The world is a blur when you run this fast. Photo: Kako, Flickr

Fartlek means "speed play" in Swedish and yes, it's pronounced just the way you think it is. Go ahead! Get your giggles out, then consider the serious boost you can give your training by adding fartleks into your regular running routine.

Developed in the 1930s, fartleks are an excellent way for both beginners and advanced runners to improve speed and stamina. Unlike traditional speed workouts, fartleks add short bursts of speed into your "normal" run. When the burst is over, you return to your normal cruising speed until you're recovered and start the cycle over again.

"This kind of training is a great way to keep your body guessing," says Lisa Bender, a trainer at CrossFit Central. "Fartleks push you outside of your comfort zone and help you become more efficient."

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, My friends are trying to get me to try a Zumba class, but I'm more in to intense training like sprints, running and boxing. I'm not sure if this dancing class is for me. You look pretty hard core. What do you think? Leah

A. Great question, Leah. You know, I am very much like you in the training department. I love intense exercise; the feeling of "Oh my God, I need to puke" elates me. Having said that, there is also a place in this world and my month for a little booty shaking.

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BANG! The starter's gun begins, and the race and the runners are off. Though it's probably not visible to the casual observer, not all racers get started at the same time. Researchers have found that because sound takes time to travel, racers on the outside lanes actually hear the starting gun later than those on the inside lane and are at a distinct disadvantage.

OK, so maybe if you and I had a race, the difference wouldn't be significant. But in an Olympic race, where every athlete is elite, those 150 milliseconds can translate to up to a meter's difference between the runners -- a distance that can mean the difference between bringing home a gold or bringing home a silver medal.

Though officials are aware of the problem, no changes will be made for the Beijing Olympics. Experts say a low tone system is more fair to all runners than the loud gunshot, but it looks like this year's Olympians will just have to make do.

(photo credit: Library of Congress via pingnews on Flickr)

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jodi Bennett

Age: 30

Occupation: Gymnastics school owner

How often do you exercise? Five - Six days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I run, kickbox and lift weights.

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As you may remember, I've been trying my darnedest to get back on the running track. For the past two weeks or so I've really been kicking it into high gear. See, I kept getting these emails in my inbox alerting me as to how many days I had left until the New York City Marathon, a race in which I was entered at first solely by luck, and now by determination.

As anyone can imagine finding the time to run with a new baby is difficult at best. Lucky for me I have a great husband who is as committed to fitness as I am and who is willing to sacrifice some of his running time for mine. Generally speaking the baby is OK with my periodic trips around the park although he mentioned to me he can't wait for me to invest in a jogging stroller. After all, the whole time I was pregnant I hoofed it around that park, and baby misses our trips together.

So everything should be going super well, right? Well, mostly it is, but one thing has been plaguing me more than an old boyfriend, and is equally unsuited to my style: cramps. I am no stranger to cramps; in fact, they've haunted me since I first got serious about running way back when.

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In order to be really honestly "fit," your heart and your cardiovascular system have to be ready for anything. You might notice that if you workout exactly the same way every day, and then you suddenly try something new, you might suddenly feel really out of shape when you didn't before. But throwing sudden bursts of intense exercise into an otherwise "routine" routine can really improve your heart's ability to respond to sudden demands, which will improve your overall fitness and get you to the results you're looking for that much faster.

And did you know (this seems like an outrageously high percentage!) that high intensity interval exercise like this can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 100% compared to those who only work on endurance? Wow.

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When running for endurance and exercise or getting ready for a big race, putting the right foods in your stomach is just as important as putting miles in your legs. Without a good nutrition to balance training, it can bog down the body and make a runner feel uneasy. That's why The Final Sprint has compiled this very thorough article on optimum nutrition for runners.

The great thing about this report is that it has good information for any level of runner. Whether you're an experienced morning athlete or a novice who gets a workout in after dinner, the nutritional advice can help shed light on the importance of eating the right foods at the right time. First off, don't make the mistake of not getting food before heading out. That's where lack of energy comes from and it can adversely affect performance.

In the morning, try consuming around 500 calories of a low-fat, high-carb food. Followed by half a pint of water, this combo can be all you need if taken two to three hours before working out. Don't forget a post-exercise meal either. Anything with high carbs and protein for muscle replenishment is ideal (pasta, chicken, protein shakes, etc). This is literally the tip of the iceberg, so don't forget to check out the rest of the article for more information!

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