The humble tempo run (or lactate threshold run) has featured prominently in the training plans of some of Britain’s greatest distance runners. However, despite ringing endorsements from some esteemed athletes, the tempo run is often neglected, misunderstood or mislabelled.

In light of this, a good place to start is defining what we mean by a tempo run. Taking the definition of renowned exercise physiologist Jack Daniels, I consider a tempo run to be:

• A training run of at least 20 minutes volume ran at a consistent pace;
• Approximately 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K race pace; and,
• Bloody hard – approximately 6-7 out of 10 for your rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

So, if your 5k PB is 16:00 minutes (5:09ish pace), your tempo pace is roughly between 5:35 and 5:40 pace per mile.
Why should you run a tempo?

Physiologically speaking, the point of the humble tempo run is to lift the ceiling of your lactate threshold. Put simply, your lactate threshold is the point during exercise when lactate builds up in your muscles and blood faster than it can be removed. When you venture above your lactate threshold, you can expect your discomfort to rise rapidly! Sound familiar?

Finding your tempo

So how do you find your tempo, and what should you avoid doing?

• Don’t just rock up: you should prepare for a tempo run as you would do for any other hard interval session; meaning: a warmup, strides, drills and activation exercises. Don’t take the approach of ‘easing into it’, start on pace, finish on pace and achieve your goals. Furthermore, if you’re putting your body through a significant slog of ‘comfortably hard running’, you want to ensure your core and glutes are firing nicely.

• Don’t run in no man’s (or woman’s) land: the zone between your steady running pace and your tempo pace is, in my opinion, a dead zone. Here, you’re not running hard enough to develop the physiological adaptions you seek, but are breaking your body down more than you would during a steady run. Think of it this way, it’s dangerous driving at 45mph in a 30mph or 60mph zone, so keep it legal.

• Don’t label a bad race as a tempo run: the aim of the tempo run is to be consistent. Therefore, calling a race where you set off too quickly and hit the wall ‘a tempo’, isn’t doing you any favours. If you’re not up for the race, don’t toe the line.

 

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Today I got my first taste of marathon training sessions … As many of you will know my aim is to compete in the marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. So, with 2 years to go, I thought it was about time I started doing some proper marathon sessions. Today I started with 8 miles, 4 miles, 4 miles at 5:05 pace off 2.5 minutes recovery. It was a long old slog, but I’m chuffed that I managed to pull it off My training has progressed nicely since coming back from injury, and even though there is no tangible race to aim for, my hunger and desire are strong. But for now, I’m just looking forward to more in the garden cheers! #metricmarathon #marathon #26.2 #marathonsesh marathoncontinues #marathonprep #Runnershigh #berlinbound #hokaoneone #hoka #timetofly #trainhard #resteasy #ukrunchat #runasone

A post shared by Jack Gray (@raverunner93) on Apr 25, 2020 at 2:18pm PDT

When and where to do your tempos?

In my opinion, you need a traffic-free route devoid of any potential ‘interruptions’ to successfully complete a tempo run. I choose to complete my tempo runs on grass circuits of between 1km and 1mile. Grass circuits work best for me. They reduce the impact on my legs and provide feedback through features on the loop. For examaple I know my watch should read approximately 2 minutes when I pass the ‘mouldy bench’, or 2 minutes 30 when I pass the ‘flower bed’.

Please note, if your tempo loop includes hills or rough ground, or the weather is awful, this will inevitably slow you down; this is where the importance of judging your effort e.g. 6-7 out of 10 is important.

Due to time-constraints during the week, I choose to do my tempo runs on Saturdays; this gives me the time to prepare properly. I particularly value my leisurely Saturday morning coffees. I like having the time to indulge myself doing drills and activation exercises before I get going.

Personally I love the grind of tempo runs, and the ability to lose myself in the zone. Even the attrition is alluring, as I deliriously think to myself “was that 11 or 12 laps?”. This weekend, I did a 10 mile tempo (30 mins, 3 mins jog, 20 mins), keeping my splits on my 3 minute loops within 2-3 seconds of each other.

Getting it done

If you’re just getting started, here are a few tempo session ideas:

• 3 x 10 minutes (off 2 minutes recovery). Run this session at the faster end of your tempo range;
• 15 minutes (3 minutes recovery) 10 minutes. Run 15mins at the slower end and 10mins at the quicker end of your tempo range;
• 20 minutes straight through. Run this session at the slower end of your tempo range.

Tempo sessions often feel good at the start, but the fatigue really creeps up on you. For that reason, they are perfect preparation for those races that gradually grind you down, like the 10k, half-marathon and marathon.

I firmly believe that introducing a hard tempo run into my weekly training programme has given me the requisite physiological adaptions and mental fortitude to take my running to the next level.

What’s the take home message? I implore you to respect and understand the tempo, not to fear or neglect it. So, this week, as part of your lockdown learning, calculate your tempo pace. Prepare properly before you set out for your tempo. Race up and get ready to make your distance running foundations rock solid.

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When someone talks about tempo running they mean the same as a lactate threshold run, and this is basically a sustained period of effort at a fast pace. “Comfortably hard” is a description you will normally hear.

What about the scientific definition? Blood lactate levels elevate with effort and can be used to measure how hard you are working.

 On average anything below 2 Mmol (the unit used to measure blood lactate) and you’re working at a suitable level.

Above 4 Mmol and you’re heading into the pain cave. Blood lactate itself isn’t what will grind you to a halt, but it rises at the same level as other by products, like hydrogen ions, that will slow you down.

So between 2 to 4 Mmol is the zone in which a tempo run is supposed to be. Working in the zone that has an unsustainable but manageable amount and letting your body become more efficient at operating at this level.

One option is to get physiology tests done at a sports lab. This will give you a good idea of what kind of speed and heart rate your lactate threshold training zone is.

A more general rule is the effort level you can sustain for an hour. Basically, if you were racing for an hour how fast would you go. For the Chris Thompson’s of the world that’s half marathon pace, a decent club runner is at 10-mile pace and for most runners, it is between 10k and 10-mile race pace.

Running with Us coach Nick Anderson described it well when taking a session recently: “you need to feel like you have another gear. If you don’t feel like you could do the end of the session faster then you’re going too hard.”

You shouldn’t be able to say more than a few words, but not in that ‘one-word answer’ zone. Easier said than done pacing a tempo run.

So what kind of sessions are we talking about?

Straight up tempo run

This is the most basic and an old school tempo run. You go out for a set amount of time and run in that zone, with a few easy miles either side. The progression here is to develop from 10-15 minutes up to a maximum of about 30-40 minutes of effort.

Any longer than 40 minutes and it’s becoming a race effort rather than training. You then risk interrupting your training consistency with such a hard session and smashing your body in every session can only last so long.

Split tempo run

In Steve Magness’ “Science of Running” there is talk of allowing a runner to split the session as they see fit. Say it’s a 30 min tempo, then University of Houston coach might allow two splits.

This allows the runner to overcook it a little bit if they are new to tempo running, then just take a rest before going again. The goal is the total amount of tempo running.

If you need the additional rest to get that full amount then the training volume is still there. 

This also allows a runner to develop more of a skill for pacing and autonomy.

A coach can place responsibility with the runner and this has been shown to increase intrinsic motivation levels. If they are in control of an element of the workout then they put more thought into it too.

Tempo intervals

The halfway house between straight up tempo and split tempo runs. Adding the rest in between intervals allows for greater recovery and potentially less of a physiological load for the session. 

Mentally it can be easier for a runner to undertake 5 x 5 minutes (90 sec rests) than 25 min tempo running.

The benefits will be slightly greater for the 25 minutes continuous run, but if you have a propensity to trash yourself in the pursuit of improvement, then adding the rest in can be a good control.

These can progress from as little as 4 x 5 minutes (2 minute rests) up to something as meaty as 3 x 15 minutes (60-90 seconds rest). This doesn’t mean you go all out hard for 15 minutes and then just suck in air for the recovery. It’s still supposed to be at ‘hour race pace’.

There should always be room for that extra gear. You never know when a sneaky coach might up the speed in the final rep for some race simulation.

Progressing your tempo runs

The beauty of tempo runs is that there are many ways to progress and it doesn’t just have to be faster every time.

Starting with something with 4 x 5 minutes or 3 x 8 minutes and off for two minutes can give you a good feel for it. Then next time you might try 15-20 minutes straight up, adding in a rest if you need it.

Progression might take you onto 3 x 10 minutes but don’t always feel it is just the time or speed that you have to change. Reducing recovery can be a good impetus too. The body reacts well to variability, as does the mind.

These are hard workouts so time for recovery is essential. Mixed up with other quality sessions like VO2 Max workouts, hill sprints or fartlek runs, they can be a great foundation for improvements.

Think about the races you are preparing for when planning the sessions as well. If it’s an undulating course, long uphills or you expect surges from competitors then you can build this into your tempos.

Ultimately it is a zone in which you need to be training. Going a little too easy and in a controlled manner is better than blowing a gasket every time. Steady progression is key.

The post Tempo runs: what you need to know appeared first on Fast Running.

We’ve came up with 12 beginner running tips that will allow you to start running smoothly, and help you to stick with it.

1. Purchase a good pair of running shoes
2. Start slow and steady
3. Warm up, cool down
4. Fuel up
5. Increase your mileage slowly and evenly
6. Vary your runs – distances and routes
7. Set goals & targets
8. Go outside to run
9. Fix Your Form
10. Strategise – try sprint intervals, tempo runs & hill work
11. Cross-Train
12. Persevere & stick with it

These are just quick tips that are worthwhile sharing. We hope these beginner running points help.

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