Tempo Run is a run that must feel hard or at least comfortably hard. This type of training run is executed at lactate threshold pace or very near to it. In this type of runs the athlete must be really careful and understand that pushing harder than this may lead to lose the physiological advancements you are supposed to train for.
How to perform a Tempo Run
When you start doing such workouts, its good to start with short time tempo runs and gradually increase the time. You can start with short Tempo runs around 5-15minutes and gradually reach the 30-40 minutes that is considered to be the ideal time and there is no reason to exceed that time. Going beyond that time, you will start depleting your body something similar to a fast race and during your training cycle is not something you want to do. Keep that for your race day. A good tempo run can be the one that once you finish you could easily done another 5-10 minutes of run at the same pace.
Pushing harder than your Lactate threshold pace means that you are entering the racing zone something that you definitely want to avoid. Since you are training methodically for an event you want to avoid runs that will deplete your body for the following days training runs.
In order to add some variation and fun you can alternate a tempo run with a Tempo Interval Workout
Benefits of Tempo Run
This will mentally make you a stronger runner since will give you all these physiological advancements to run fast for a longer time since you push your Lactate Threshold pace to a new level. The tempo run as mentioned is executed on LT pace and the human body can usually is able to cope to that pace around to 45 minutes to an hour.
All of our online running packages includes a variety of runs that will help you to run faster. Learn more about our running coach here.
