LT Runs Steady vs. broken

Not everyone has the exact same feeling to a workout. Not everyone feels fresher after a continuous LT run like a daniels 20 min tempo. It could be the athletes preference, or something else.

I find the steady tempo run much harder than the cruise intervals and will feel worse the next day too. I still program them into my plans because I think they have a mental benefit but I much prefer the intervals.

Adifan wrote:

I find the steady tempo run much harder than the cruise intervals and will feel worse the next day too. I still program them into my plans because I think they have a mental benefit but I much prefer the intervals.

i agree. i haven´ t done continous tempo runs at lt pace for a longer while due to more speed work oriented training and i have to confess now that my stamina and my mindset to run hard for an extended period of time is not at a proper level.

my first 20 min lt run was a disaster but it´ s getting better again.

I think they both have a place IMHO. You can get more volume in running cruise intervals. I think this is really helpful for HM training where you need to get somewhat comfortable covering 7-8 miles @ LT in a session which is clearly not really feasible as a continuous LT run as you are basically in all-out effort at that point.

At the same time, there is something to be said for sustaining LT pace continuously. It makes you mentally tougher and teaches you to get comfortable and turn off your brain at that pace.

This week I did cruise intervals (5 x mile) and 4 mile LT run with 2 easy days in between. Felt like the best of both worlds.

FT types find the cruise intervals easier than the continuous run.

Cruise intervals let you accomplish more time at T pace and steady 20-minute T runs accomplish more mental toughness, so both should be part of the program

Alfie wrote:

FT types find the cruise intervals easier than the continuous run.

This.

OP are you running the same pace for your CI sessions as you do for threshold or do you end up going faster since you are taking breaks.

For my athletes in cross, CV stuff (3-5 min at just faster than threshold) makes up the bulk of our threshold type training early season simply because we can’t do continuous tempo at 95+ degree temps.

I've heard Steve Magness talk about this on his podcast. He said that physiologically 1 minute jog separating intervals of 8-10 min at threshold doesn't make any noticeable difference, your HR and lactate level and such barely recover. But mentally it could mean a lot, and thanks to that one might find, say, 4x8' w/1' jog easier than 20-25' tempo while spending more time in the zone.

Another variation for more strength is alternating 800's or 1k's @ threshold pace with a steady/moderate pace recovery.

For example - 7 miles of 1/2 mile @ 5:00 pace, 1/2 mile @ 6:00 pace.

You could start off by doing this for 4-5 miles and work up to 8 miles.

I had much success in my 1/2 marathon training with this. It allowed me to get a good amount of time at 1/2 marathon pace while feeling like I could keep going and mentally handle a longer distance in training. I also noticed a considerable boost in fitness compared to 5-6 miles of threshold with short rest in between.

Well you pretty much hit the nail on the head. You can get a higher volume out of cruise intervals than a steady state, which leads to a greater improvement of course.

Broken tempo runs are great for that purpose: Threshold work. In my opinion, athletes from 5k-Marathon will benefit more from marathon paced tempos and doing their traditional threshold work in intervals.

I think threshold tempos have fallen out of popularity recently because it’s much easier for most to do cruise intervals. LT tempos are great mental strength builders however. Executed properly they can be a great confidence boost. For an athlete trying to break 4 minute mile, there’s probably no better confidence boost than a 4 mile tempo in under 20 minutes.

You might be a more strength based runner. What are your PRs from 400 to 10k? Which side is weaker?

FormerPro wrote:

Another variation for more strength is alternating 800's or 1k's @ threshold pace with a steady/moderate pace recovery.

For example - 7 miles of 1/2 mile @ 5:00 pace, 1/2 mile @ 6:00 pace.

You could start off by doing this for 4-5 miles and work up to 8 miles.

I had much success in my 1/2 marathon training with this. It allowed me to get a good amount of time at 1/2 marathon pace while feeling like I could keep going and mentally handle a longer distance in training. I also noticed a considerable boost in fitness compared to 5-6 miles of threshold with short rest in between.

This is an interesting alternative that doesn't get discussed as much. I think a lot of times we talk about 4 mile tempo vs 5-6 x mile with 1 minute rest. But I believe Malmo has said that 5 minutes fast/ 5 minutes moderate was his favorite HM workout.

Seems valuable, even if just as a way to provide variety in training.

Did you find it difficult to get the paces right? Did you do it on a track or measured course? I feel like this would be a great treadmill workout because you could just dial in the paces.