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Training Guide: Tempo Runs

Writer's picture: Dylan BellesDylan Belles

Updated: Jan 23




Classic Tempo Runs, or anything between your 1st Lactate Threshold and your Marathon pace (give or take a few seconds), are a piece of any distance runner's training puzzle.


Tempo or M-pace runs are sustained efforts for extended periods. "Tempo" is a blanket term that can be used in many ways, but I'll use it to describe the intensity zone previously mentioned.

These runs span anywhere from 30 to 90+ minutes in length or can be broken up to achieve much more time under tension.


For example, a 6-mile tempo run versus 4 x 2 miles at Tempo/M pace.


These runs aren't to be confused with Anaerobic Threshold Runs or LT2 efforts, which are the intensities where your lactate accumulation in your bloodstream outweighs the rate at which your body can use/reabsorb it.


Anaerobic Threshold is a much more intense session than a Tempo run in my mind. If a Tempo is supposed to be rhythmic and smooth, often extended periods of Anaerobic Threshold workouts are anything but that!


A Tempo run shouldn't cause a significant amount of strain right out of the gate. And if you're feeling labored early on, you're likely in the wrong zone to reap the benefits of this specific run.


The Purpose


There are several avenues of purpose for a tempo run, which include:

- Training at race pace or key physiological zones

- Training the endurance support side of shorter race distances 1-mile - Half Marathon

- Practicing mental focus and toughness for sustained periods


The Benefits


- Build overall endurance and aerobic capacity by improving your ability to use oxygen efficiently.

- Enhance your ability to clear lactate effectively by keeping it at a stable, non-increasing level.

- Improve Fat Metabolism and spare glycogen at faster speeds and longer durations

- Stress the muscular endurance, loading, and mechanical integrity components of long-distance running and racing

- Mental readiness


How to Execute


To perform an effective tempo session, your goal should always be to make it feel as smooth as possible. The feeling of strain in the early goings is usually a bad sign that you're overreaching. After you've built your fitness to a certain level, a tempo run should come naturally and feel like you're gliding along at a quick but controlled rate. Fighting the pace is ill-advised.


I would advise runners attempting a Tempo run to always plan for their first mile to be their slowest and gradually allow themselves to fall into a rhythm. In general, it takes your body a handful of minutes to get up to a steady state, which explains why you might feel better after 5 minutes of running.


For a Tempo run, it's natural for the intensity to increase with time, but refrain from racing yourself. There's a difference between training and racing, and we want to avoid racing our training. This is especially important for marathon runners as there's a fine line between crushing a Marathon pace tempo run and finding out after you bonked during your marathon that that was your "marathon".


I'm not particularly eager to come off as describing all training to be easy, but as much as possible, your focus should almost always be to run as fast as possible, as smoothly as possible. Tempo runs are no different.


What Alternatives Are There?


You have noticed that many pro runners have left the traditional tempo run. What used to be run at one pace over a long duration now has become broken tempo intervals. It's much more common to see tempo sessions broken up into workouts like 5 x 2km, 5 x 3 km, or 4 x 5 km, for example.


Why is that?


The rationale is to keep the purpose of the workout intact. Runners often go too well during a tempo session. I always hesitate to write longer tempo runs to my athletes because it's not uncommon for them to view it as a race or a "prove yourself" workout. This eats me alive! Tempo runs are often seen as the gold standard or the most important workout to many. The weight I see athletes place on tempo runs is extraordinary. And don't get me wrong, these days ARE important, but like anything, they are just one piece of something much much greater.


Back to the point ;)


The broken style of training allows runners to stay within themselves and accomplish the task and goal of work without flaw. This method prevents tying up or performing an effort that is going to have a greater cost than reward. We don't want to neglect the purpose of this kind of workout, so it remains critical to stay within the confines of the goal.


I like this method and will apply it to almost every runner. This doesn't mean I don't like an old-fashioned tempo; it just means that I prescribe them less often.


Conclusion


Tempo runs are a vital component of distance runner training, offering a range of benefits from physiological improvements to mental resilience. Whether executed in traditional continuous form or broken into intervals, tempo runs enhance aerobic capacity, lactate clearance, and muscular endurance. While both methods have merit, broken intervals provide a more controlled approach, reducing the risk of overexertion while achieving desired training goals. Regardless of the approach chosen, tempo runs remain essential for optimizing performance and race-day readiness in distance running.

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