fartlek
English
WOTD – 7 April 2022
Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish fartlek, from fart (“speed”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; to carry forth, fare”)) + lek (“child’s play”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump around, run around; to frolic, play; to dance; to jitter, shake”)).[1]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɑːtlɛk/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɑɹtlək/
Audio (General American): (file) - Hyphenation: fart‧lek
Noun
fartlek (countable and uncountable, plural fartleks)
- An athletic training technique, used especially in running, in which periods of intense effort alternate with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous workout.
- Synonym: interval training
- 1992, Hal Higdon, “Fartlek: A Time-tested Treasure”, in Kathleen A. Becker, editor, Run Fast: How to Train for a 5-K or 10-K Race, Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, →ISBN, pages 128–129:
- In an article in Athletics Journal, Paul A. Smith described fartlek as "a continuous overdistance run with numerous faster-paced interval runs interspersed, until the runner feels tired, but not exhausted." Smith claimed that because fartlek existed in the mind of the runner as a form of play, it deemphasized the feeling or perception of fatigue. […] In a typical fartlek workout, you pick some landmark such as a tree or a bush and sprint to it, then jog until you've recovered.
Translations
training technique in which periods of intense effort alternative with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous workout
See also
References
- ^ “fartlek, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “fartlek, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading
Swedish
Etymology
fart (“speed”) + lek (“(child's) play”)
Noun
fartlek c
Declension
| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | fartlek | fartleks |
| definite | fartleken | fartlekens | |
| plural | indefinite | fartlekar | fartlekars |
| definite | fartlekarna | fartlekarnas |