A fartlek comes from the Swedish word meaning “speed play” and was brought into the running arena back in the 1930’s by Swedish national coach, Gosta Holmer. The concept as simple: work two systems in one workout with speed mixed into an endurance run.
A fartlek is a workout where you have a prescribed time to run hard followed by a set time of running at an easy pace. I will stress that the time “on” (hard pace) is to be at a hard pace on how you feel, not a specific set pace. The time “off” (easy pace) should be at YOUR normal running pace, NOT a shuffle or a walk. If you are unable to return to your normal running pace for the “off” period, then the minutes “on” are too hard.
Once your “off” pace has to turn into a walk or shuffle jog to allow for recovery, you have moved beyond fartlek training and into “interval” training where you run for a set period then take a break between intervals. Fartleks are meant to be quick but not as fast as an interval workout.
Runners need that freedom to go out and run hard without getting hung up on pace because it can tell you a lot about your body. I am a huge advocate for running on how you feel because some days are good and others not so much.
