After two weeks of doing versions of the famous Mona Fartlek, this week we’re rounding off the series with what is probably the most famous of all its variations. Get ready for a lung and leg burner! 

WHAT?

The Mona Fartlek w/ Floats

2x 90 seconds

4x 60 seconds

4x 30 seconds

4x 15 seconds

Equal duration float recoveries after each effort. Keep the efforts at 5k pace or faster and the floats around half marathon pace—but do it all by feel.

Terrain: Off road surface that isn’t too technical

This workout ticks so many boxes. It’s got tempo run elements, strides and speed development towards the end, interval training, race simulation. This all means that it is a HARD workout!

But the good news is that, as a fartlek where you’re not following exact paces and splits, you’re in charge of just how hard it is.

WHY?

By floating the recoveries rather than jogging we keep the heart rate elevated for the duration of the workout. This dampens the amount of speed you can express towards the end but definitely enables you to crank up the intensity dial and blow out all sorts of cobwebs!!

HOW?

If you can, perform this week’s workout on the same trail as the last two weeks. Start from the same point and compare where you are at 20 minutes to the same spot from previous Mona sessions to see what a difference the floats have made to your overall mileage.