Lydiard Fartlek Example Workouts

Lydiard easy fartlek is unstructured. It can be short bursts of speed or pick-ups of a more extended nature. The key is to go with what your body wants to do that day. In a Lydiard system you're building your mileage and running at an honest pace nearly every day but every now and then ( w/ fartlek) you open up your stride a little without overextending yourself.

Thanks Parker.

Does this mean it should be quite an easy session? I have done Fartlek in the past and I have found it quite a hard session. Also is one 3/4 run each week enough?

Basically, it shouldn't be as hard as an interval workout, but it should be harder than his easy days. Go for as long and as hard as you want WITHOUT straining and then go easy until you feel ready to go again. The key is stop the "on" portion if you're starting to strain to keep up that effort. It isn't an easy session, but it isn't a ball buster, you should average out to a good aerobic workout with some turnover. LISTEN to your body.

Some good answers.

I would like to add that you go by feel as that was the intention of fartlek to begin with.

Don't plan your fartlek other than just planning to go out. If you feel like going to that next stop light at 5-minute mile EFFORT (not pace), do that, see how that feels, jog for a bit.

If, for example, during the base phase you had a coach that prescribed doing 12 x 400m at 5K race pace (for example) and you were tired from previous runs, or work or lack of sleep or coming down with a cold, then that PACE is likely too fast. You can dig a hole there. So by feel is the answer....now...

If you were feeling like a million bucks and everything was clicking....then milk it a bit and get some stimulus. But still run by feel, analyze the results later.

There is a time for harder interval sessions that are paced (and some not paced) after the hill phase, which comes after the base phase. Some coaches skip the hill phase and do a blend that is like a hill phase with some intervals and some mileage....so to have a gradual transition to anaerobic running.

Personally I like a hill phase for road runners 5K - marathon, but much lighter on the hard bouncing stuff. To me that is best suited for middle-distance.

Anyway: BY FEEL, don't strain, stop early, don't go for one extra. Just create the stimulus and move to the warm-down.

Fartlek training should be like flossing your teeth, not a deep cleaning.

Secret is the hills: All your easy runs must be at gradient 1%++. On 0% course you are wasting your time. For base building keys:

1) a lot of muscles to be involved at relatively low pulse in order to stretch the heart by blood flow (running, ski, vertical position in order to have maximum lift working muscles and heart + hills to recruit as much as possible muscles)

2) a lot of hours need it (approx. 60 hours is equal 1ml+ to heart stroke volume)

3) Do you know that by swimming is not possible to train cardiovascular system?- there is no vertical lift between working muscles and heart due to body horizontal position.

During the base portion Lydiard wants nothing extended anaerobic. If you are going longer that 1 minute on then the pace should be limited to HMP-MP. If you are going 1 min or less you can get down to faster paces but make sure the off section is full recovery, we are not trying to accumulate any lactate in this phase, that does the opposite of the base purpose.

Some really good and helpful advice here. Thanks very much. Certainly clears it up for me and how it should feel.

If I go to a pre-planned club Session like 10 x 2 mins or something similar can you still class that as Fartlek?

Lydiard User, sorry just seen your post before I put my comment on. That makes a lot of sense. I can understand the easy runs and etc but the Fartlek has got me really confused, especially the effort levels.

Not really. And that is one thing that Arthur didn't love during the base phase is people doing interval sessions because it is very difficult to not do them at a decent pace, check the watch, check clubmates, go faster, defeat the purpose of the base phase.

You would be better off at this stage to do the workout with everyone, but run it like a tempo. I have done this myself. If you know it is going to take 40 minutes or an hour, you are likely not going to go anaerobic.

With the club workouts it is best to warm up with everyone and warm down with everyone and go run steady for awhile....

FYI, I am also posting as Athletics Illustrated....not sure why I cannot login on one device and not the other as Athletics Illustrated every time, but whatever.

Fartlek is not structured by time or distance it is speed play. Mono Fartlek, Jono Fartlek are great workouts for example, but they should just be called Mono workout and Jono workout to be honest.

Hi Wetcoast, Thanks very much. That makes it very clear. I appreciate your help.

IanJ wrote:

Thanks Parker.

Does this mean it should be quite an easy session? I have done Fartlek in the past and I have found it quite a hard session. Also is one 3/4 run each week enough?

Lydiard distinguished between easy fartlek and hard fartlek. Easy fartlek during the base phase is for leg turnover and to add some more high-end aerobic running to your weekly load. Most people will run too fast because they’re chasing paces or teammates. A 3/4 run is a bit faster than MP (if you are fit) but still well within control. The general idea is what we call modulation in today’s verbiage. Some days longer than others and some days faster than others but within your maximum steady state, finishing each run feeling pleasantly tired.

Thanks Parker, that makes a lot of sense. I appreciate your help.