2024 RunBlogRun Spring Training Program, Week 5, Day 4, I say Fartlek, You have the need for Speed!

This is Thursday, April 11, 2024.

This is Week 5, Day 4.

This is Fartlek Day.

Gosta Holmer, a Swedish Olympian who competed against Jim Thorpe, invented this interval program for running on trails and in parks.

Mr. Holmer developed it for the Swedish cross-country team in the 1930s, which did poorly in European competitions, and Gosta wanted to motivate them.

The Olympic decathlete and pentathlete came up with a wonderful program.

This is your workout:

Warm up today,

60 minute fartlek,

10 minutes slow to moderate running,

20 x 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy, we suggest outside a baseball diamond, as long as no one is practicing.

10 minutes moderate to easy

6 x 150m stride-outs,

Cooldown,

hydrate

get out of your wet clothes,

recover;

Larry’s Deep Thoughts: Fartlek is for the newbie runner and elite. It provides challenging work at whatever your level. 

Dick Quax was one of my favorite athletes. A fine runner from 1,500 meters to the marathon, Dick was one of the amazing Kiwis from the 1970s: Sir John Walker, Rod Dixon, Dick Quax, Euan Robertson, Anna Audain, and Lorraine Moller.

I met Dick in 1990 with my Dad. Dick and Dad worked out a deal for Day to promote the Lydiard DVD that Dick developed, which was quite good. Dick met my Dad, Stan Eder, in about 1990. His stories that day were so much fun.

Dick won the Olympic silver medal at 5,000m in 1976 and broke the WR for the 5,000m in 1977 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Dick later battled Bob Hodge at the Nike OTC Marathon in 1980 and won it at 2:10:59.

Dick Quax knew how to kick. He was Lydiard trained, and he was a classic middle to long-distance runner. And on top of that, Dick Quax had a wicked sense of humor.

A gutty cross-country runner, coach, and just a good man. Dick Quax passed away from cancer a few years ago. His son, Theo, a fine runner, is competing for Northern Arizona University.