What Exactly Is Tempo Running?
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Professionals share how this type of workout can help you reach your goals.
If you’re a mid- or long-distance runner looking to shed some serious time off of your personal best, whether in the 10K or the marathon, it’s imperative to incorporate tempo runs into your training program. Unlike a Fartlek workout, where you alternate between intensities every few minutes, a tempo workout calls for consistency. It’s not exactly a speed workout, and it’s certainly not an easy run, either.
“Tempo running is slower than race pace,” says Kaleigh Ray, ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and running biomechanist at Treadmill Review Guru. “You should always feel like you could give more during a tempo run, whereas race pace is maximal effort.”
Ahead, running experts explain this type of running workout and why you need it in your training log.
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What Is a Tempo Run?
“The tempo run is a staple for runners, but it has many definitions,” Ray says, adding that many running coaches create tempo runs based on the guidelines established in a 2021 study on world-class long-distance running performances. The study classifies a tempo run as a workout that lasts between 45 and 70 minutes, with intervals ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 meters performed at 82 to 92% of your maximum heart rate (HRmax).
In this study, “Running coach Jack Daniels describes the tempo pace as 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your 5K race pace, while coach Pete Pfitzinger considers it your half-marathon race pace,” Ray says. Milica McDowell, D.P.T., the vice president of operations at Gait Happens, characterizes tempo runs as 75% to 85% of HRmax.
Because there isn’t a hard definition of a tempo run, you have to go by feel. “An easy run should feel much more relaxed than a tempo run,” Ray says. She recommends trying out the talk test to assess how hard you’re pushing. “A tempo run only allows you to speak a couple of words at a time, while most runners should be able to speak in full sentences at their easy pace,” she explains.
Also, tempo runs can vary in length. For example, half marathon runners may do a 3 x 5K workout with a few minutes of jogging in between each segment. But someone who is training for a shorter distance, or is new to running, may do way less than that. “Shorter tempo runs are helpful for runners who are building up their mileage or beginning a new training cycle,” Ray says.
No matter how long your tempo run is, one goal remains the same: You must keep your intensity below your lactate threshold, or the point where your performance begins to break down and fatigue settles in, McDowell says.
Lactate is a byproduct that your body produces after performing explosive anaerobic movements, such as lifting heavy weights or doing sprints. When you perform these types of exercises, your body relies on carbohydrates, or glucose, for fuel — without using oxygen. The tempo run trains your body to improve how well it clears and uses that lactate so that your muscles don’t fatigue as quickly.
How Do You Calculate Tempo Pace?
Again, because there are different definitions of a tempo run, how you calculate will also vary. If you recently ran a 5K race, look at your splits. “I calculate my tempo run pace range as 5K pace, plus 20 to 40 seconds per mile,” Ray says. “You can also use your half marathon pace or 10 to 20 seconds slower than your 10K pace. I like having a slightly larger pace range to account for other variables, like a hilly course or weather conditions.”
If you haven't run a race recently or at all, don’t sweat it. Ray says you can go by feel and find a “comfortably hard” pace to lock into for your intervals. “I also like to think of tempo runs as fast but in control,” she explains. “A tempo run is hard, but you should feel like you could push harder.”
You can also determine your tempo pace by using data from a heart rate monitor or from a running watch that assesses heart rate. If you go this route, you’ll want to first calculate your HRmax, McDowell says. You do this by subtracting your current age from 220. “If you are 30, your estimated HRmax would be 190.” Remember, McDowell’s definition of tempo pace is 75% to 85% of HRmax, so that would mean you’re running your tempo pace when your heart rate is between 140 and 160 beats per minute (BPM).
Both Ray and McDowell say that your tempo pace can change. In fact, that’s the goal. As your fitness improves, your resting heart rate lowers, which means your race pace gets faster, McDowell points out.
“For an up-to-date tempo time, run a race or a time trial,” Ray says. “Then, you can recalculate your tempo pace using your new results.”
How To Include Tempo Runs in Your Training Routine
“Tempo running can be intimidating for novice runners, but it doesn’t have to be,” Ray says. “Contrary to the many tempo run definitions, you don’t have to run multiple miles to get some of the benefits of a tempo run.”
Newer runners should start out by doing one tempo workout each week, whereas more seasoned athletes can do between two and three sessions a week, McDowell explains. Also, because you’re working at least 75% HRmax, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking extra time to do warm-ups to reduce the risk of muscle strain or injury.
Importantly, program easy runs or rest days between your tempo workouts. “Tempo days should not be back to back unless an athlete is at a very high level under the close direction of a certified coach or trainer,” McDowell says.
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Benefits of Tempo Running
Both Ray and McDowell explain the top three ways tempo runs can improve your physical and mental strength.
1.Boosts Your Athletic Performance
“Tempo runs create efficiency in the training cycle and allow you to get a ‘bigger bang for your buck’ from a performance improvement standpoint,” McDowell says. In other words, tempo running can improve your running economy and help you stave off fatigue as you push the pace on race day.
Research suggests tempo running is imperative to achieving new milestones. In fact, the 2021 study mentioned earlier in this article concluded that, apart from easy runs and overall training mileage, tempo runs were the most important predictor for improving athletic performance, she says. “That means the tempo run is more important than short or long interval workouts.”
2.Can Prevent Burnout and Overuse Injuries
Training fatigue, both mental and physical, can affect anyone — no matter the distance you’re training for. “Including tempo runs [in your training] is a great way to build overall durability as it creates well-rounded athletes who can tolerate training variabilities with [lower] risks of injury and burnout,” McDowell says.
These high-intensity workouts also build mental toughness and grit, McDowell notes. Ramping up the pace can make workouts exciting and prevent you from getting bored or overreaching with too much reliance on high-volume runs, she says.
Ray adds that tempo running can boost your confidence. “Tempo runs are very similar to races because they are fast with minimal-to-no-rest,” she says. “Executing a successful tempo run lets the runner know they can go faster on race day and prepares them for the mental load of running fast continuously.”
3.Improves Lactate Threshold and Race Readiness
As both experts mentioned, tempo running can improve your lactate threshold. “Running at a pace near your lactate threshold signals to your body the need to improve its metabolic processes to sustain your level of exercise,” Ray says. “These improvements allow you to run faster at or below your lactate threshold.”
McDowell adds that tempo runs are usually pretty demanding on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system, mimicking race day. Doing these workouts can help prepare your body for the intensity of race pace, as they challenge you to get close to that all-out pace for longer durations.
3 Tempo Workouts to Add to Your Training Program
Ahead, Ray shares three tempo workouts designed for beginners, intermediate runners and seasoned athletes.
Beginner
“This tempo workout is perfect for a new runner or an experienced runner adding tempo-paced efforts to their training,” Ray says. It’s scalable, so you can start out with just one round of this workout or up to eight rounds that will last just over an hour.” When you’ve nailed this workout, Ray says you can swap the duration of the easy pace with the tempo pace for a more advanced workout that better fits the traditional “tempo run” definition.
- Run at an easy pace for 5 minutes
- Run at tempo pace for 3 minutes
- Repeat as many times as desired
Intermediate
“A classic tempo run is the 4-mile tempo,” Ray says. “Try this week-by-week progression to build up to this workout.”
- Week one: 4 x 1 mile at tempo pace with 2 minutes of rest
- Week two: 4 x 1 mile at tempo pace with 1 minute of rest
- Week three: 2 x 2 miles at tempo pace with 2 minutes of rest
- Week four: 2 x 2 miles at tempo pace with 1 minute of rest
- Week five: 4 miles at tempo pace
Advanced
“One of my favorite tempo workouts of all time comes from my high school track coach and is reminiscent of the classic Michigan workout created by Ron Warhurst,” Ray says. “We called this tempo workout ‘Snakes’ after the weaving path we took running up and down the bleachers.”
- 1-mile tempo
- 300 meters jog
- 5 x up a stadium section or a hill for about 30 seconds. Return to the bottom at an easy pace.
- 1- to 2-minute jog to the 1-mile tempo starting point
- Repeat 2 to 4 times
Words by Cheyenne Buckingham