Reading Time: < 1 minuteYou’re about to have an awesome day: turkey, pie, family and friends.
Before you get down to the real business of Thanksgiving, grab a quick workout: You can do this one anywhere, and you’ll rev up your metabolism before dinner.
It’s a “Fartlek” (don’t laugh), which is Swedish for “speed play.” The idea is to mix near-maximal sprints and kicks with your normal endurance running pace. This technique will build your speed, and it’s entertaining to boot.
How to Do Your Thanksgiving Running Workout
- Pick a distance. If you’ve never done this before, a mile or so will be plenty.
- Find some arbitrary markers.To help beginners, we chose a 20 telephone pole course: 10 sprints, 10 jogs.
- Jog between the first two poles.
- Sprint at 80-90% of maximum speed between the second two.
- Alternate jogging and sprinting for the rest of the course.
Be sure to warm-up adequately beforehand. Pay special attention to stretching hamstrings, quads, and calfs before you set off. Be sure to start a bit slower, and pick up speed as you get more comfortable.
Have a great workout, and Happy Thanksgiving from the Whole Life Challenge!
Jon Gilson is a coach and writer, and the former CEO of the Whole Life Challenge.
Previously, he founded Again Faster Equipment, a functional fitness equipment company created to serve the CrossFit community. Established in 2006, Jon took the Company global in 2012, twice landing on the Inc. 500/5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies.
From 2007 to 2013, he served as a Senior Lecturer for CrossFit, Inc., training aspiring CrossFit trainers at over 100 seminars, including engagements in Iceland, Afghanistan, Moscow, Holland, the United States, and Canada. Jon also served on the CrossFit L1 Advisory Board, helping establish policy for the organization’s training efforts from 2011 to 2013.
He’s also done stints in state government, gym management, and consulting — and currently teaches classes at CrossFit City Line.
Jon graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2003, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in Psychology. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Finance and Control from the Harvard Extension School, 2006, and has completed coursework in data analytics.
Previously, he founded Again Faster Equipment, a functional fitness equipment company created to serve the CrossFit community. Established in 2006, Jon took the Company global in 2012, twice landing on the Inc. 500/5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies.
From 2007 to 2013, he served as a Senior Lecturer for CrossFit, Inc., training aspiring CrossFit trainers at over 100 seminars, including engagements in Iceland, Afghanistan, Moscow, Holland, the United States, and Canada. Jon also served on the CrossFit L1 Advisory Board, helping establish policy for the organization’s training efforts from 2011 to 2013.
He’s also done stints in state government, gym management, and consulting — and currently teaches classes at CrossFit City Line.
Jon graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2003, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in Psychology. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Finance and Control from the Harvard Extension School, 2006, and has completed coursework in data analytics.
