Tempo Running 101

paulkj

I want to start tempo running to increase my speed and I would like some input from all of you tempo running experts.

I tried tempo running for the first time on Monday and I don't think that it went too well. I don't know if I started too fast too soon, but I felt like I was dying. Now, I can run about 6 miles at a steady pace, but I want to increase my speed. So any advice, tips or examples you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!!!

VballLeash

I need to start tempo running too and I've been reading a lot about mile repeats. The difference is you run slow for a minute between each mile but you push yourself hard during that one mile and the recovery time isn't too long so you benefit, I'm sure you could even make it longer if you needed too but mostly from what I've read people do 1 mile warmup then 4-6 mile repeats and then a 1 mile or so cool down... hope this helps, let me know if you find any other good info on tempos :happy:

~Leash

Poison5119

http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html

Here is a website where you can go and download podcasts of music. The list is categorized by bpm's.... if you look, they increase in tempo the further down the list you go. So it stands to reason that if you worked with one and got conditioned to that tempo, that you could select one further down the list with a higher tempo, and re-condition yourself to that one, etc....
I'm not a tempo runner, but I do use these mixes to help me keep a pace and to push myself to higher goals.

Oh, and it helps if you LOVE techno/dance music. These podcasts are generally upwards of an hour long, so you probably will run out of exercise before you run out of music.

msarro

I second podrunner. Sooooo soo good. Only downside is you can't bring your music with you at a lot of races

runnerdad

Add a speed day to your schedule. Run intervals at speed with recovery runs in between. Vary the length of the intervals week to week, maybe 400 m this week, 800 next, miles the next. Aim for a recovery run about half the time it takes you to run the interval. (So, if you run 400 m in two minutes, jog for one minute, then start your next interval). It will teach you to judge pace, and gets you used to running at faster speeds than you normally would, so those tempo runs get faster / easier.

Azdak

At first, keep it simple. "Tempo" running is just a fancy term for "running faster". Do it in intervals.

If your initial goal is to just increase your basic speed, then the increased speed does not have to be a sprint, or something that leaves you feeling like you are dying.

All training is specific. So all you need to do at first is to introduce a training stimulus sufficient to stimulate a training effect--i.e. run faster while still remaining at an "aerobic" level.

You can do this a couple of ways--either within a regular run or as a separate interval workout. Within a run, give yourself 10 min or so to warm up, then just start putting in some 30-60 sec "surges"--nothing dramatic, just an decrease of 10-15 sec in you usual min/mile pace--followed by a minute or two recovery. Try and do 6-10 followed be a cool down. While running the "tempo" intervals, focus on maintaining good form and staying relaxed. It should feel "exhilarating" not "dying". (the last ones may start to feel like "work" ;-)

One interval workout I always found effective was to go to a track and do 1/4 mile repeats at a little slower than my target 5K race pace. The key was keeping the interval run controlled and the recovery interval relatively short--20-30 secs (walking). I would try for 8-12 repeats (with a longer recovery walk every set of 4 intervals).

As you feel more comfortable, try lengthening or varying the length of the tempo interval. Do maybe two of these workouts per week. Don't neglect your longer endurance runs.

The key is that you are not doing "sprint" workouts--you are staying just below or just above lactate threshold. There is a place for more "sprint" type workouts, but that's down the road a ways.

Other things you can do to improve power and form (which will also improve speed): hill running and strength training. Squats and lunges of all kinds can be very useful. Upper body training also helps to maintain form during a race. I once matched a 10K PR on a relatively hilly course in a race where I was less than optimally trained aerobically, but had been doing a lot of strength training so I did not lose form (and thus slow down) in the last 2 miles.

But for starters, don't overcomplicate things. Just try going a little faster in smaller increments and you will get faster.

Azdak

I need to start tempo running too and I've been reading a lot about mile repeats. The difference is you run slow for a minute between each mile but you push yourself hard during that one mile and the recovery time isn't too long so you benefit, I'm sure you could even make it longer if you needed too but mostly from what I've read people do 1 mile warmup then 4-6 mile repeats and then a 1 mile or so cool down... hope this helps, let me know if you find any other good info on tempos :happy:

~Leash

I would just caution anyone starting out that doing 1-mile repeats is a pretty tough workout. For beginners, it is best to start off with much smaller intervals.

Wecandothis

Thank you Azdak, that is very good advice, particularly for a newbie runner like me. Thanks

msarro

Runnerdad and Azdak - thanks so much for simplifying it. I honestly have the worst time judging pace, and hopefully this will help with it.

gmvanloo

I agree with Azdak - mile repeats are tough. I've been running for 10+ years and did mile repeats this summer while training for the marathon. They absolutely kicked my butt. I started out with 3 and built up but 3 was hard the first time. I would agree that you should start with a much shorter distance. I used to do 400's at the track. Start off doing 4 or less then build from there. Eventually I moved to 800's. I like 800's the best - feel like they really test my speed but don't kill me like the mile repeats do.

As far as Tempo runs start slow with those as well. Do a mile warm up and pick up your speed slightly. It's not drastic. Should only be about 15 - 20 seconds faster then you plan to race at. Depending on the length of the race you want to do will depend on how long the tempo runs should be. For example, training for the marathon the longest tempo run we did was 8 miles. If you're training for a 5k, the tempo run does not need to be more then 2 miles. It takes a long time to figure out what is comfortable for you. Going out too fast is a classic problem for most people. It takes time and patience to figure out what works for you.

I think going to the track is a great way to figure out how to judge your pace. Start there and see how that goes. There is nothing like the feeling of finishing a track workout.

Good luck!

msarro

Out of curiousity, one day a week I usually run 3 miles + strength training after. Since I'm already doing strength training, would that be an ideal day for doing the interval training? I am running on city streets so I can use telephone poles as markers to make things easy.

VballLeash

Thanks for the input on mile repeats... I haven't tried them myself so I'm glad now I know what to expect :happy:

~Leash

paulkj

What are mile repeats? I've never heard of it before.

paulkj

Thanks for the info. My second run of the week is tonight and I will definitely try your suggestions.

Azdak

Out of curiousity, one day a week I usually run 3 miles + strength training after. Since I'm already doing strength training, would that be an ideal day for doing the interval training? I am running on city streets so I can use telephone poles as markers to make things easy.

Nothing precludes you from doing interval work when you do strength training--you might find at first that your leg work suffers a little, but if you are strength training 2-3 days/wk it doesn't hurt to have a lighter intensity day anyhow.

If you are only running one day/wk, I am not sure it makes much difference whether you are doing intervals or not. For you, if might go into the context of doing HIIT-type workouts in general. If it fits into your routine, I would add a second running day and do the intervals then.

msarro

Out of curiousity, one day a week I usually run 3 miles + strength training after. Since I'm already doing strength training, would that be an ideal day for doing the interval training? I am running on city streets so I can use telephone poles as markers to make things easy.

Nothing precludes you from doing interval work when you do strength training--you might find at first that your leg work suffers a little, but if you are strength training 2-3 days/wk it doesn't hurt to have a lighter intensity day anyhow.

If you are only running one day/wk, I am not sure it makes much difference whether you are doing intervals or not. For you, if might go into the context of doing HIIT-type workouts in general. If it fits into your routine, I would add a second running day and do the intervals then.

Pardon, I just reread my post and realized it was kind of confusing. I'm currently training for a half marathon and am running 4 days a week. According to the program one day a week is a running+strength training day. I figured since the day already includes strength training, would it be appropriate to add in the intervals on that day as well? Friday is a rest day, so it would seem like a good option.
Here's the plan:
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

Azdak

Out of curiousity, one day a week I usually run 3 miles + strength training after. Since I'm already doing strength training, would that be an ideal day for doing the interval training? I am running on city streets so I can use telephone poles as markers to make things easy.

Nothing precludes you from doing interval work when you do strength training--you might find at first that your leg work suffers a little, but if you are strength training 2-3 days/wk it doesn't hurt to have a lighter intensity day anyhow.

If you are only running one day/wk, I am not sure it makes much difference whether you are doing intervals or not. For you, if might go into the context of doing HIIT-type workouts in general. If it fits into your routine, I would add a second running day and do the intervals then.

Pardon, I just reread my post and realized it was kind of confusing. I'm currently training for a half marathon and am running 4 days a week. According to the program one day a week is a running+strength training day. I figured since the day already includes strength training, would it be appropriate to add in the intervals on that day as well? Friday is a rest day, so it would seem like a good option.
Here's the plan:
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

I would probably put it into the Wed slot. I find it interesting that he puts a 50 minute workout right in front of the long run, but he has a long track record (pardon the expression), so I'm sure it works for a lot of people.

Depending on your running "base" you could also try turning that Tuesday run into more of a tempo effort--maybe alternate the two (intervals on Wed, tempo on Tues, alternate weeks). Again, for a half marathon distance, you are not really looking to beat yourself up when doing speed training--there is no point to doing "sprint" workouts for that length of distance. A good, solid effort at 75%-80% max is sufficient (70% if you are doing a longer tempo run).

jessmomof3

I love tempo runs!!! I used them while half marathon training and it really helped me a lot!

Here's the program that I used, the FIRST training from runnersworld. It explains how to figure out your tempo pace.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-9369-0,00.html

paulkj

I love tempo runs!!! I used them while half marathon training and it really helped me a lot!

Here's the program that I used, the FIRST training from runnersworld. It explains how to figure out your tempo pace.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-9369-0,00.html

thanks....I will check it out.

msarro

Out of curiousity, one day a week I usually run 3 miles + strength training after. Since I'm already doing strength training, would that be an ideal day for doing the interval training? I am running on city streets so I can use telephone poles as markers to make things easy.

Nothing precludes you from doing interval work when you do strength training--you might find at first that your leg work suffers a little, but if you are strength training 2-3 days/wk it doesn't hurt to have a lighter intensity day anyhow.

If you are only running one day/wk, I am not sure it makes much difference whether you are doing intervals or not. For you, if might go into the context of doing HIIT-type workouts in general. If it fits into your routine, I would add a second running day and do the intervals then.

Pardon, I just reread my post and realized it was kind of confusing. I'm currently training for a half marathon and am running 4 days a week. According to the program one day a week is a running+strength training day. I figured since the day already includes strength training, would it be appropriate to add in the intervals on that day as well? Friday is a rest day, so it would seem like a good option.
Here's the plan:
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

I would probably put it into the Wed slot. I find it interesting that he puts a 50 minute workout right in front of the long run, but he has a long track record (pardon the expression), so I'm sure it works for a lot of people.

Depending on your running "base" you could also try turning that Tuesday run into more of a tempo effort--maybe alternate the two (intervals on Wed, tempo on Tues, alternate weeks). Again, for a half marathon distance, you are not really looking to beat yourself up when doing speed training--there is no point to doing "sprint" workouts for that length of distance. A good, solid effort at 75%-80% max is sufficient (70% if you are doing a longer tempo run).

Thanks so much for the advice!! I've been swapping the days around a little bit, so I'll try to incorporate some of those recommendations.