When to introduce “Speed Play”?
admin September 19th, 2007
A new triathlete asks:
When I look at my training plan it seems that Fartliks are sprints in a foundation run, and Lactate thresholds are sprints in a race tempo run?
I run 12 min. miles, I don’t have a tempo run yet. And I’m not very fast on sprints. What does any of this mean for me? What should I be shooting for?
and, what is VOmax something or other?
Fartlik is a Swedish word for “speed play”.
In practice, it just refers to random short increases in pace during an otherwise moderately slow run. THere is no specific speed or pace associated with it. They do not have to be sprints.
I am also a slow runner and remember the feeling of having only “one speed”. Fartleks or pickups or strides are a nice way to increase your pace briefly (even 10-20 seconds will feel like a lot at first) to introduce your body to the idea of a faster pace.
You should only begin to add these if you have been consistently running at least 3 times a week for a month or so for 30+ minutes at a time. That’s not a hard rule, but just a suggestion. Then you can start adding in short fartleks during a run, say 4-6 total for 10-20 seconds. Don’t do it more than once a week for the first 4 weeks, and then re-evaluate things.
Lacate threshold and VO2 max workouts are based on your specific physiology and are much more specific than a “sprint during a tempo run”. It sounds like you don’t quite need to worry about those yet, but educating your self about physiology and fitness will benefit you in your overall training.
Here is a great article from Running Planet that explains several types of running drills that you can integrate into your base training period.