fartlek
It's fun to say and it's fun to do. Swedish for
"speed play", fartlek training is a type of
interval training used to increase
athletic
performance. Unlike traditional interval training,
where measured bursts of speed are followed by roughly
equal recovery periods, a fartlek session allows the
athlete to decide
spontaneously when to
surge
and when to
taper. Often the most productive fartleks
are in
hilly terrain (
running and
cycling) where
one goes uphill at full exertion and then coasts downhill.
I find this type of training to be much more enjoyable
than traditional interval training because you spend
the time listening to your body instead of being a
slave to your stopwatch.