How fast do elite college guys run their tempo runs?

Too many people on this board take things too literally. The OP wasn't asking how to run like the elite college guys, he asked how fast they run their tempo runs. Pretty simple, I never got the idea that he was going to start running 4:44 pace once a week in hopes of cracking 14 this spring?

I do find it amusing how often we (the collective letsrun crowd) debate the proper "pace" for easy running. I tend to agree with both points on this thread. While easy runs must be done somewhat by feel, it is all too common to jog them day after day until the diminishing rewards flatline. At some point, I have learned that pushing those runs (if even in a progression style) helps retain higher rewards. And I gurrantee the top college guys do not jog those easy runs, but then again they are younger, so it begs the question of what sub-6 pace does to a body for over a decade.

At ok state 4 mile tempos on the track are run at around 4:50 pace and 10 mile tempos over very hilly terrain are around 5:10 pace. Tempos aren't meant to be all-out

Guts churning but legs not burning. There is a reason its called lactate threshold. You should feel good at first, but begin to struggle as the run progresses. Focus on form, relaxation, and pushing the pace. It all depends on your current fitness level. Don't rely on your watch you monkey, listen to your body.

I have a friend who's just dipped under 14 and mid 29 and I know in cross for his 20 min threshold runs he usually is around 510 pace. that is at altitude in colorado though, so adjust however

Like someone said this was more about curiosity than anything. I know how a tempo run is supposed to feel, I know how easy runs are supposed to feel. I wasnt looking for coaching advice just info on my original post. Thanks to everyone who has posted so far theres been some pretty sweet stuff posted!

I trained with a couple sub 13:40 guys in college and Id say that their tempos were more like 6-8 miles starting at 5:10 and cutting down to 4:50ish.

Id say if they added a few miles to those tempos their range would have been 5:10 cutting down to 4:50ish still.

I knew a guy who ran sub 13:40 and he did 6 mile tempos in 4:55-5:00 pace for the the first 5 and would go 4:25 on the sixth. That was when he was in the best shape of his life.

We had a sub 4 guy when I was in college who was an All-American in indoor and outdoor. I don't remember what he was doing before he broke 4, but I lived near him the summer before the year before he broke 4, and he was regularly doing 4-8 mile tempos on a flat paved trail with each quarter mile marked, and he would usually start between 5:30 and 5:15 and end up around 5:05-4:55ish. Not sure what he was doing the summer before he broke 4. During XC we didn't run many tempos, but did a lot of cruise mile intervals faster than tempo but slower than 5k pace, with 1-3 minutes rest, and he would usually do those in 4:40 pace for an average.

Seems that the typical range is slightly under 5 to 5:10 pace. While we are on the training subject what would you guys say is the typical mileage for those runners you guys have described?

5-6 mile tempos 5:00-4:50 pace. 8-10 mile tempos 5:20-5:00. Mileage would be 80-110 mpw depending on the person.

90-120

I can give you info for a 13:40 runner:

The main "tempo" is a 13-15-mile progression run, starting at 6:30 pace, dropping 10 secs/mile until 5-minute pace, then running the last few in sub 5 with a 4:40 close.

really?????? wrote:

so he ran a 23:20 5 mile for his tempos? he was probably a sub 23:00 guy on xc terrain.... that seems a bit fast unless he was an absolute stud

absolute stud

i'm not an elite collegiate runner (24:30 in the 8k), but i get down to 5:00's for 6 mile tempos

You ran too fast

I love how slow, fat guys on this site try to act like they run so fast and sh#t anytime someone posts a PR or training time. Most of you guys are probably the 7-8 min/mile joggers I see around town and at the gym. Get off your laptops and go for a run sometime instead of just talking trash to the real athletes who come on here looking for advice.

I ran for one of the aforementioned schools for two years, and guys would get down to 4:50-4:40 for 4 mile tempo runs, and one of the 10-mile runs would end up being 48 minutes, but only two or three guys would finish that quickly. Fastest goals given were always 4:40 for the 4-mile and 5:00 for the 10-mile; guys would just get excited.

Again, these were the fastest times that people would post, that they'd do maybe once or twice the entire year, and most of the tempo runs would be gradually spent working up to that pace.

Sub 3:40/13:50 15/5k guy and recently finished a tempo at 6M at 5:05 avg. I've never been great at tempos, but I would imagine that most elite D1 guys at a level above me could easily manage 5 or 6 miles at 4:50-4:55 pace for a LT run.

runnindude wrote:

Seems that the typical range is slightly under 5 to 5:10 pace. While we are on the training subject what would you guys say is the typical mileage for those runners you guys have described?

The guy I was referencing started at ~30 mpw in high school and basically just added 10 mpw each year, so 100-110 the summer before his 5th year of college.