What is a Tempo Run and How to Use It to Improve Your Endurance?

Isabel del Barrio 6 min. of reading Running Leave a comment

Tempo runs are sessions where you feel a clear effort, but one that you can sustain consistently for a significant period of time (between 30-60 minutes).
In simple terms, on the perceived exertion scale, TEMPO RUN sessions would be placed at a level 8.
This type of training is performed at an intensity close to the lactate threshold (LT), according to scientific literature.

Jack Daniels, the author of the book “Daniels’ Running Formula,” explains that threshold pace (T-pace) is one of the most productive types of training for endurance runners.

He describes how it helps runners avoid overtraining, produce more satisfying workouts, and improve physical consistency.

The purpose of including this type of training in your weekly plan is to train at competitive paces without reaching excessively high intensity, while also mentally preparing to handle race-like effort levels and improving both endurance and speed.

Index

1 Benefits of a Tempo Run
2 How to Incorporate Tempo Runs into Your Training
3 Common Tempo Run Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
4 Recommendations for Enjoying TEMPO Run Sessions
5 Conclusions

Benefits of a Tempo Run

One clear benefit is that you work at a moderately high intensity, allowing you to complete an intense workout without becoming exhausted.

Training at competitive or near-competitive paces enables you to learn to gauge your perceived effort and better interpret your body’s and brain’s signals for race day.

It helps you simulate race conditions.

These sessions improve your aerobic endurance and power, while also helping you enhance your pace and maintain it.

The primary goal of this type of training is to increase the body’s ability to clear lactate from the blood, keeping it at a manageable level.

Additionally, it helps improve the speed you can maintain for a relatively long period of time.

How to Incorporate Tempo Runs into Your Training

Whether you’re a recreational runner or an experienced one looking to improve your paces and sensations, these sessions should be part of your training program once you’ve completed your adaptation and base-building weeks.

You can start incorporating Tempo Run sessions through longer intervals, with short recoveries at an easier pace, aiming to accumulate 20-30 minutes of tempo intensity by the end of the session. This will help you adapt to complete continuous Tempo Run sessions.

Later on, after the first mesocycle and away from the competitive season, you can perform longer interval sessions at this pace.

Mid- to long-distance runners and triathletes often include these sessions in their long runs, up to twice a week.

In the weeks leading up to a race, it’s ideal to include one Tempo Run session per week.

Personally, I find this type of training very useful for mental preparation before a race or competition because it requires you to stay focused, maintain your pace, and get into the race mindset.

Example Sessions

Here are three Tempo Run session models based on your current level, so you can start incorporating them into your weekly training plan.

Level	Warm-Up	Tempo Run	Cool-Down
Beginner	10-15 min at a very easy pace in training zones 1-2, finishing with a slight progression.	2 reps: 7 min in zone 3-4, 4 min recovery at an easy pace in zone 2	8 min easy jog in zones 1-2
Intermediate	15 min at a very easy pace in training zones 1-2, finishing with a 5 min slight progression.	30 minutes	8 min easy jog in zones 1-2
Advanced (Long-Distance Runners)	15 min at a very easy pace in training zones 1-2, finishing with a 5 min slight progression.	6 reps: 8 min at marathon pace, 3 min recovery at an easy pace in zones 1-2	10 min easy jog in zone 1

Common Tempo Run Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

These sessions, while not reaching a high intensity, require concentration and effort, so it’s not advisable, especially for less trained runners, to do more than one session a week to avoid overloading, excessive fatigue, and lack of recovery.

A common mistake is performing these sessions without adequate rest, which will prevent you from maintaining a steady pace and make the perceived effort much higher.

Another frequent mistake is that, since these are challenging but manageable paces, without the intensity of maximum effort intervals, the target intensity often isn’t respected, resulting in a higher intensity than intended.

This leads to a high volume of work at very high intensity, with the consequent fatigue.

The key to these sessions is maintaining a consistent pace, so it’s not about just hitting that pace in the final kilometres, but rather maintaining it throughout the main block of the session or during the long intervals.

Recommendations for Enjoying TEMPO Run Sessions

Duration: If you’re a beginner, start by incorporating a 10-20 minute tempo block into your longer sessions once a week.
Feelings: Listen to your body and learn to run by feel, aiming for a “comfortably hard” pace that you can maintain for a relatively long time (between 20-40 minutes depending on your experience and stage of the season).
Breathing: Use your breathing as a tool to work at this pace, with a breathing cadence of 2 steps inhaling and 1 step exhaling.
Heart Rate: If you train by heart rate, a good indicator for these sessions is to work at around 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Hydration: Remember to stay well-hydrated during the session, and if you’re a long-distance runner doing long Tempo Run sessions, maintain a carbohydrate intake during the session. This will help you maintain the intensity and recover well afterward.

Conclusions

As runners, your training program should be varied and include different types of sessions with distinct goals to work on different capacities and improve certain parameters.

Given the target intensity of these sessions, they will help you improve not only endurance but also speed, and mentally, they will help you learn to maintain competitive paces.

On the other hand, since they are less demanding and intense than interval training at or above VO2MAX, they are more manageable, allowing for a higher total session volume.

As you can see, these sessions are ‘intensely fun’ and will present a new physical and mental challenge to keep progressing as a runner.

References