Is this REALLY a base phase???

High School Running

16 years ago 02/13/2008 7:02pm EST

my coach for track decided that our base phase will consist (simultaneously, if i understand correctly) intense fartlek work and "paired running". not sure if i agree with the fartleks or not (please discuss that), but the paired running idea is that we will all go through and rotate running partners until everybody has run with everybody (and for our HS team, the times range from 4:38 to 6:00 for the 1600). i know i can just double if i'm running with the 6:00 guy, but what about the fartlek work? isn't that a fundamentally bad way to start the season? i'm not gonna say anything to my coach about this, but man, it just smacks of a bad idea on so many levels...

16 years ago 02/13/2008 7:08pm EST

re: milerwannabe

You want to be a miler and think that an unstructured workout like a fartlek is bad for base training? What the hell are you talking about?

16 years ago 02/13/2008 7:12pm EST

re: jellotron

it just seems too early to me. most guys on the team haven't run 20 miles in the past month combined and it just seems way too early. i always thought fartlek work was for after you got up to a certain fitness level, or are fartleks a viable substitute for a bigger base phase?

16 years ago 02/13/2008 7:19pm EST

re: milerwannabe

Just out of curiosity, what do you think you should be doing during base phase? Fartleks and tempos should really be your primary base phase workouts. As for the comment about how your team hasn't been running, that's their/your own damn fault. If you're too out of shape to handle base training, you should have run more.

16 years ago 02/13/2008 7:54pm EST

re: milerwannabe

milerwannabe wrote: i'm not gonna say anything to my coach about this, but man, it just smacks of a bad idea on so many levels...

On so many levels, you are so far away from understanding the sport it's not even funny.

Shut up and listen to your coach. He knows a hell of a lot more about the sport than you do.

You're welcome.

16 years ago 02/13/2008 10:02pm EST

re: malmo

Aggggggggressive post Malmo.

But right on the money.

16 years ago 02/13/2008 11:01pm EST

re: North East

North East wrote:
Aggggggggressive post Malmo.
But right on the money.

No. Super-aggressive. The kid needs a huge wake up call. If not, he'll soon be writing pieces for Runners World.

16 years ago 02/14/2008 4:33am EST

re: milerwannabe

Do you not think that the reason you are doing these paired runs is that it will give you a balance of hard and easy days as well as being good for team spirit? The coach probably knows that when he says 'take this one easy' nobody listens

16 years ago 02/14/2008 10:16am EST

re: milerwannabe

I hope milerwannabe is either a troll or a 9th grader.

16 years ago 02/14/2008 10:48am EST

re: milerwannabe

The idea behind fartlek, which is a Swedish word meaning speed play, is to get back to the kind of running you did when you were a kid. That is to say, lots of fast running that doesn't hurt, repeated at your own leisure.

The benefits of fartlek, if done properly, are that you can really enjoy your running and make constant improvements, without looking at your watch. This not only makes you a physically better runner, but mentally stronger too.

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