Fartlek (R)

One Day at a Time

This was a four-mile fartlek again. Funny name, but that’s what it’s called. My understanding is that the fartlek is sort of like pace training. You’ve heard of speed training (i.e. intervals). Well, this is similar except speeds are not as extreme (high/low) and pace is set for longer periods of time. But nothing is set in stone. I just tried to alternate different paces throughout. Warming up at 9:30 min/mile, cooling down at 9:30 min/mile, and plenty of fast stuff in-between. Average pace looked really great at 8:07, so it’s definitely a hard workout. Tomorrow, it’s 5 miles but I will probably make it an easy 5 miles . . . if there IS such a thing for me right now. Even if I have to take 50 minutes to complete it, that will be fine. A harder/faster (but shorter) 3 miles comes up on Thursday, then off Friday, an easy 3 miles Saturday, then 7 mile long run Sunday will round out the week.

I noticed that Wed and Thur alternate back and forth from week to week. Some weeks Wed is a short run (BUT harder/faster) and Thur is a longer run (BUT easier/slower), other weeks Wed is a longer AND faster (harder) run with Thur a short AND easy (slower) run. Wow, that’s a way to mix it up. And I’ve got my weekly long run AND my weekly special run (fartlek the first two weeks, hills the second two weeks, then several weeks of intervals-OUCH!). This is VARIETY.

-AR

PS: I’ve never really liked the name fartlek. It sounds kind of . . . well, gross. It does have the word "fart" in it, after all. That’s just kind of hilarious to me. Hilarious, in a gross-out way. But, it is what it is, so it’s a fartlek, and I’ll have to be OK with that.

See Route

4.04 miles (6.5 km) through Millbrook, Amelia Landing, and Grenelefe. Start time approximately 4:35 PM EST on 02/08/2011. Total run time 32:47. Pace 8:07. Weather Conditions: Clear/Sunny, 50F/10C, Dew Point 23F, Humidity 36%, Winds WNW 8mph, 30.15inHg/1021.3mbar and steady.