What is a Fartlek?

I feel like I can call myself a real runner after today.

And why you ask?

because i did my very first fartlek workout! GO ME.

yeah i do own the oiselle rundies. i'm obsessed.

what's a fartlek? It's sweedish (love my swedes) for "speedplay" and involves interval-like training. Run hard for a specified period of time and then run easy. repeat.

Today I was determined to get a run in before I donated blood for the UM-OSU blood battle (reigning champs for 5 years! we rock!), and it was POURING when i left class, so to the gym for a fartlek workout it was.

Workout
10 min warm up - 6.0 pace
2 minutes hard - 7.9 pace
2:30 easy - 6.0 pace
3 minutes hard - 7.6 pace
2:30 easy - 6.0 pace
4 minutes hard - 7.6 pace
2:30 easy - 6.0 pace
3 minutes hard - 7.6 pace
2:30 easy - 6.0 pace
2 minutes hard - 7.8 pace
5 minutes cool down - 6.0 pace

hard stats:
40 min
4.5 miles

DONE.

i felt so strong going hard on the treadmill, and I'm not sure that I could have pulled it off out on a track or just out on the roads. so it was definitely a great first fartlek.


Go. Me.

(btw, this is totally 1. major stress relief, and 2. major working off the dozens of cookies i made on saturday)

(also blood donation was a total success, per usual. Go Me again.)