The wheel of fartlek

[MadDave]

I’ve always wondered what this is, and on this evenings training run with the club I found out.

It starts with a warm up jog and then a run together on the long leg of the fartlek to the ‘hub’. Then the group is then split into three - slow, medium and fast, and then each group runs a different fartlek, of which there are three. The short one is 200m, the medium one about 300m and the long one 600m. In each leg the group runs out from the hub at recovery pace to the end of the leg, and then sprints back to the hub, regroups and does the next leg, completing two circuits in all.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it is on the ground, and is designed to improve pace.

I started out well but was pretty well knackered by the end!

[MutleyShuffle Half Marathon]

Sounds good, MadDave 😊 I am thinking of going to my club's track night to do some speed work - if they say we are going to do the Wheel of Fartlec I shall not be daunted! 😁

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

Fartlek is free flowing, so there is no hard and fast rules like with intervals. When you go for a run yourself you just run fast and slow as and when it suits you and mix it up.

Great training for speed

[MadDave in reply to Whatsapp]

It’s also good in a grouping of runners around the same pace as it gives you something to push against. 🤪

[Whatsapp Half Marathon in reply to MadDave]

Other than races I have never run in a group, so I couldn't compare; but I know it is very liberating to just go out and run by feel - like you did when you were a kid!

Gald you are enjoying it.

[MadDave in reply to Whatsapp]

Yeah I did get carried away on the 1st short leg - a 200m sprint - it was like I was a kid at sports day. However the rest of my group showed me the right pace, and all overtook me as I faded towards the end. On the second 200m run I matched their pace and saved the sprint for the last 50m, and was quicker overall and didn’t finish last in that leg for a change!

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Yes our group did fartleks and intervals over the summer and have now switched to hill work over the winter. Good times! 😳😁 Something I am much more likely to do in a group.🙂