Podcast Episode #171 🎙

✅ TEMPO RUN is a *HARD EFFORT* run

We only want to run 20% of the time at most! “Tempo” is a general term for comfortably hard running for a prolonged period of time.

There are different types for different purposes! Marathon pace tempos, half marathon pace tempos, threshold tempos

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THRESHOLD RUN:

✅ A TYPE of tempo run, also known as a "lactate threshold" run

✅ You want to run at a pace where lactate does not accumulate in the blood during the workout but instead stays at a constant level. You can figure out what that pace is by doing a time trial or taking your most recent race result and plugging it into a VDOT calculator

✅ Trains the cardiovascular & muscular system to utilize oxygen while simultaneously removing waste products such as carbon dioxide & lactic acid (imagine a bath running with the drain open. Running at lactate threshold tempo pace is the rate at which the waste removal and waste production is basically the exact same)

✅ 20-45 minutes in duration, often split up with short 1-2 minute recovery jogs

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HOW SHOULD A TEMPO RUN FEEL?

✅ You could keep going after workout mileage is up

✅ You could speed up 10+ sec per mile if you had to

✅ You could say a word or two if you had to

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WHEN SHOULD YOU DO THEM?

✅ 1x per week during a training cycle (the type of tempo will depend on what your goal race is!)

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#run4prs #igrunner #marathoner