Today is a big day for training. It's the first official fartlek session. Schedule says "1 mile jog, 4 miles fartlek, then 1 mile jog". Which begs the question, what the freak is fartlek?
Cue some googling and Runners World Website forum searching,...
And apparently it translates as Speed Play. And it's for fun!
Now, it's been said many times, by many people, that the only way to run faster is to Run Faster. And the only way to run further is to Run Further. And while running faster and/or further is rarely pleasant at the time, it's hugely satisfying afterwards, and that's what lures and seduces us into doing it.
And it's on this basis, that this evening, I'll be seduced into the best part of an hour's sweaty activity... all of it in trainers and all of it outside in the snow (if there's any left after this glorious Bristol sunshine has worked its magic).
Fartlek is about running really fast for as long or as short as you feel like, then taking it easier for a while, then speeding up again. Kind of a "hey, let's leg it to the lamppost" approach. I love it for its randomness. And its flexibility. If you get out there and feel brilliant you can fartlek to the max, man. And if you feel a touch under par, you can fartlek like a wussbag with longer rests and shorter sprints. But you're still getting a session done. Another tick on the schedule. Another wave of smugness to enjoy and savour. Another excuse for double pepperoni pizza.
Not sure that's the way Paula sees it, but hey, it works for me. Happy running, happy fartlek, happy tummy ;o)
No comments:
Post a Comment