A strange-sounding word to native English speakers, "fartlek" means "speed play" in Swedish. It's a training tool used by distance runners to improve conditioning and endurance. You can do it by yourself or with training partners. The idea is to listen to your body as it tells you how fast it can---or wants---to go.
Identification
Fartlek is an intuitive combination of fast and slow running speeds. According to the Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide, during a fartlek drill, you choose how fast you want to run and for how long. You might sprint at top speed for a hundred yards, jog until you're recovered, then run at or near a 5K race pace for several minutes. Fartlek drills often cover flat and hilly ground, giving you the chance to push your endurance and your heart rate.
Purpose
Fartlek drills have multiple purposes. The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide cites fartlek's benefits for general conditioning and decreasing workout boredom. According to Olympic running coach Greg McMillan, fartlek sessions help competitive runners avoid overtraining too early in the season, plus they give the runner the speed training needed to deal with real-life racing situations that require sudden pace changes.
Heart Rate
Fartlek drills can be organized specifically to increase a runner's heart rate. According to Bob and Shelly-lynn Glover in "The Competitive Runner's Handbook," do a sprint until your heart rate increases to around 90 percent of its maximum level. When you hit that high point, decrease your speed to a gentle jog until your heart rate drops to 75 percent of maximum. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to that maximum or drop back down to a lower level. The more frequently you do a drill like this, the greater capacity your body develops for tolerating the increase and allowing you to push harder during a race.
Fartlek Routines
Coach McMillan proposes a beginner's fartlek drill that alternates 1-minute speed surges with 1-minute jogs, performing 10 of each interval. Running for this amount of time, he says, increases your body's ability to use available oxygen. As you get better at the drill, do fewer speed surges but maintain them for a longer period of time---try to maintain a quick pace for up to five minutes then take a two-minute jog in between. Eventually, work your way up to five speed surges of two minutes each, running hard at a 5K race pace with a gentle jog between each surge.
Warning
Bob and Shelly-lynn Glover warn against overdoing fartlek drills. Because they're unstructured, it's easy to underestimate what you've done. If you don't allow yourself enough recovery time between speed bursts, you'll feel tired and overtrained instead of well-prepared and relaxed. Especially when running with training partners, fartlek drills provide the adrenaline rush of a real race, and your body needs time to recover from that stress. The Glovers advise following up a difficult fartlek workout with two days of easy runs to make sure you're not overworking your body.
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