Is it a college hazing ritual? Is it a long-lost, lovable loser character from "The Sandlot" or "Salute your Shorts?" I wondered what this word meant as I saw it on my training schedule for today. Thanks to my New York Roadrunners Club training schedule, they described it in depth for me.
Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play" and it's a highly effective, stimulating aerobic workout, featuring timed intervals that alternate between a slow jog and a relatively fast sprint. Today, after running 2.5 miles, I was scheduled to run six 1:00 fartlek intervals. This means I'd run fast for one minute, jog for 30 seconds, run fast for one minute, jog for 30 seconds, etc. This would continue until I completed the cycle six times.
As soon as I left my house, I knew it was ideal fartlek weather.
The combination of the thick, humid air and the blazing sun made for some warm conditions. I seem to thrive in these conditions. When the air is thick, the sun is bright, and I'm completely drenched in sweat, I feel in my element. It doesn't feel like I'm just taking a leisurely training stroll.
Runs like this alter my body chemistry. The rhythmic breathing, the sweat-soaked dri-fit shirt, the endorphins. It all feels natural instead of forced when the conditions are a bit warm and sticky.
New music and new playlists always seem to energize me, and training for this race has made me realize that drum and bass, dubstep, and heavy electronica music really get the job done, especially during interval work.
I made a playlist today consisting of Camo & Krooked, Skrillex, The Qemists, Flux Pavilion, Modestep, Zomboy, etc. The eclectic sounds, distorted beats, and heavy drops always kept me on my toes.
The droning, electronic infused verses, the buildup, the fast pace, and then the inevitable distorted drop was in sync with the concept of the fartlek workout. You warm up and hit the trail at a steady pace (the intro and the verse), you quicken your pace before the sprint begins (the buildup), and finally, you let loose and sprint for a minute (the drop) before slowing to a jog (back to the verse).
For more education on what I'm referring to, here's a funny little animated cartoon about dubstep. The goofy, robotic voiced guy is jokingly explaining this genre of music. I think its a pretty accurate depiction of fartlek runs as well.
On another note, I'm almost finished with "Running with the Kenyans" and its been informative, enlightening, and inspiring. As soon as I finish, I'll post my thoughts on the book and how it's affected my training and my perception of myself as a runner. After that, it's time to see what all the hype is about and dig into "Born to Run."
...One more thing. Is it bad that I'm eagerly awaiting my training schedule for next week to be emailed to me?
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