Today's goal was 6 times 4 minutes fast with one minute walking and watering breaks in-between. My first 4 minutes were definitely faster than the rest. I soon realized that there was no way I would be able to hold on to that pace so the subsequent 4 minute segments were decidedly slower. In all, I did somewhere around 6k in 30 minutes. In the first 4 minutes I did around 1.2k but my legs told me that that wasn't gonna happen again. In the next "fast segment" I did about 800 meters and I stayed at around that pace for the others. The last one was actually 5 minutes and I did over 1k because I was feeling the exhilaration of nearly being finished what felt, at times, a bit like torture.
I find these "fartleks" hard to get started and even tougher to finish. However, I have read that these are very important for developing a runner's capacities and varying ones routine so I am going to keep at it.
I prefer to do these in the gym on the treadmill so that I know that my speed is constant for each and during each speed segment. Today I did it at the stadium and I was not always in the same lane so all my measurements of speed and distance are merely estimates.
I have no idea if I am doing these "fartleks" (hate that name) correctly. When I have attempted them in the past at the gym I usually do 13kmh for the "fast" parts and 8kmh for each recuperation minute. This time I walked during the recuperation.
If anyone would like to share their wisdom on the best ratios and duration I am keen to receive their knowledge.
I finished the day with a glass of organic chardonay to go with delicious ginger, garlic, sesame chicken and a glass of Minervoise red to go with some Basque Etorki cheese and black cherry fruit spread.
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Okay I think I get it. A "fartlek" must be from the German "farher/fart" "to go/goes" and lek probably means "short" or "a little". But my German is rusty. Anyways, one of those Nordic languages might also account for it: to go a little ways, fast I take it, and then walk for a bit. You are really pumping it at 13km/h, which is 4.5 mins per km right? I'm pretty sure that my "fast" running speed is like, 5.5, on a really good day....
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should be drinking chocolate milk afterwards, they're all into that here now. Messes up your wine drinking schedule though.
Your right, I vaguely remember hearing that "fartlek" was Swedish or Norwegian and I think it was developed in relation to cross country skiing. In any event, I am still feeling the pain. I might just try the chocolate milk thing. I will have to make it myself. Nobody drinks milk here. People lose their minds when they see American t.v shows with people drinking milk with their dinner at the table, "what, why aren't they drinking wine?! What are they, babies?!". There is a drink available here called "candy up". In Canada, I am sure, it would just be called chocolate milk but here it does not meet the European requirements for the percentage of chocolate necessary to call itself "chocolate".
ReplyDeletep.s
I am sure you are doing more than 5.5kmh. 6.5kmh is a hurried walk for long legged people. You might be doing 7.5 or 8 but a short stint of 9 to 10kmh (1 minute or two), once your good and warmed up, should be possible from time to time.