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Searching for a way to increase your running speed without the hassle of stopwatches a
nd high school track workouts? Try farlek!
Swedish for “speed play,” fartleks aren’t too different from simply randomly picking up the pace during a run. But you can make them a really fun part of your weekly running routine, and gain some real benefit in return.
Runner’s World offers a couple of different options in a short article about fartleks:
Choose a landmark, like the tree in front of a house down the block, a distant stop sign or a fire hydrant. Then simply run at a nice clip to your landmark, slowing back to an easy pace as you pass it. You can even choose all three of these landmarks, then simply run at a nice clip to the first landmark, pick up the pace to the second, and then run (but not all out) to the third. Walk for a bit, then start the process again.
Or, increase your pace during the distance of a city block, then slow back down. The RW article covers both workouts in more depth.
You’ll start to see your efforts translate into a faster speed within weeks, according to Cathy Susan, physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist of East Stadium Physical Therapy in Ann Arbor.
“Fartleks work to get your body used to running faster,” says Susan. “As you go to higher speeds, your body creates lactic acid and you need to get rid of that or it will slow you down. By training at a higher intensity, your body trains itself to get rid of that lactic acid.”
The result? You: a faster runner.
Give it a try!
Join me again next Friday as we delve into another training or cross training topic. Got feedback? Shout out below. Want to know when there’s a new article? Sign up for email notification.
Photo: Microsoft
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