Posted at The Loop, the blogs at Runner’sWorld.com
When I start a new hobby, I get into it by reading everything I can, in bookstores, on the internet, on bathroom walls. Running was no different, and many of you know what I mean when I say: instant confusion. Tempo runs? Repeats? Yasso 800s? Was I really going to have to learn—and practice—all this stuff? How does one, specifically, run “30 seconds below 10k pace”? What the heck’s an IT Band, where do I buy one, how much is it going to cost, and can I use it with iTunes? My head was in a whirl.
Lucky for me, I don’t have good running genes, so there was no threat of wasted potential. I could safely ignore all that stuff and just run, if I wanted to. I have blogged before about the ills of running too much, meaning too fast or too often. That’s a lesson I should have learned (and maybe would have if I’d persevered with those books) early on. But for the most part, I could just run whenever I felt like it and let “training” be another one of those things that the elites do.
All that said, however, there was one term that stood out, one that really resonated with me. (I’m not talking about “tapering,” even though I pointed out last week how good I am it.) I’m talking about the word “fartlek,” and if you’re in a safe place right now as you read this, go ahead and let yourself laugh out loud. We all know what it sounds like.
Which is the point. My understanding is that “fartlek” refers to “playing around” while you run, and if, for you, that means going to Taco Bell to fuel up, so be it. Otherwise, a “fartlek” is any spontaneous burst of speed, done for any reason at all. Maybe you’re feeling good, so you decided to sprint to the next telephone pole. Or you’re getting bored on a hill, and decide to finish it off with a mad dash. A fartlek can be as long or short as you like, as fast or as slow. The point is to enjoy it, and not worry too much.
And after 5 years of running, I’ve found that I naturally, even accidentally, do fartleks now and again as part of my everyday running. So here’s a list of fartlek tricks, or maybe fartlektrugen, or even zufalligefartlektrugen.
- Trip on a piece of sidewalk, almost but not quite fall, sudden adrenaline rush: fartlek
- 100 yards from an intersection, light turns yellow: fartlek
- 2 year old, half a block away, wanders into semi-busy street: fartlek, with a single 30 pound curl, carry, and deliver.
- Passing an ivy covered fence, dog barks: fartlek.
- Awesome guitar solo on the iPod: fartlek
- Glance at your watch, note you’re running 1 minute/mile below your “slow” pace: fartlek
- Glance at your watch, note you were supposed to be home 5 minutes ago to shower and get dressed for your turn driving the carpool: fartlek
- Coming towards you on the sidewalk, attractive person of a gender you find attractive: fartlek with excellent running posture and mouth closed, breathing through nose
- Shortcut through heavily wooded park, close to dusk: fartlek.
Let me know if you have any other unbeabsichtigtfartzufalliglektrugen (or whatever YOU call them).