By: Maria Proctor (RCR member and Accredited Recreational Running Coach)
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Graphic
credits: Jono Hey - sketchplanations.com
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What has
Sweden ever done for running? Supplied the perfect
recovery meal by inventing Swedish meatballs, ABBA soundtracks for our earbuds,
or Ikea furniture for post-run relaxation? As a sporting nation, Sweden
conjures up images of tennis and soccer rather than running, so it may surprise
you to learn that it is home to one of the most versatile training methods in
running - the fartlek; beloved by every kind of runner from Olympians through
to weekend warriors. Yes, it is a funny word to say, and most Swedes would not
recognise it, as it is not a word as such, but two words joined, translating to
English as speed play. In this article, I will trace the development of the
fartlek by sharing some stories of famous fartlekers and their coaches, before
wrapping up with a chat about how I use this method to pep up my running
routine.
What is a
fartlek? It is a continuous run made up of
intervals performed at varying paces from easy to fast to everything in
between.
Running
Swedes and the invention of fartlek? Swedish
cross-country coach Gosta Holmer developed the fartlek as a training method in
the 1930s after his country suffered a string of cross-country defeats to
Finland.
So, did
fartlekers bring victory to Sweden? A resounding -
YES! In 1942 Swedish athlete Gunder Hagg set over 13 middle distance records in
events from the 1500m to six miles. Between 1943 and 1945, Hagg and his best
mate Arne Andersson (a fellow fartleker and fierce competitor) alternated in
holding records for the mile, and both came close to breaking the 4-minute
benchmark not broken until some years later in 1954 by Roger Bannister (a story
for another time).
Are there any Australian fartlekers? Another resounding - YES! The success of the Swedish athletes
sparked the interest of many coaches, including Australian Percy Cerutty, who
embraced the method, implementing it into training programs for his athletes.
Cerutty was an innovative coach, who used gruelling training sessions conducted
on undulating courses across dirt tracks and beaches, to build fit athletes.
Most famous among Cerutty's athletes was Herb Elliot, who, despite a short
career, managed to dominate 800m, 1500m and mile races from 1958 to 1960. This
clip shows Herb Elliot cease victory in the 1500 m at the 1960 Rome Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1EBlQEoH-5U
Our Homegrown Aussie Fartlek! The "Mona Fartlek", a session devised by Steve Moneghetti,
four times Australian Olympic marathoner, is a staple of our nation's distance
runners. It is also a favourite with our Thursday PM speedsters and coaches
Heidi, and Maria D. What if you don't have a coach? No problem, the simplicity
of the "Mona" makes very suitable for a solo hit-out, especially if
downloaded to a sports watch. The "Mona Fartlek" is 20 minutes of
hard running and goes like this:
Run the 90 seconds efforts at 5k-10k pace
(puffy but still able to say one or two words). However, as the efforts get
shorter, they should become progressively harder, building effort until the
last 15 seconds are a sprint. The art of doing this session is to keep running
or jogging during recoveries (sometimes called a float); this session aims to
keep moving and pace well enough for a sprint finish.
Fartlek for mere mortals: As social runners, we may not be out to break world records, but
just like the elites, we can embrace the fartlek as a method to improve our
fitness and spice up our running routine.
Add an element of randomness: In contrast to the "Mona", the random or surrounding
fartlek is an unstructured session where intervals and recoveries vary based on
changes in terrain, using visual cues or changing pace in time to music. I
usually start my fartlek session with jog warm-up of at least 10 minutes. To
begin my first interval, I focus on a landmark in the distance such as a tree,
bench or letterbox and build pace as I run toward it, once reached I slow down
and start my recovery while scouting out the starting point for my next surge.
I repeat this process until time to wrap up the session with a 5-minute
cooldown jog.
How long should a session be? My favourite events (apart from post-run coffee) are 3 to 10km
races, so I usually do fartlek runs between 30 to 45 minutes long. Those
crazies among us who run marathons and ultras may choose to do longer sessions.
Squeezing in some speed: A short-run (around 3.5km) is a regular feature of my commute to
work, and a fartlek session blends seamlessly with the need to negotiate stops
at traffic lights and share a route busy with cyclists and other runners. A
structured training session such as a tempo run which requires keeping a
constant pace for a specified time is impossible under such conditions.
Although I perform most of my weekly sessions at a relaxed pace, I find the
fartlek an effective way to make the most of a short run.
Where to
run a fartlek? It can be run anywhere - on track,
trail, grass, road, or treadmill. Whenever possible, it is helpful to train on
terrain specific to your upcoming events, for example, on a hilly course, you
can surge up hills, and recover on downhills and flat sections. Running over
varied surfaces and inclines make for a challenging workout which builds both
strength and endurance.
Get creative: The opportunity to use your imagination and surroundings to make
this session your own is part of the joy of fartlek. Any object can act as a
cue to start and finish intervals. I have even co-opted bin chickens as running
stewards, by speeding up when I spot one and slowing down once passing it!
Dogs, cyclists, and small children work just as well!
Feeling the need for some fartlek
speed? If my enthusiasm for this training method
has inspired you, this clip has some useful tips for starting your fartlek
adventure.
Share your adventures with other RCR
fartlekers: If you give fartlek a go let us know!
To share your workouts and favourite routes with other members, join our River
City Runners Strava group.
