swedish and means “speed play”. The history of fartlek training dates back over 80 years, when coaches and scientists began to experiment with different methods of improving fitness and adding variety to training. Swedish coach Gösta Holmér developed fartlek training as a way of combining speed and endurance in one session.
This kind of running workout uses a strategy of running at different speeds throughout your workout, getting used to running faster, but not all out, and then running slower for periods in between. For example, in my workout this morning, I ran for just over half a mile to warm up at a comfortable pace, then I ran a quarter mile at a challenging speed for me, followed by another quarter mile at a much slower and easier pace. I did this three times and then finished with another half a mile comfortable cooldown run.
This is different from running workouts which are called Interval workouts, in that you run continuously throughout a fartlek session, at different paces. In an Interval workout, you tend to walk or rest completely after your sprint sections.
I like a fartlek session, because it gets my legs used to going quicker but the running recovery section is good for me, as my go to after going faster is to stop! Learning to push through that uncomfortable feeling and realize that I can keep going is good practice for race day, heart strength, and running away from something scary - or towards something fabulous!
Try the workout I did - I used distance to measure my sections, but you could use time also - run at a comfortable pace for 5 mins, then run 2 mins fast, 2 mins slow three times, and finish with a 5 min cool down comfortably paced run.
Good Luck!