Placement of Tempo runs in Training Plans

Tempo efforts are part of my training in each phase. I may switch it up and do cruise intervals one week, 20 minute tempo runs another, or slower 30 minute tempo runs another.

One day tempo, one day traditional track session, one day long run. There may be a few weeks where I have two track sessions in addition to the tempo run, but that's rare, especially as I've aged.

Base phase: build up tempo volume to 20-30 minutes or whatever the peak is going to be, either split or continuous.

Precompetition phase: add stuff to the tempo workout to make the workout more race-specific, like 20 minutes @ tempo and then 5 minutes @ 10K pace, or adding 400 meter surges to 5K pace.

Competition phase: tempo pace for one of the earlier intervals in a multi-pace workout, or a tempo run every so often for maintenance. For me, tempo pace is too important to let it go entirely.

I would think that tempos would be much more important in longer events and less important in shorter events

Right now I'm having fun with doing a sort of hard tempo, which could be called a longer interval.

In some easy runs, after running 45 minutes at aerobic level, I accelerate until my heart rate goes above 90% of its max and try to keep it like that for 2-4 minutes.

Then I get back to previous pace, but the heart rate will still stay up for a while.

I don't know yet the benefits, but is fun.

What's certain is that I'm getting leaner and I like that.

What exactly is a tempo run? I thought it was a specific pace, but based on the comments here, the pace and duration can vary. If that's so, aren't they considered different types of runs and not necessarily tempo runs?

very confused wrote:

What exactly is a tempo run? I thought it was a specific pace, but based on the comments here, the pace and duration can vary. If that's so, aren't they considered different types of runs and not necessarily tempo runs?

A tempo run is defined as a pace where you are at the lactate threshold intensity. That is at the limit between aerobic and anaerobic.

I think that it generally confusing because of the context.

The lactate threshold can be reached at various paces.

At a linear pace of 8:00/mile and the heart rate at 70% of max heart rate (MHR), you may reach the lactate threshold (85% of MHR) after 60 minutes of running. After that, you can call it tempo.

Another method to reach the lactate threshold is to run fast until you reach 85% of MHR, so you won't have to run 60 minutes.

In a 5k race, you may reach the lactate threshold after half of the distance, unless you start too fast (and you bonk later :)).

very confused wrote:

What exactly is a tempo run? I thought it was a specific pace, but based on the comments here, the pace and duration can vary. If that's so, aren't they considered different types of runs and not necessarily tempo runs?

No. They're all tempo runs.

George Ilie wrote:

Right now I'm having fun with doing a sort of hard tempo, which could be called a longer interval.

In some easy runs, after running 45 minutes at aerobic level, I accelerate until my heart rate goes above 90% of its max and try to keep it like that for 2-4 minutes.

Then I get back to previous pace, but the heart rate will still stay up for a while.

I don't know yet the benefits, but is fun.

What's certain is that I'm getting leaner and I like that.

We don't care.