Friday Fartlek Run – Stride Out Runs

Stride Out Runs are a great way to expose an athlete to speed work, especially early in a build-up as you continue to build your base fitness. These types of runs are great for developing neurological pathways for speed and setting a benchmark for further intensity to be built from. These sessions can be beneficial to all runners including marathoners and ultramarathoners.

Each week I will be posting the Friday Fartlek Run Sessions that you can do to enhance your running. Fartlek is a Swedish term that is often used by runners and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.

Stride Out Runs

• 10min WU Level II;
• 10x 15sec Level V, 45sec Level I-II RI;
• 10min CD Level II;
• 10min Stretching

Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) for a minimum of ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II. See the chart below for recommended warm-up durations for various total durations.

The main set is made up of ten reps of 15 seconds at Level V, with a gentle jog for 45 seconds between reps at Level I-II. Stride Outs are NOT a max sprint, they are just a quickening of the pace maintaining good form for a short duration.

The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for a minimum of ten minutes. See the chart below for recommended warm-up durations for various total durations.

Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.

Warm Up (WU) and Cool Down (CD) durations for various total durations:

Total Duration	Warm Up	Cool Down
30min	10min	10min
35min	15min	10min
40min	15min	15min
45min	20min	15min
50min	20min	20min
55min	25min	20min
60min	25min	25min

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.

I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.

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Download the Garmin (.FIT) and Zwift (.ZWO) files for this workout for FREE

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