What do Those Abbreviations Mean?

by Tory Klementsen

You might be looking at your training schedule for the week and thinking; "E? Tempo? And what is this 'fartlek' I hear tale of?"

These abbreviations tell you what kind of workouts you should be doing on your mid-week runs. While there is nothing wrong with going out and just "running", adding specificity to your training will help you build your running skills, your speed, and make the runs more interesting.

• E: E is for easy. We often take an easy run after a hard or long run. That means go out, feel the road, listen to the birds and don't push it. E might also stand for "enjoyable". An easy run just feels good.
• Tempo: A tempo run is a run that is done at a specific pace for a given period of time. For example let's say you're trying to improve your time a little bit. You normally run a mile in 12 minutes. On a tempo run you might shoot for an 11.5 minute mile pace for 20 minutes. Be sure to warm up before the tempo run by doing an easy 5 or 10 minutes, and cool down with a 5 to 10 minute walk.
• Hill: Yup! You guessed it! A hill run is done on hills! Find a hill somewhere safe to run. Begin on a flat section with a 5-10 minute warmup. Now size up that hill-remember, hills are your friends! They break up the monotony of a run. They work your muscles in a slightly different way. They help you become a stronger, faster runner. Plus there is nothing more satisfying than passing half a dozen (or more) people on a hill during the marathon because they all only trained on flat land!
  • Uphill running: Lean forward slightly and pump your arms a little more. Don't substantially change your running form; you're just trying to balance your weight more efficiently. As you run up the hill remember, hills build buns of steel! Try not to walk up the hill, since this is training (unless, of course, you are a walker). You will probably run as slowly as you could walk up the hill, but we're building muscles here (and buns of steel) so just do your best.
  • Downhill running: The temptation here is to let fly. The problem is, if you let fly too much your knees will file for divorce and your hips will pack their bags and go home to mother. Resist the temptation to let 'er rip. Go downhill at a steady pace, leaning back a little more and relaxing your shoulders. Be wary of leaves and pine needles, especially after a rain! They can be slick and have caused more than one runner to meet the pavement!
    
    For hill work practice these techniques on a succession of hills, if you have them, or simply up one hill and back down. Lather, rinse, repeat. Cool down for 5-10 minutes!
    
    
• Fartlek: Our training calendar doesn't have fartleks on it this week, but it's a term you'll surely come into contact with as you start reading and learning more about your new sport. No, fartlek is not something the dog did just as you all sit down to Sunday Dinner. Fartlek is Dutch for "Speed Play." Remember when you were a kid walking home from school and your buddy would say "Beat you to the stop sign! Last one eats boogers!" You'd both take off like little rockets and race each other to the sign.
  
  Fartleks are the adult version of this child's game. It means varying your pace to teach your muscles how to handle bursts of speed. For a runner you can simply do just what you did as a kid-run between signs. Find your goal, go for it. Slow down when you hit it and run slowly for awhile. Do the same as a walker, only bring it up to no more than an easy jog. As with all of your training, warm up for 5-10 minutes, and cool down for 5-10 minutes.
  
  Fartleks should be fun, so have fun with them. Do them no more than once a week, though, and stop if you feel pain.
  
  If you don't feel like you're ready to take on this kind of training, feel free to continue with your weekly runs at a relaxed pace. Also don't attempt special training if you have any kind of injury. Your only goal with an injury should be recovery. That doesn't mean you can't workout, but reduce your speed and intensity and only do what your body tells you is okay!

For further information on training schedules read, Deciphering Your Training Schedule.