Fartlek Style Intervals - 17/07/2025 Overview

A solid Interval session designed to build speed, endurance and VO2 max.

We will meet on the path/area between Monksmoor Park Primary School and the play area, which is to the South West of the school.

There is plenty of space for on street parking on Abbotsbury Drive, however please be considerate to local residents, and do not block any driveways.

The session will take place on a winding but well paved course, of just under 1 kilometre.

We will do multiple laps of this route, but with different instructions per lap. Instructions for laps below, but they will also be on the whiteboard that I will bring, and leave somewhere before the end of each lap, so that you can read on route, and prepare for your next lap.

Participants will be split into groups of similar paces. Some laps you will need to stay with your group, some laps you can do individually - and then regroup at the end of the lap, and some laps you will alternate by going at your own speed, and then regrouping multiple times during the lap.

Instructions:

Lap 1 - warm up. A nice easy jog, just to get the blood flowing, and the muscles warm. Stay in your paced groups.

All meet at the end of lap 1 for dynamic stretches + drills.

Lap 2 - tempo pace 85-90% effort or 10k pace. You have free licence to do this at your individual perceived effort, however ensure you do not go at 5k pace or faster, as this will reduce your ability to do the rest of the session effectively.

Regroup with your paced group at the end of lap 2 before starting lap 3.

Lap 3 - Alternate 1 min hard/ 1 min easy jog. Your hard should be 5k pace or faster. You should fit 3-4 intervals within the lap. Do the hard individually, and try to regroup during the 1 min easy. Utilise the easy 1 minute to go slow, and rapidly recover. If you finish the lap mid interval, then so be it - whether you only get 5 seconds of the interval in before the lap end, or 55 seconds and have to finish 5 seconds early.

Regroup with your paced group at the end of lap 3 before starting lap 4 (if in an easy phase/already all together).

Lap 4 - run at cruise pace (marathon effort). Use this as active recovery. Stay with your paced group.

Lap 5 - the same as lap 3, but this time 30 seconds hard/ 30 seconds easy. See if you can match your average pace to the hard 1 minutes of lap 3. This may be more difficult than you think, as it will take time to get up to speed, and pace will be more volatile over shorter period. You do not need to go faster with the shorter interval, as you will also be having less recovery too. As with lap 3, do the hard individually, and try to regroup during the 30 seconds easy.

Optional Lap 6 for some groups - same as lap 2 - tempo pace 85-90% effort or 10k pace.

Regroup with your paced group at the end of lap 6 before starting lap 7.

Optional Lap 7 for the fastest group - same as lap 3 - Alternate 1 min hard/ 1 min easy jog.

Lap 6, 7, or 8 depending on if any optional laps done - cool down lap. Like the warm up, just a nice easy jog - bring that heart rate back down.

Static stretching.

Runners will have completed between 3.5 miles and 4.75 miles (5.7k - 7.6k) depending on their group.