This Fartlek Will Get You Race Day Ready | Workout Of The Month - The Running Channel

This is a quick summary of This Fartlek Will Get You Race Day Ready from The Running Channel. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

• Fartlek = “speed play”: continuous running with frequent changes in pace. Unlike traditional intervals that have structured rests, fartleks are all about continuous movement. If you’re curious about more structured sessions, you can dive deeper into Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
• Use perceived effort to gauge intensity:
  • Moderate – 4‑5/10 effort (≈ half‑marathon pace).
  • Moderate‑hard – 6‑7/10 effort (≈ 10K pace). This intensity is fantastic for building race-specific endurance. For more tips on this distance, check out our guide to Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
  • Hard – 8‑9/10 effort (≈ 5K pace). Pushing to this level is how you build top-end speed. For more workouts that will help you smash your personal best, explore our strategies for Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time.
• Keep moving between speed changes – no full stops.
• The workout can be adapted with landmarks or laps if you prefer distance‑based cues.
• Total session (including warm‑up and cool-down) is about 30‑40 minutes.

Workout Example

1. Warm‑up – 12 min easy jog + drills/strides.
2. Build block (3 min total):
   • 1 min Moderate
   • 1 min Moderate‑hard
   • 1 min Hard
   • Follow with 2 min easy jog recovery.
3. Main set – repeat the following sequence (you can do it once or twice):
   • 7 min at a steady moderate‑hard effort.
   • 3 min easy jog recovery.
   • 3 min hard effort.
   • 5 min easy jog recovery.
4. Cool‑down – easy jog and stretching (≈5‑10 min).

Tip: If you don’t have a timer, use park benches, lamp posts, or lap markers to switch paces.

Closing Note Give this fartlek a go and feel the race‑day confidence it builds. You can easily adjust the paces to match your own training zones in the Pacing app. Have fun, stay consistent, and watch the full video on The Running Channel for extra insights. Happy running

References

• This Fartlek Will Get You Race Day Ready | Workout Of The Month - YouTube (YouTube Video)

Workout - Race Day Feel Fartlek

• 10min @ 6'00''/km
• 1min @ 4'45''/km
• 1min @ 4'15''/km
• 1min @ 3'45''/km
• 2min @ 6'00''/km
• 2 lots of:
  • 7min @ 4'15''/km
  • 3min @ 6'00''/km
  • 3min @ 3'45''/km
  • 5min @ 6'00''/km
• 5min @ 6'00''/km

Ready to start training?

If you already having the Pacing app, click try to import this workout:

Try in App Now

workout/race-day-feel-fartlek-4bccffa2

Don’t have the app? Copy the reference above,
to import the workout after you install it.