Training Day 2-4 miles with 2 miles of fartleks
We are fresh off of using Runner’s World sub 2:15 half marathon training plan and did our half-marathon in Oak Island on February 15. We decided to keep using a training plan to help us stay on track for our 10 miler in DC in April.
This time we are doing the first six weeks of the sub 2:00 half marathon training plan from Runner’s world. That plan calls for 5 days of running a week and with our schedules we have decided to scale it back to 3-4 times a week since we aren’t doing a half this time.
Today called for a 4 miler with 2 miles of fartleks. This is the first training plan I have seen that incorporates fartleks and I am excited. I have been running for 15 years and have heard the term in my running community but have never done them-its a Swedish word for “speed play” and there are many different ways to do them. Our group just picks an object and sprints to the object.
Today was perfect running weather-50 degrees. We started off with a slow 1 mile warm up and then we began our fartleks in mile 2. I set us up to run a normal route that we run backward and the reverse was a nice change of pace (pun intended). I felt great and charged all the hills and we were able to just chat and have a great run. Getting to the cool down mile happened in no time and training has gotten us to the point that 4 miles feels like a short run.
I really enjoy doing different variations for training and I think that is why I enjoy the Runner’s World training plan, each day you run something different, and for runners each running day feels different, sometimes you feel like you could run 20 miles no problem and other days it is a struggle to do one mile.
I do contemplate running speedwork drills while doing a race and wonder if anyone does that. It seems I do better mentally and physically when I change it up during a run versus doing the same pace with negative splits. I am too nervous to try it for a race but would love to.
Sub 2 hour half marathon:
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/half-marathon/a776305/how-to-run-a-sub-2-hour-half-marathon
Sub 2:15 half marathon: