Hey everyone, I did my first fartlek yesterday as one of the Nike Guided Runs. The thing is that the coach was saying to do my efforts at 5k pace, and the recovery at recovery pace. I’ve never done a ‘fast’ race-like 5k since I’ve just started running so my ‘5k’ pace felt quite low and the transition to recovery pace wasn’t a big transition at all. For reference, I was running recovery at roughy 6:45 / km and the efforts at 6:15. Should I run my efforts faster and my recovery slower?
Fartleks are usually prescribed without strict timings, rather you need to run them by feeling. To properly choose the right pace you necessarily need some experience. Do a fast pace to the next tree or just raise your pace a little and run to the bench you know is around the next bend in the trail. Mix it up. Have fun, enjoy running, enjoy the speed. You should never be too out of breath to continue running at low effort. If you feel like you started too strong, slow down. If you feel like you left too much in the tank, do the next one faster. You will get to know body better with time, if you stay consistent and healthy.
This is the fartlek that I was taught. Especially when beginning, this sort of fartlek is easier mentally than timed intervals. Do this first and inch in to structured intervals.