Tempo Runs: What They Are, Benefits, How to Do Them, and More

How to Do a Tempo Run?

A tempo run is a sustained, comfortably hard effort designed to improve your lactate threshold, allowing you to sustain a faster pace for longer periods during endurance activities like running.

What is a Tempo Run?

A tempo run, often referred to as a "threshold run," is a form of speed training where you maintain a challenging yet sustainable pace for a prolonged duration. The primary physiological goal is to elevate your lactate threshold (LT) – the point at which lactate begins to accumulate in the bloodstream faster than it can be cleared. By pushing this threshold higher, your body becomes more efficient at clearing lactic acid, enabling you to run at a faster pace before fatigue sets in.

Key Characteristics:

• Sustained Effort: Unlike interval training, which involves short bursts of high intensity followed by rest, a tempo run requires a continuous effort.
• Comfortably Hard: The pace should feel challenging, requiring concentration, but not an all-out sprint. You should be able to speak in short, broken sentences, but not hold a full conversation.
• Targeted Intensity: Physiologically, this typically corresponds to an intensity level where lactate production and clearance are balanced or just slightly out of balance.

Why Incorporate Tempo Runs into Your Training?

Integrating tempo runs into your training regimen offers significant benefits for endurance athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking to improve their running performance and aerobic capacity.

Physiological Adaptations:

• Improved Lactate Threshold: This is the cornerstone benefit. By regularly training at or near your lactate threshold, your body adapts by increasing its ability to buffer and clear lactate, allowing you to maintain a higher intensity for longer.
• Enhanced Running Economy: As your body becomes more efficient at fuel utilization and lactate management, your overall running economy improves, meaning you use less energy to run at a given pace.
• Increased Mental Toughness: Sustaining a "comfortably hard" effort for an extended period builds mental resilience and teaches you to push through discomfort, a crucial skill for racing.
• Better Race Pace Simulation: Tempo runs simulate the sustained effort required during races like 10K, half-marathons, and marathons, helping your body and mind adapt to race-specific demands.

How to Determine Your Tempo Pace

Finding your ideal tempo pace is crucial for maximizing the benefits of this workout. It's a balance between pushing hard enough to elicit physiological adaptations without overdoing it.

• Perceived Exertion (RPE): This is often the most practical method. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very easy, 10 being maximal effort), your tempo pace should fall around an RPE of 7 to 8. You should feel like you're working hard, but could maintain the pace for 20-40 minutes.
• Talk Test: A classic and effective method. At your tempo pace, you should be able to speak in short, broken sentences (e.g., "I... can... do... this... for... a while"), but not comfortably hold a conversation or sing. If you can chat easily, you're too slow; if you're gasping for air, you're too fast.
• Heart Rate Zones: For those who use a heart rate monitor, your tempo pace typically corresponds to 80-90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) or 85-92% of your heart rate reserve (HRR).
• Race Pace Correlation: For many, tempo pace is roughly equivalent to a pace you could sustain for a 10K race, or slightly slower than your 10K pace but faster than your half-marathon pace.

Structuring Your Tempo Run Workout

A well-structured tempo run includes a warm-up, the main tempo segment, and a cool-down.

• Warm-up: Begin with 10-15 minutes of easy, conversational pace jogging. This gradually increases your heart rate, warms your muscles, and prepares your cardiovascular system for the harder effort. Include a few minutes of dynamic stretches (e.g., leg swings, walking lunges) to further prepare your body.
• Main Tempo Segment: This is the core of the workout. The duration can vary based on your fitness level and training goals.
  • Continuous Tempo: The most common form involves a single, sustained effort at your tempo pace. For beginners, this might be 15-20 minutes. Intermediate to advanced runners might aim for 20-40 minutes.
  • Broken Tempo (Tempo Intervals): For those new to tempo running or looking to accumulate more time at threshold, you can break the tempo segment into intervals with short recovery periods. For example, 2-3 x 10-15 minutes at tempo pace with 2-3 minutes of easy jogging in between.
• Cool-down: Conclude with 10-15 minutes of very easy jogging, allowing your heart rate to gradually return to normal. Follow this with static stretches, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds, focusing on major running muscles (hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves).

Sample Tempo Run Workouts

Here are examples of how to incorporate tempo runs into your training, adaptable to different fitness levels:

• Beginner Tempo Run:
  • Warm-up: 10 minutes easy jog.
  • Tempo: 15 minutes at comfortably hard pace (RPE 7-8).
  • Cool-down: 10 minutes easy jog.
• Intermediate Tempo Run:
  • Warm-up: 15 minutes easy jog with 4-6 x 30-second strides (accelerating to near-max pace, then slowing down).
  • Tempo: 25-30 minutes at comfortably hard pace (RPE 7-8).
  • Cool-down: 10 minutes easy jog.
• Advanced Tempo Intervals:
  • Warm-up: 15 minutes easy jog with 4-6 x 30-second strides.
  • Tempo Intervals: 3 x 15 minutes at comfortably hard pace with 3 minutes easy jog recovery between intervals.
  • Cool-down: 10 minutes easy jog.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

To maximize the effectiveness and safety of your tempo runs, be mindful of these common pitfalls:

• Running Too Hard: Mistaking a tempo run for an interval workout. If you're gasping for air or can't sustain the pace, you're likely running too fast and crossing into anaerobic territory, which changes the physiological benefits and increases injury risk.
• Running Too Easy: Not pushing hard enough. If you can hold a full conversation, you're not eliciting the necessary physiological adaptations for improving your lactate threshold.
• Skipping Warm-up/Cool-down: These phases are critical for injury prevention, performance, and recovery. Neglecting them can lead to muscle strain or unnecessary fatigue.
• Ignoring Body Signals: Pushing through sharp pain or extreme fatigue is counterproductive. Listen to your body and adjust the workout or take a rest day if needed.
• Overdoing It: Tempo runs are demanding. Incorporating them too frequently or making them too long can lead to overtraining, burnout, or injury.

Integrating Tempo Runs into Your Training Schedule

For most runners, incorporating one tempo run per week or every 10-14 days is sufficient. It's best placed in the middle of your training week, allowing for easier recovery runs or rest days before and after. Avoid scheduling a tempo run the day before or after another high-intensity workout (e.g., long run, interval session). As you approach a race, you might slightly reduce the duration or intensity of tempo runs to ensure freshness.

Conclusion

Tempo runs are a cornerstone of effective endurance training, offering a powerful pathway to improving your speed, stamina, and mental fortitude. By understanding the "comfortably hard" effort, correctly identifying your tempo pace, and structuring your workouts thoughtfully, you can unlock significant gains in your running performance. Consistency and careful attention to your body's signals are key to safely and effectively leveraging this potent training tool.