The “Time-Based Fartlek” is a speed workout based on time intervals rather than distance, a flexible and fun method to improve performance by training your ability to manage effort and listen to your own body.
- Fartlek is a Swedish word that means “speed play.” It’s a less rigid workout than track repeats.
- In the “time-based” version, you alternate periods of fast running with periods of recovery based only on a stopwatch (e.g., 2 minutes hard / 2 minutes easy).
- It’s the perfect workout for learning to run “by feel,” developing a deep awareness of your body and your effort level (RPE).
- It can be done anywhere, without needing a track or a measured course.
- We propose two classic examples: a “time pyramid” and a constant block interval session.
Tired of Watching Your Watch Every Meter? Train Your Speed With Time
There’s a particular anxiety that afflicts many runners. It’s GPS anxiety. The anxiety of seeing the pace on our watch and realizing we’re two seconds off our target. The anxiety of not being able to replicate last week’s perfect performance.
But there’s a way to train for speed in a scientific and effective way, while freeing ourselves from this pressure. A way to return to a more instinctive, more playful, and equally beneficial approach.
That way is called Fartlek. Specifically, in its simplest and most versatile version: the Time-Based Fartlek. It allows us to put away the pace-per-kilometer screen and rediscover the pleasure of running fast, listening only to two things: the beep of a stopwatch and the sensations of our own body.
What Is a Time-Based Fartlek and Why It Makes You a More Mindful Runner
Fartlek is a Swedish word that literally means “speed play.” And in that “play” lies its entire essence. Unlike rigid repeats, where you have to run a precise distance in an exact time, the Fartlek is structured improvisation.
In its “time-based” version, the structure is provided by time intervals. Instead of running 6x1000m, you’ll run 6×4 minutes fast. The great advantage? You can do it anywhere. In a park, on a bike path, on a dirt trail. You don’t need a measured distance; you just need a stopwatch.
But the biggest benefit isn’t logistical; it’s mental. By running without the constant reference of your pace, you’re forced to rely on the only thing that really matters: your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). You learn what “running hard,” “running medium,” or “running easy” means based on your internal cues (breathing, heart rate, muscle fatigue), not on a number on a display. You are training the most important skill for a runner: the ability to be your own coach.
2 Workout Examples (You Only Need a Stopwatch)
Always remember to start each session with a 15-20 minute warm-up (easy running) and finish with a 10-15 minute cool-down.
The Time Pyramid: 1-2-3-2-1 Minutes Fast
This is a fun and progressively more challenging version of the classic pyramid workout. The full structure is:
- 1 min hard / 1 min easy (active recovery)
- 2 min hard / 2 min easy
- 3 min hard / 3 min easy
- 2 min hard / 2 min easy
- 1 min hard
(Total time of the main set: 21 minutes)
The Classic Interval: 6 x 2 Minutes Fast with 2 Minutes Recovery
A fundamental workout for improving speed endurance, perfect for preparing for 5ks and 10ks.
- Workout:
- 6 repeats of 2 minutes hard, alternated with 2 minutes of active recovery (very slow running or brisk walking).
(Total time of the main set: 24 minutes)
- 6 repeats of 2 minutes hard, alternated with 2 minutes of active recovery (very slow running or brisk walking).
How to Manage Effort When You Don’t Have GPS: Learn to Listen to Yourself
But what do “hard” and “easy” mean without a pace reference? This is where your self-assessment skill comes into play, which you can train with the 1-to-10 RPE scale.
- The “Hard” Pace: This should correspond to an RPE of 7-8. It’s a decidedly challenging effort. Your breathing is deep, and you can’t speak more than one or two words at a time. It’s the pace you would hold in a 5k race or during an interval session.
- The “Easy” Pace (Active Recovery): This is crucial. You shouldn’t stop, but continue to move at a very low intensity, an RPE of 2-3. It should be a jog so slow it almost feels like a walk. The goal is to let your heart rate drop and to clear fatigue so you’re ready to give your all in the next interval.
The Time-Based Fartlek is an invitation to return to the essence of running. It’s a way to rediscover the dialogue with your own body, to play with speed, and to free yourself, at least for one day a week, from the dictatorship of numbers. Give it a try. You might find that running fast, when you stop looking at your watch, is a lot more fun than you remembered.