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Tempo Runs
The one-page field guide to tempo running — the three formats, how to pace them, how much to do, and the mistakes that turn a threshold session into a race.
TL;DR
Comfortably hard, controlled, ~20–40 minutes of it — once a week.
- Pick one of the three tempo formats — on purpose
- Aim for effort ~6–7/10, not a pace you promised yourself
- Warm up 10–20 min, cool down 10–15 min
- Add minutes before you add speed
- Keep every other run genuinely easy
- Don't race it or sprint the last rep
- Don't hold 20-min pace for an hour
- Don't force pace when heat or fatigue says no
- Don't copy elite double-threshold weeks
If you could have held it ten minutes longer, you did it right.
The three workouts hiding behind one word
"Tempo" is a coaching term, not a physiological one. A 20-minute effort and a 60-minute one cannot be run at the same intensity — so decide which workout you're doing before you start.
Threshold tempo
●●●●At or just under the top of your sustainable aerobic range. Simple, race-specific, unforgiving of pacing errors. Trap: turning it into a time trial.
Cruise intervals
●●●●Same target, accumulated in pieces, with a checkpoint every rep. The best format if you tend to overcook tempos. Trap: running reps faster because recovery exists.
Extended steady tempo
●●●●Clearly below classic threshold. Builds race-specific endurance. Trap: attempting 20-minute pace for the whole thing.
How to set the pace
No single metric owns the decision. Use them in this order — the ones lower down are guardrails, not commanders.
| Anchor | How to use it | Trust | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab LT2 / MLSS | Run close to, not above, your tested boundary | ●●●● | Result depends on the test protocol used |
| Recent race result | ≈ the effort you could hold for an hour when fresh | ●●●● | "One-hour pace" is an approximation, not a law |
| Perceived effort | 6–7/10 — comfortably hard, controlled, conversational in phrases | ●●●● | Beginners overshoot; needs practice |
| Heart rate | Roughly 88–92% HRmax as a broad guide; tested threshold HR is better | ●●●● | Lags pace, drifts, moves with heat and fatigue |
| Blood lactate | Your own validated range, standardised sampling | ●●●● | No universal 4 mmol threshold |
| Critical speed | A boundary reference — validate against your own LT2 | ●●●● | CS ≠ LT2 automatically |
| Running power | Same device, compared to your own history | ●●●● | Device-specific; not lab power |
The session, start to finish
The warm-up exists so the first rep isn't the warm-up. Whether recovery is 60 or 90 seconds barely matters — what matters is that the last rep looks like the first: same pace, same relaxed shoulders, no heroic finish.
How much, by experience
| Runner | First-line format | Quality time | Frequency | Guardrail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (easy habit) | 2 × 5–8 min sub-threshold, 2 min jog | 10–16 min | every 7–10 days | RPE 5–6/10, deliberately below T |
| Recreational | 3 × 8 min, or 20 min continuous | 20–25 min | 1× / wk | No end-of-workout sprint |
| Experienced rec. | 3 × 10 min, 4 × 8 min, or 20–25 min continuous | 25–35 min | 1× / wk | Own threshold HR / RPE |
| Competitive | 3 × 10–12, 4–5 × 8, or 20–30 min continuous | 30–40 min | 1–2× / wk | 2nd session only if recovered |
| Elite / high volume | Individually designed, often lactate-controlled | Individual | Multiple | Requires a huge base — don't copy |
Ten-week progression
"T" = controlled threshold, "sub-T" = deliberately below it. Bold weeks are reduced — deliberate interruptions of monotonous load, and reassessment points.
| Week | New to tempo | Established recreational | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 × 5 min sub-T | 3 × 6 min T | 4 × 8 min T |
| 2 | 3 × 5 min sub-T | 3 × 8 min T | 3 × 10 min T |
| 3 | 2 × 8 min sub-T | 2 × 10 + 1 × 5 min T | 5 × 8 min T |
| 4 | 2 × 5 min | 20 min continuous | 20–25 min continuous |
| 5 | 3 × 7 min | 3 × 10 min T | 4 × 10 min T |
| 6 | 2 × 10 min | 4 × 8 min T | 3 × 12 min T |
| 7 | 3 × 8 min | 22–25 min continuous | 4 × 10 min, or 30 min continuous |
| 8 | 2 × 8 min | 3 × 8 min | 3 × 8 min |
| 9 | 18–20 min, or 3 × 7 | 4 × 10 min T | 5 × 8 min T |
| 10 | 20–22 min, or 2 × 12 | 28–30 min, or 3 × 12 | 30 min continuous, or 3 × 12 |
Where it fits in the week
| Day | 3–4 runs/wk | 5 runs/wk | 6–7 runs/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Rest / strength | Rest or very easy | Easy + optional strength |
| Tue | Easy | Tempo: 3 × 8–10 min | Threshold: 4 × 8–10 min |
| Wed | Rest / cross-train | Easy | Easy / recovery |
| Thu | Sub-T reps | Easy + strides | Easy aerobic + strides |
| Fri | Rest | Rest or easy | Easy (2nd quality day replaces, never adds) |
| Sat | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Sun | Longer easy run | Longer easy run | Long run |
Progress, hold, or back off?
| Signal | Decision |
|---|---|
| Completed the work, controlled, no odd next-day symptoms | Progress next week |
| Session productive but recovery is marginal | Hold the dose |
| Fatigue, illness or pain accumulating | Reduce or replace with easy running |
| Focal bone pain, limp, altered gait | Stop — assess before any tempo |
The most informative signal is decoupling: your usual 3 × 10 min at 4:00/km normally sits at RPE 6–7, but today needs RPE 8–9 for 4:05/km. That gap says more than either number alone.