Are you getting tired of the same old running workouts? Need to spice it up a little? Look no further - I have the solution for you. Try adding some Fartlek training and hill workouts to your program. These components will benefit both your aerobic and anaerobic systems and improve your leg speed as well as your strength.

Fartlek Training

"Fartlek" is the Swedish word for speed play, and that's exactly what a Fartlek workout involves. After a proper warm-up jog/run, the run fluctuates between different paces, which are sustained for different time periods. This kind of workout is very effective in challenging your anaerobic and aerobic systems and also helps your body acclimate itself to running at different speeds - a very important part of racing.

Here's an example of a 6.5km Fartlek Run:

1. 10 min warm-up jog
2. 30 sec HARD, 60 sec EASY jog (4x)
3. 60 sec MED-HARD, 60 sec EASY jog (4x)
4. 2 min MED, 2 min EASY jog (2x)
5. 30 sec HARD, 60 sec EASY jog (4x)
6. Easy run for the rest of the workout

It's important that each workout starts and ends with an easy-paced run. This allows your body to warm-up and cool-down properly and helps prevent injury. The number of intervals you do depends on the length of your run. For example, a 10km run has more sets of intervals than my 6.5km example (above) and a 4km run has less.

Hill Workouts:

Hills repeats are an awesome way to improve your strength and challenge your anaerobic system. The first thing you need to do is find a hill with a fairly steep grade. Ideally the hill should be long enough that it takes you 45-90 seconds to reach the top. Start each repeat at the bottom and run at a hard pace until you reach the top. Your run back down to the bottom of the hill will be your recovery.

Things to focus on when hill-running:

• Pump those arms: your arm movement helps propel you uphill.
• Look straight ahead: Look at your destination (rather than your feet) and you'll get there quicker.
• Lean forward slightly and into the hill

Here's an example of a hill workout for a 6km run:

• 15 min warm-up jog (finish jog at a hill)
• 5-10 repeats of the hill - run up HARD and jog down EASY
• Finish the rest of your run at an easy, comfortable pace

A 6km run, for example, includes the distance covered in the hill repeats. If the hill is 150m, then one repeat (one trip up and down the hill) will be 300m. Thus, 7 repeats of a 150m hill will be 2.1km, which means the rest of your run will be 4km at a comfortable pace (split this up so that you run part of it before and after the hill workout).

Kim Bowerman,
Nomadik Personal Fitness Expert