Running Facts

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This "comfortably hard" run is the key to racing your best, at any distance. 

A tempo run is that faster-paced session, also known as a lactate-threshold, LT, or threshold run consisting of a 15 minute slow warm up, at least 20 minutes at a challenging but manageable pace followed by a 15 minute cool down. The foundation of Kenyan running is based almost exclusively on tempo training and many running experts believe that tempo runs are the single most important workout you can do to improve your speed for any race distance. Slower longer runs will improve pure endurance but tempo running is crucial to racing success because it trains your body to sustain speed over distance and has also been found to be more important than speedwork for half and full marathons.

Why the Tempo Works...

Tempo running improves a crucial physiological variable for running success, our metabolic fitness. Most runners train their cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen to the muscles but not how to use that oxygen once it arrives. Tempo runs teach the body to use oxygen for metabolism more efficiently.

How? 

By increasing your lactate threshold (LT), or the point at which the body fatigues at a certain pace. During tempo runs, lactate and hydrogen ions (by-products of metabolism) are released into the muscles. The ions make the muscles acidic, eventually leading to fatigue. The better trained you become, the higher you push your "threshold," meaning your muscles become better at using these byproducts. The result is less acidic muscles, ie the muscles haven't reached their new "threshold, so they keep on contracting, letting you run farther and faster. 

Doing it Properly

To achieve this training effect, you've got to put in enough time at the right intensity. You need to get the hydrogen ions in the muscles for a sufficient length of time for the muscles to become adept at using them. Typically, 20 minutes is sufficient, or two to three miles if your goal is general fitness or a 5K. Runners tackling longer distances should do longer tempo runs during their peak training weeks: four to six miles for the 10K, six to eight for the half-marathon and eight to 10 for a full marathon.

How should it feel? 

Itshould feel comfortably hard but not racing. At the same time, you'd be happy if you could slow down!

Getting it right

A classic tempo or lactate-threshold run is a sustained, comfortably hard effort for two to four miles. The workouts below are geared toward experience levels and race goals.

1. GOAL: Get Started - a four-week progression for tempo-newbies.  Do a 10 to 15 minute warmup and cooldown. Week 1: 5 x 3 minutes at tempo pace, 60-second easy jog in between each one (if you have to walk during the recovery, you're going too hard). Week 2: 5 x 4 minutes at tempo pace, 60-second easy jog recovery Week 3: 4 x 5 minutes at tempo pace, 90-second easy jog recovery Week 4: 20 minutes steady tempo pace.

2. GOAL: 5K to 10K Run three easy miles, followed by two repeats of two miles at 10K pace or one mile at 5K pace. Recover with one mile easy between repeats. Do a two-mile easy cooldown for a total of eight or 10 miles.

3. GOAL: Half to Full Marathon 

Do this challenging long run once or twice during your training. After a warmup, run three (half-marathoners) or six (marathoners) miles at the easier end of your tempo pace range (see "The Right Rhythm," below). Jog for five minutes, then do another three or six miles. Maintaining that comfortably hard pace for so many miles will whip you into shape for long distances.

The Right Rhythm 

To ensure you're doing tempo workouts at the right pace, use one of these four methods to gauge your intensity. 

Recent Race: Add 30 to 40 seconds to your current 5K pace or 15 to 20 seconds to your 10K pace. 

Heart Rate: 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Perceived Exertion: An 8 on a 1-to-10 scale (a comfortable effort would be a 5; racing would be close to a 10) 

Talk Test: A question like "Pace okay?" should be possible, but conversation won't be.