Sorry if a stupid question, but what exactly is a TEMPO? (Read 1511 times)

thanks

The term gets overused a bit (by me even) but the standard definition of a tempo run is a steady run of 20-40 minutes at threshold pace. You will hear many scientific definitions of "threshold pace" but basically it's the fastest pace you could sustain in a race for 60 minutes. Depending on how fast you are that could be your 5-mile pace or it could be your 10 mile pace...or if you're Ryan Hall it is your Half Marathon pace.

Tempo run: I always thought of it as a run with a few miles in the middle at a faster "race goal" pace. So on a five-mile run, do one-mile slow, 3-miles at tempo pace (faster than slow, whatever that means), and then 1 mile slow.

Yep, this has always been my understanding, too. The pace will depend on your goal race, but a 10k to half marathon pace is good if you are training for a marathon. My favorite workout is a variation called an Acceleration Tempo, where you warm up, then do each mile a little faster until you finish at or below your tempo pace. I like these because they make me feel like I'm training to finish fast and strong. Also, each mile has a goal: finish a mile, check my watch, then speed up. Feels good when I finish a good A. Tempo workout.

What you are describing seems like a Fartlek to me. Or are these the same thing?

I think of a fartlek as "speed play"--running a variety of different speeds for different amounts of time during a run. I think what abbaroodle described is a 3-mile tempo with warm-up and cool-down. There is lots of discussion within the running community as to how to properly define "tempo pace." I think of it as "comfortably fast." But that might not mean much to the more mathematically minded. The idea is to run a pace stronger than easy pace for a fairly good chunk of time.

When I've run fartleks in the past I will usually do 4-5 miles of alternating easy run with 20-30 seconds of haulin'-ass every few minutes. k

you're so lucky...i have to haul my fat ass all the time..

Thanks, I understand.

The most precise definition of a tempo run I've read is: "a tempo run is a continuous, three- to four-mile effort at a speed which is about 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 10-K velocity." from p. 38 of Lactate Lift-off (2nd Ed) by Owen Anderson, Ph.D. I'd amend that slightly to say 20~30 minute effort as opposed to distance. In principle, the run usually involves a warm-up, the tempo section, and then the cool-down. Incidentally Dr. Anderson asserts in his book that tempo training is not nearly as good as interval training for improving performance. More from Dr. Anderson regarding a research study of tempo vs. interval training: "In Peter's [Snell's] research, one group of runners carried out tempo runs twice a week (the rest of their running was moderate-paced effort). Tempo Runs: 29 minutes tempo runs at 70~80 percent of VO2max. Runners in a second group carried out no tempo running at all but instead conducted two interval sessions per week. Intervals: 200-meter intervals in 33~38 seconds @ 90~100% of VO2max. OR 400-meter intervals in 75~80 seconds @ 90~100% of VO2max. completing a total of about three miles of interval running per workout. After 10 weeks, the runners from both groups ran 800-meter and 10-K races. In these competitions, the interval-trained runners fared far better than the tempo-tutored harriers: Interval Group: a) improved 800-meter time by an average of 11.2 sec b) bettered previous 10-K times by 2.1 minutes. c) VO2 max improved by 12% Tempo Group: a) shaved just 6.6 seconds from their 800-meter times b) upgraded 10-K running by only 1.1 minute, c) VO2max only 4 percent These results were observed even though the tempo-trained individuals engaged in a far-greater amount of quality work over the 10-week period... A key lesson to be learned here is that intensity is always the most-potent producer of fitness; it is a much-stronger stimulus for improvement than training volume and workout frequency... each minute of high-quality work can sometimes produce twice as much gain in fitness as double the amount of lower-quality exertion. ...The problem is that tempo training, carried out at close to lactate-threshold velocity, by definition produces very little increase in blood-lactate concentrations and thus does a poor job of stimulating muscle cells to get better at clearing lactate from the blood. Blood-lactate removal by the muscles is a key component of improving lactate-threshold speed. Note, too, that interval training is superior to tempo running when it comes to matching training paces with goal race speeds (unless you are planning to run only 15Ks and half-marathons)... So what kinds of intervals would work well for you? a) 1600s at 5-K pace b) 800s at four seconds per 400 meters faster than 5-K pace c) 400s at eight seconds per 400 meters faster than 5-K speed During such interval sessions, each jog recovery can last about as long as the duration of the preceding work interval..." ------------------------END QUOTED SECTION--------------------------------------------------------- Sorry for such a long post everyone, but I think it's really interesting. THE UPSHOT: The key to improvement is more quality running as opposed to more quantity. I recommend Dr. Anderson's site http://runningresearchnews.com (no, I am not a shill, just a an avid runner and reader) Cheers, Jeff

I think I've seen that study discussed elsewhere. Something about it doesn't feel right to me. I'm not sure what right now..... Also, I've seen tempo runs that go for longer than 3-4 miles.