Everything you need to know about fartlek training

Key takeaways

• Fartlek is all about changing the tempo you run at
• Alternate higher-intensity running with slower, recovery-focused jogging
• It’s a great way to build speed and endurance
• There are no hard and fast rules
• You can speed up and slow down whenever you like
• It’s a fun and accessible training alternative to steady state runs
• You can adapt your fartlek routine to match your distance and intensity goals
• Fartlek helps mimic the ebbs and flows of a race

What is fartlek?

Fartlek training is a type of training where you continuously adjust the speed you run at throughout your workout. It’s a playful take on interval training that can help make longer, slower runs more engaging and enjoyable.

What does ‘fartlek’ mean?

Fartlek literally translates from Swedish to English as “speed play”.

Where did it start?

Fartlek was first developed by Swedish Olympian Gosta Holmer in the 1930’s.

Since then, it’s made its way around the globe and become a popular training technique for athletes and amateurs alike.

How does it work?

In practice, fartlek training involves sporadic changes in tempo to keep your workout varied and fun.

This might mean you run at a consistent pace for two minutes with a 20 second sprint in between. You could also try two or three minutes at a faster pace on your long run before dropping back into a more comfortable rhythm.

The best thing about fartlek is that there are no hard and fast rules. It’s all about playing around with speed and finding what works for you. We encourage you to mix things up too. Get out of your comfort zone and experiment with different splits, timings, and tempos.

Is fartlek good for beginners?

The intensity and speed of a fartlek workout changes based on your fitness level and ability.

This makes it an excellent addition to any novice or advanced runners training programme as it can be tailored to build endurance, speed, and stamina for any fitness level across any distance.

What are the benefits of fartlek training?

• Increased Cardiovascular fitness
• Increased aerobic and anaerobic fitness
• Increased speed
• Increased endurance
• Increased sports performance
• Better race times and performance

Disadvantages of fartlek training

See below for some of the possible downsides to fartlek training:

• Difficult to establish the correct pace
• Easy to over train
• Not suitable for group training with mixed abilities
• Difficult to track progress

Mimic race day conditions

Fartlek helps mimic the ebbs and flows of a race during your training. Whilst we all aim to pace our races perfectly, the terrain, conditions, and how we feel on the day all influence how confidently we move during a race. Fartlek and other types of tempo runs are a great way of getting your body used to small and frequent changes in pace, whether that be during hilly terrain or because you’re struggling during a particular section of the race.

How to incorporate fartlek training runs

There are many different forms of fartlek training. The best thing about fartlek is there are no hard and fast rules. This means you can develop a method that works for you and the distance you’re looking to run.

Despite this, there are still a few rules you should keep in mind.

Choose an intensity

Decide how hard the training session will be based on where it falls on your training schedule. Avoid fartlek runs if you’ve done a speed session the day before.

Some people save fartlek runs for slighter longer sessions to help supplement the steady state of their long run with shorter periods of speed play.

Pick your duration and frequency

Decide the duration, distance, speed, and frequency of your speed intervals.

They might be 100m, 400m, or 800m in length.

Tailor the length and duration of these intervals to the distance you are looking to run come race day. For example, try experimenting with short bursts for the 5km or 10km distance and longer intervals for the half-marathon and marathon distances.

Pay attention to recovery

Listen to your body and never underestimate the importance of rest and recovery.

If you’re training hard for a race, your body needs time off to repair the damage you’ve done to your muscle fibres and tissue before your next session. If you’re tired, restless, and irritable, you may be overtrained. Training more than you should will ultimately catch up with you and leave you feeling tired and fatigued on race day.

If you’re unsure of how to gauge the quality of your rest, you can use a smartwatch or heart rate monitor to score your recovery after a workout. Sleep is another great indicator of how much rest you’re getting during training. If you’re having difficulty falling or staying asleep, you may need to give your body more recovery time between sessions.

Keep moving

The idea of fartlek is to slow down and speed up without ever coming to a dead stop.

Keeping moving, even when you feel like you can’t, encourages the body to adapt to the difficult situations you’ll face when racing.

By routinely adjusting the speed you run at, you keep your body guessing. This will help your muscles and cardiovascular system adjust quicker when you speed up for that pacy back half on race day.

Fartlek workout for sprinters

This session focuses on training the anaerobic energy system conditioning with sprints varying in distance from 100m to 400m.

This workout is great for any track race that’s going to incorporate periods of sprinting. This includes:

• 100m
• 200m
• 400m
• Hurdling
• Relay

Fartlek workout for middle distance events

This session focuses on conditioning your anaerobic glycolytic energy system which is involved in regulating the pace changes you’ll need for races like the:

• 800m
• 1 mile
• 5km

Fartlek workout for long distance events

If you’re focusing on a long-distance event like the half-marathon or marathon, you need to know that your body can handle tempo changes when you’re already tired.

This session focuses on strengthening your aerobic energy system to help with the following events:

• 10km
• Half-marathon
• Marathon
• Ultra-marathon
• Triathlon.

Can fartlek running help with other sports?

The fitness benefits of alternating the speed you run are transferable across sports and disciplines.

Fartlek sprint training is great for sports like football, rugby, racquet sports, basketball, or athletics because they all require short and sharp tempo changes.

Fartlek Middle distance training is good for sports that require the anaerobic glycolytic energy system. This refers to exercise that encourages the body to generate energy from glucose without needing oxygen. 

This includes mixed martial arts, rowing, canoeing, and kayaking, football, rugby, and 800m, 1 mile, and 5k events.

Fartlek Long distance training is a great training method for sports which utilise our aerobic energy system.

This style has the most benefits for long distance sports like cycling, distance running, the triathlon, swimming events, the 10k, half marathon and marathon.

Are there mental benefits?

When performed correctly and safely, fartlek training has a number of mental health benefits, including:

• Reduced stress
• Elevated mood
• Increased confidence
• A reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Improved sleep quality
• Improved cognitive function

Where can I do fartlek?

One of the chief benefits of fartlek training is that you can do It anywhere. All you need to get started is a pair of running shoes and some suitable clothing.

Fartlek can be done on the road, in your local park, at a running track, or out in the countryside on some local trails. If you’d rather run inside, you can even do fartlek runs on a treadmill by adjusting the speed setting at intervals. Some treadmills even have a “random” feature that will alternate gradients, hills, and tempos for you.

Last updated Wednesday 12 June 2024

First published on Monday 4 January 2016