“Have you wanted to get into running, but are afraid of what it might feel like or that you just won’t do it well? Read our blog post about “Fartlek” training.
This kind of training is a type that I have used with several personal training clients to help them to move slowly into running to figure out if its for them or not!!
It is called Fartlek training – yep.. Fartlek. It means “speed play” in Swedish. Traditionally, it is a form of continuous running with interval training intermixed, but I am going to explain a modified Fartlek, for beginners, or post partum, or getting back into it or any combination of the above type of athlete!
Many of us wish we loved running (I for one, love the way I feel after, but the actual exercise is not my favorite). This kind of running may be something you actually quite enjoy, though.
I advise clients to start where is comfortable for them. I will introduce a very beginner workout, and if you think it is too easy for you, and don’t know how you might adjust it, message me, and I would be happy to help!
This can be done on either a treadmill or outside. When I did a similar workout last week, I did it outside between fields of hay and corn! 🙂 Just be careful to watch for objects that could cause any injury.
This below workout may seem very specific, but in reality, it’s just working you gradually up to the sprint and then getting you back down to cooling down. If you do not want to worry about the technicalities of what you should do next, Fartlek training has also been done randomly. You might pick a spot to jog to and then walk, next time you want to pick a spot closer and sprint, followed by a walk… ANY type of this is interval training and takes the monotony out of workouts. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN WITH IT!!
First let’s define the degrees of walking/running!
Slow walk – taking a 2-3 year old on a walk (a nice stroll)
Walk – pick up the pace, but still able to have an easy conversation
Fast walk – intention is to get heart rate up, break a sweat, still having a conversation
Slow jog (~50-60% of sprint) – just above a walk, just getting the motion of a run, conversation might get a little tougher
Jog (60-70% of sprint) – more intense than a slow jog, not as comfortable, but still okay, conversation is beginning to be between breaths.
Fast jog (70-80% of sprint) – good pace, pretty intense, feeling harder, conversation is definitely between breaths, if at all.
Run (80-90% of sprint) – This pace is just below a sprint, if you are talking its because someone is in the way! 🙂
Sprint (as fast as you can go) – Arms are pumping as hard as your legs so that you can get from Point A to Point B as FAST AS POSSIBLE!!
A 30-40 minute workout would look like this:
1st ~7 minutes, do a warm-up walk, jog or combination – purpose is to break a sweat, get your legs loose and nice and warm. When you feel warm, you can get started…
Pick a spot about 50 yards/meters (~150 feet) in front of you (I have used telephone poles or light poles, or just random objects like a shadow or a bush or …. can be anything)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
FAST WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE THE DISTANCE – 100m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
FAST JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE – 100m)
FAST WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
RUN to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE – 100m)
WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SPRINT to that spot. YOU are about ½ way through the workout… you could do 2 things, you could either do a jog/walk back home, using the same or similar marks, or you could do the workout in reverse. starting with the walk and then to the RUN… etc.
Feel free to message me with any questions or needed adaptations! 🙂 Happy running.
“Have you wanted to get into running, but are afraid of what it might feel like or that you just won’t do it well? Read our blog post about “Fartlek” training.
This kind of training is a type that I have used with several personal training clients to help them to move slowly into running to figure out if its for them or not!!
It is called Fartlek training – yep.. Fartlek. It means “speed play” in Swedish. Traditionally, it is a form of continuous running with interval training intermixed, but I am going to explain a modified Fartlek, for beginners, or post partum, or getting back into it or any combination of the above type of athlete!
Many of us wish we loved running (I for one, love the way I feel after, but the actual exercise is not my favorite). This kind of running may be something you actually quite enjoy, though.
I advise clients to start where is comfortable for them. I will introduce a very beginner workout, and if you think it is too easy for you, and don’t know how you might adjust it, message me, and I would be happy to help!
This can be done on either a treadmill or outside. When I did a similar workout last week, I did it outside between fields of hay and corn! 🙂 Just be careful to watch for objects that could cause any injury.
This below workout may seem very specific, but in reality, it’s just working you gradually up to the sprint and then getting you back down to cooling down. If you do not want to worry about the technicalities of what you should do next, Fartlek training has also been done randomly. You might pick a spot to jog to and then walk, next time you want to pick a spot closer and sprint, followed by a walk… ANY type of this is interval training and takes the monotony out of workouts. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN WITH IT!!
First let’s define the degrees of walking/running!
Slow walk – taking a 2-3 year old on a walk (a nice stroll)
Walk – pick up the pace, but still able to have an easy conversation
Fast walk – intention is to get heart rate up, break a sweat, still having a conversation
Slow jog (~50-60% of sprint) – just above a walk, just getting the motion of a run, conversation might get a little tougher
Jog (60-70% of sprint) – more intense than a slow jog, not as comfortable, but still okay, conversation is beginning to be between breaths.
Fast jog (70-80% of sprint) – good pace, pretty intense, feeling harder, conversation is definitely between breaths, if at all.
Run (80-90% of sprint) – This pace is just below a sprint, if you are talking its because someone is in the way! 🙂
Sprint (as fast as you can go) – Arms are pumping as hard as your legs so that you can get from Point A to Point B as FAST AS POSSIBLE!!
A 30-40 minute workout would look like this:
1st ~7 minutes, do a warm-up walk, jog or combination – purpose is to break a sweat, get your legs loose and nice and warm. When you feel warm, you can get started…
Pick a spot about 50 yards/meters (~150 feet) in front of you (I have used telephone poles or light poles, or just random objects like a shadow or a bush or …. can be anything)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
FAST WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE THE DISTANCE – 100m)
SLOW JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
FAST JOG to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE – 100m)
FAST WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
RUN to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (DOUBLE – 100m)
WALK to that spot. When you get there, pick another spot (~50m)
SPRINT to that spot. YOU are about ½ way through the workout… you could do 2 things, you could either do a jog/walk back home, using the same or similar marks, or you could do the workout in reverse. starting with the walk and then to the RUN… etc.
Feel free to message me with any questions or needed adaptations! 🙂 Happy running.