You run several times a week, but your performance still hasn’t improved? Or maybe your speed has even slowed down? Your endurance has dropped? When your body eventually adapts to a certain pace or distance, over time, you may find yourself stuck running just 5 miles every other day, unable to do more. If your running level has plateaued, what should you do?
It’s simple—just practice tempo runs. Tempo runs are usually fast, but simply sprinting from start to finish won’t cut it—you need a bit of strategy.
You don’t have to do a tempo run every time you run, as that could lead to fatigue or injury. Surprisingly, just adding one tempo run to your weekly running plan can quickly boost your speed and build endurance.
Why? Because tempo runs help raise your lactate threshold (the point during gradually increasing exercise intensity where blood lactate begins to accumulate rapidly above resting levels), allowing your body to quickly clear the buildup of lactate, which can delay or prevent the burning of fat—the body’s source of energy that delays fatigue. At the same time, tempo runs can also increase your VO2 max (your body’s ability to take in oxygen and deliver it to muscles for energy production). Consistent tempo running encourages the growth of more capillaries in your muscles, enabling more oxygen to be transported to them.
The length of a tempo run varies, but it’s best to keep it between 4–8 miles. If you’re just starting out with tempo runs, go shorter and gradually increase the distance. You can choose one of the four running methods below to add to your weekly plan, or combine them to try a new routine:
Traditional Tempo Run
Start with a 1-mile warm-up and end with a 1-mile cool-down. Keep the first and last miles at an easy pace; the middle miles should be run about 30–45 seconds per mile slower than your 5K race pace (Example: 1-mile warm-up; 2-mile tempo run; 1-mile cooldown jog).
Interval Tempo Run
Begin with a 1-mile warm-up and finish with a 1-mile cool-down. Keep the first and last miles at an easy pace; for the middle miles, alternate between 5 minutes of fast running and 5 minutes of jogging. The fast segments should be about 25–30 seconds per mile slower than your 5K race pace. Continue this pattern until you finish with a 1-mile cooldown jog (Example: 1-mile warm-up; 3 middle miles alternating 5-minute fast and 5-minute slow; 1-mile cooldown jog).
Race-Pace Tempo Run
This type of tempo run is ideal for training for half marathons and marathons. Start with a 1-mile warm-up and finish with a 1-mile cool-down. The middle miles should be run at your goal half or full marathon pace (Example: 1-mile warm-up; 4 middle miles at race pace; 1-mile cooldown jog).
Negative-Split Tempo Run
This tempo run trains your body to finish strong in the second half of a race. Run the first half at an easier pace, then switch to tempo pace for the second half to create a negative split (Example: 3-mile jog, then 3 miles at tempo pace).
(Note: If your watch doesn’t have GPS, you can use the “talk test” to gauge your pace—if you can still talk easily during the tempo run, you’re probably not going fast enough.)