The Fartlek: The Perfect Run for Tactical Training

The Perfect Run for Tactical Training

Shooting sports are not steady-state activities.

Your conditioning should not be entirely steady-state either.

The Run You Already Know

Remember middle school or high school PE class?

I guess this is for those of us who actually had PE class. Some of the younger generations may have missed out.

The coach would send everyone out to run, but it was rarely one steady pace. You might jog part of the field, pick up the pace to the next marker, sprint a short section, recover, hit a hill, and then do it again.

At the time, it felt like part of the warm-up. Looking back, I suspect it served two purposes: weed out the kids who had no interest in running and identify the performers who should be encouraged to try out for the track and field team.

That workout was a fartlek.

Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play.” It is a continuous run that mixes different speeds and effort levels easy running, moderate work, hard bursts, hills, and recovery periods without necessarily stopping between them. Traditional fartlek training can be completely unstructured, using landmarks or terrain to determine when you speed up and slow down.

My version is more structured.

Every distance, speed, and incline is planned before I step onto the treadmill.

Why It Fits Tactical Training

A long, steady run has value. It develops an aerobic base, improves endurance, and teaches you to continue working when you would rather stop.

But shooting sports, especially practical and tactical shooting are anything but steady.

You move.

You stop.

You change positions.

You accelerate to cover, settle your body, control your breathing, make a precise shot, and then move again.

Your heart rate does not remain comfortably fixed. Neither does the physical demand.

Military stress-shoot exercises commonly combine running, short sprints, position changes, carries, and other physical tasks with marksmanship. The point is not merely to become tired. It is to perform a technical task after your heart rate and breathing have been disrupted.

That is why I consider the fartlek one of the best running formats for tactical training.

It teaches you to change gears. You accelerate, work, recover without completely stopping, and then produce another effort. Hills add resistance. Faster intervals force you to regain control while fatigued.

It does not replace strength training, rucking, easy aerobic work, or actual shooting practice.

But if I am choosing a run that reflects the changing demands of tactical movement, this is it.

My Five-Kilometer Format

I have shared four fartlek workouts that I rotate through my training schedule. These are my actual runs, not theoretical examples created for an article.

Each workout is five kilometers:

• 0.00–0.50 km: Warm-up
• 0.50–3.00 km: Hill work
• 3.00–4.60 km: Faster intervals and active recovery
• 4.60–5.00 km: Cooldown

I printed each workout on a small card and laminated it. When a fartlek is scheduled, I grab a card, place it on the treadmill, and run what is written.

No decisions during the workout.

No trying to remember the next interval while tired.

Just follow the card.

The four workouts use the same overall structure, but the demands change. Some emphasize sustained hills. Others place the hardest climb in the middle. One reduces the hill difficulty and demands more during the faster block.

They are not universal standards. Adjust the numbers and hills to your present ability while preserving the structure and purpose of the workout.

Why I Prefer the Treadmill

Yes, you can perform a fartlek outside.

In fact, the traditional version is often done outdoors. You might sprint to a telephone pole, recover to the next intersection, run hard up a hill, or change effort based on terrain.

For these particular types of runs, I prefer the treadmill.

The treadmill gives me measurable standards. I can set an exact speed, incline, and distance, then repeat the workout later under nearly identical conditions.

Outside, wind, terrain, temperature, route changes, and judgment all affect the result. Those variables have training value, but they make direct comparisons more difficult.

On the treadmill, 7.4 kilometers per hour at a 5.0 incline is the same prescription every time.

You either complete it or you do not.

That makes progression easier to measure.

Why I Run in Metric

I now prefer metric measurements for running inside and outside.

What Americans commonly call “standard” measurement is more accurately the U.S. customary system. There is nothing inherently wrong with miles per hour, but tenths of a kilometer per hour allow me to make smaller speed adjustments than tenths of a mile per hour.

For example:

• 5.5 mph is approximately a 10:55 mile
• 5.6 mph is approximately a 10:43 mile

That small-looking increase changes the estimated mile pace by almost 12 seconds.

At roughly the same speed:

• 8.9 kph is approximately a 10:51 mile
• 9.0 kph is approximately a 10:44 mile

That adjustment changes the estimated mile pace by about seven seconds.

A tenth of a mile per hour equals roughly 0.16 kilometers per hour. On a treadmill that adjusts either unit in tenths, metric gives me finer control over progression.

Instead of making a relatively large jump, I can increase the speed gradually and keep the workout challenging without changing it too aggressively.

Smaller units make it easier to build precise standards.

Workout 1: Steady Climb and Long Sprints

This workout holds the hill speed at 7.4 kph while gradually increasing the incline. The faster block then progresses from 9.0 to 9.6 kph.

Workout 2: Rolling Hills and a Strong Finish

The hill speed changes with the incline. The steeper sections slow slightly, while the lower inclines allow the pace to increase. The faster block matches Workout 1.

Workout 3: Hard Middle Hill and Controlled Sprints

This version builds toward the hardest hill in the center, then works back down. The faster intervals are slightly more controlled, progressing from 8.8 to 9.4 kph.

Workout 4: Easier Hills and the Fastest Sprint Block

The hills are slightly less aggressive, leaving more available for the faster block. This workout begins its fast intervals at 9.2 kph and reaches 9.6 kph at the end.

Taking the Workout Outside

These workouts are geared toward a treadmill, but nothing prevents you from adapting them to an outdoor route.

Wearable technology makes that easier than it once was. A GPS watch can help you monitor pace, distance, and interval changes without requiring a marked track.

You still need a way to remember the workout.

The simple method is to write it directly on your arm with a pen.

The better method is to place a strip of medical tape on your forearm and write the workout on the tape. It stays visible, weighs nothing, and can be removed when you finish.

Yes, you could put the workout in the notes on your phone.

But then you have to pull out your phone.

Now you see the missed text. You notice an email. A social-media notification appears. Before long, your attention is somewhere other than the workout.

I am not a fan of being distracted by a phone during training.

Write down the plan.

Put the phone away.

Do the work.

Learn to Change Gears

Steady-state running has a place in a complete conditioning program. You need an aerobic base, and not every training session should be hard.

But tactical performance demands more than the ability to maintain one comfortable pace.

You need to accelerate when required, continue moving under load, recover without shutting down, and regain control over your breathing and movement before performing a precise task.

The fartlek trains those transitions.

Do not just train yourself to keep moving at one speed.

Train yourself to change gears.