The word 'fartlek' means 'speed play' in Swedish, and a fartlek run aims to do just that, alternating fast and slow pace during the course of a long run. This system was initially designed in the 1930's by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér for the Swedish cross-country team. This form of training has a number of advantages:

• The runs develop both your speed and endurance capacities, by increasing aerobic and anaerobic fitness level.
• When you change pace during a run, you take the stress off some muscles and place it on others. Fartlek running can therefore be a way to 'spread the load' on your leg muscles and avoid overuse injuries.
• On a mental level, a fartlek run with lots of different stages can be more appealing than one long continuous run. Many people add one fartlek session a week to their normal runs for variety.
• Fartlek can be adapted to training not only for races, but also for field games like football or rugby, which also require alternating periods of fast and slow motion.

However, it must be said that to use fartlek as part of an intensive training program, the runner must already have sufficient experience to be able to judge his pace and strike a fine line between ensuring he has a demanding workout but at the same time doesn't overdo it and cause injury. This can be quite hard to do when you are out running in the open country, which is why many people will recommend that beginners get some experience with interval training before they start serious fartlek running. If you are just making the transition to incorporating fartlek in your training, it is better to carry a stopwatch and have a well thought out plan beforehand. (With time and experience, you will be able to 'run on feel').

However if you don't wish to take things that seriously, you can still have an enjoyable fartlek run by alternating the pace and still staying well within your capacity.

Here are some sample plans for different distances - all of them should start with a 10 minute warmup jog and end with a 10 minute warmdown jog.

Watson Fartlek - good training for 10k, 5k, 3k and cross country.

* 10 minutes warm up jog.
* Race pace for 4 minutes with 1 minute recovery jogging - repeat 8 times
* 10 minute warm down jog
(Alternatively for shorter distances up to 5k you can stride hard for 3 minutes, repeated 6 times)

Astrand Fartlek - good for 800m .

* 10 minutes warm up jog.
* Full speed for 75 seconds, 150 seconds recovery jogging, then full speed for 60 seconds, followed by 120 seconds jog run. Repeat this twice - three circuits in all.
* 10 minute warm down jog

Gerschler Fartlek - good for getting fit quickly when combined with steady running.

* 10 minutes warm up jog.
* Race pace for 30 seconds, then recovery jogging for 90 seconds. Repeat with 15 second decreases in recovery jog e.g. 30-90, 30-75, 30-60, 30-45, 30-30, 30-15 and 30-15-30. Repeat this circuit twice, for a total of 3 circuits per session
* 10 minute warm down jog

Related links:

- Sample Fartlek plans obtained from Sports Coach website