"I used it just as a workout"

old timer. wrote:

precisely - if people want to do a tempo run or find out what shape they are in do a timetrial. If you enter a race no crappy excuses just run your guts out.

The reality is that plenty of people -- myself included -- sometimes run races just as workouts and dont' really try all out. Just doing it is fine. It's the talking about it that way afterwards that is kind of rude, I guess.

sometimes the race is just a workout.

sometimes the race is just a run.

sometimes a race is run just to participate in a race series - i.e., score points.

sometimes the workout (e.g., the long run in marathon training) the next day is more important than the race, so a moderate effort is called for, not a true race effort.

why let other people annoy you so easily?

truth will out wrote:

Most of the guys who claim "tempo" say that only when they run like crap.

"tempo, injured, etc." are only valid if you bring it up before the race. funny how most of these guys don't say a peep beforehand.

Just a quick question....

Who are these guys, and when do they say this?

Are these friends of yours? Why would they come out before a race and say something to you about taking the race easy?

I just won a 10K by almost 2 minutes. Yes I ran it as a workout. I am just coming back to training and knew I could not run a decent time....what else would I have gained from going all-out except ruining my long run the next day??

I did finish fast for the crowd and race organizers though. It may have been a workout but I wasn't going to advertise that to anyone behind me by lolly-gagging it across the line.

I ran the LA marathon as a tempo run workout. A friend got injured the week before the race and he could not find anyone who wanted the number so the Thurs before the race, he asked if I wanted to run. I was planning a 22 mile run anyway. The day before the race, I ran 10 miles. I wore my regular training shoes, avoided the long port-o-john lines at the start and used a porty at the 5 mile mark (60 secs...). I didn't drink any fluids for the first 10 miles but started taking fluids after that.

It was a great tempo run and I got to get mile splits along the way. I did plan on stepping off the course at 22 miles but I was hitting 6 min pace every mile so kept going to the finish...I did crash at 23 miles and crawled in at 7:30/45 pace....

Fortunately, I avoided the shooting at the meeting area but it made it difficult finding my ride home....

truth will out wrote:

Most of the guys who claim "tempo" say that only when they run like crap.

"tempo, injured, etc." are only valid if you bring it up before the race. funny how most of these guys don't say a peep beforehand.

Exactly! There's this dude in DC that runs a ton of races and is always injured. Whenever he runs a time that is not up to his standards, he calls it a tempo run. In order for it to be a tempo run, he would have to be able to race much faster, but he has never demonstrated that.

annoyedddd wrote:

Man, I hate when people say that after a race. Its like an excuse to run like a wimp! Why would one pay the entry fee to simply "tempo" a race. I can understand running a race just for the sheer pleasure but, not use that as a way to hide your

fears of racing and getting beat.

sorry i had to let that out after listening to some runners today...

Sometimes one has to do a race as an experiment or a substitute workout, and if it all works out well the time and money is well spent.

For example, I often have some new shoes or stride routine or mental exercise I want to try out in a real environment, but I'd be too scared to try them out in a key race...and if DID try them out in a really important race, my unease would throw off the results, so the test wouldn't be meaningful. (Maybe I worry too much.)

Tennis Fan wrote:

Exactly! There's this dude in DC that runs a ton of races and is always injured. Whenever he runs a time that is not up to his standards, he calls it a tempo run. In order for it to be a tempo run, he would have to be able to race much faster, but he has never demonstrated that.

When do these people say this?

You keep talking about these stories, but I have never been to a race where people talk out loud about this stuff...

Are these people running partners of yours?

When do they say these things? Where?

Alot of guys say that..It dosen't bother me, but everyone knows runners say this and if you are a coach, you hear it all the time!!

My favorite from a kid who underperformed alot and did well alot..was on the underperforming days:

I just "shut it down"

Man, that would drive me crazy.."I was having a bad day so i decided to shut it down.

Yep, running partners/friends. They tell people after races or post it in their race report/blog...or should I say "tempo report"

I'm surprised you've never heard anyone say that before. If I had a dollar for every time I heard "it's just a workout" or "it was at tempo pace" or "I haven't done any speedwork".....

I guess I just call people out on it if I hear it.

"What do you mean it was a tempo, we talked about it as a race yesterday, you puss."

I don't really hear it that often though, to be honest. I don't race a lot anyway, so I guess I might if I raced all the time.

guys will say this after the race is over and usually only when you beat them. this is the same cop out as "I let you win" or "I let you beat me".

for "tempo" to be valid - it needs to be announced beforehand and myracedayphoto.com can't show you mid kick with a grimace on your face, leaning at the finish.

I do road races as tempo workouts all the time. My training group gets asked to do races in the area pretty regularly, and not all of them can be done as all-out efforts. So many times we'll do them as simply hard but controlled tempo runs. And we usually take the first few places in these races. I'll generally only mention that it's a workout if I'm asked, but that's exactly what it is. And sometimes, I'll run with a slower friend and try to set a pace (tempo pace for me) to help them hit a time. Where's the harm in that? Now if someone gets worked over in a race and starts using it as an excuse when it was obvious that they were trying race, that could be annoying. But most of the time when I hear people say this, they're just being honest.

There is a local girl who runs for the Buffalo Chips who ALWAYS does that. She even ran the Olympic Trials and said she was just doing it as a workout. I think she's said that evey race she's ever run. It's quite the joke in town. And, it's very annoying.

truth will out wrote:

for "tempo" to be valid - it needs to be announced beforehand and myracedayphoto.com can't show you mid kick with a grimace on your face, leaning at the finish.

Thats right. Because if there is not an "Offical Tempo Announcement" (tm) beforehand, the tempo police (i.e. "truth will out") will disallow the statement and not record your race as such in their race books. This could have serious consequences to your racing legacy so beware.

truth will out wrote:

for "tempo" to be valid - it needs to be announced beforehand

In writing too? There could be serious post-race discrepancies if the announcement is not formalized in a writing.

Anyway, do we have an agreed definition of "tempo"?

Tennis Fan wrote:

truth will out wrote:

Most of the guys who claim "tempo" say that only when they run like crap.

"tempo, injured, etc." are only valid if you bring it up before the race. funny how most of these guys don't say a peep beforehand.

Exactly! There's this dude in DC that runs a ton of races and is always injured. Whenever he runs a time that is not up to his standards, he calls it a tempo run. In order for it to be a tempo run, he would have to be able to race much faster, but he has never demonstrated that.

NAME NAMES! Are you referring to the legend that is Ted?

I can somewhat agree with both sides. I usually always put forth an honest effort at every race I enter, it just depends on what my mileage was during race week that will dictate my relative performance.

I never boast about my mileage or how I didn't taper, especially if I win or am near the front. If someone comments that I ran "fast", I thank them and usually say I am happy with the effort.

Where I usually hear this comment from are triathletes who claim to be "working out at there tri pace." What I want to say to them is this, "if you focused all of your training on running for one solid year and came back to this race next year, then you'd maybe shave what, a few ticks off of your fairly average time to begin with." Then what would they say, I've wondered. Ah, but the answer lies within, that is why they started doing tris in the first place! (Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a hater, but most triathletes I meet fit the mold of many a stereotype described on this board.)

I'm generally not a fan of running races as a "tempo" run myself, but know a number of people who plan these in advance and then try to stick to the plan. I don't think I could hold back with a number on my chest and other runners around me. The only time I've ever done this, I asked a buddy if he wanted a rabbit for the first half of his 5k, then I ran the second half at about my 5k pace (roughly 1:15 faster). That meant I COULDN'T screw up and run harder than planned.

Any other time I raced shitty (it's happened...), it's because I ran shitty. :-)