Is it worth it to do 45 min tempos when the longest I'll be racing this track season is 12 minutes?

I love when a legitimate question gets turned into a pointless debate of semantics.

To answer the original question, in my opinion there is no more important workout in regards to long term development than long tempo runs.

And just for some background because people seem to be asking a lot..

I am a girl, freshmen in college and I'm trying to walk onto the school's track team which is a pretty decent D1 team. The absolute maximum walk on standard is 11:45 in the 3200 so I'm training to try to get that mark.

Did you really just ask that?

\"Oh that sounds reasonable, if I give the creepy 80 year old man, who is probably sitting in his basement masturbating, pictures he will better be able to analyze and help improve my running\"

Please get off the internet.

I don't think that you can call a 45 min run a tempo if you are racing for 12 min(I am assuming the 2 mile?) It would better be described as a faster paced medium run. If you want a real tempo you should be doing more like 20 min tempos. You aren't really capable of running fast enough to call it a tempo if it lasts 45 min. It also won't help you nearly as much as shorter duration would due to the speed. That kind of tempo is more suited to say a college XC or 10,000m runner (male). Good luck.

Whoever supplied this quote from Bakken basically proved what the person he was arguing with was saying. LT pace is pretty close to the pace you could hold for an hour in a race. Marius's pace of 2:53 to 2:54 per k is on pace for a high 60's to low 61 minute half marathon. I doubt he could run too much faster than that, and it sure is awfully close to an hour...

question... wrote:

And just for some background because people seem to be asking a lot..

I am a girl, freshmen in college and I'm trying to walk onto the school's track team which is a pretty decent D1 team. The absolute maximum walk on standard is 11:45 in the 3200 so I'm training to try to get that mark.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't consider that a "decent D1 team" if you can walk on with an 11:45. I run for a D3 team, and my coaches wouldn't let you near the track if that was as fast as you could run. I'm not saying you shouldn't be running - I'm just saying 11:45 does not = decent D1 team.

shrewd observer wrote:

Its going to be more beneficial to do a 20minute tempo run at six minute pace then a 45min. tempo at seven minute pace.

How the hell is she going to do a 20 minute tempo at her 2 mile race pace?

I believe Stephanie Wilson had a PR slower than that when she first started running in college..... And now, top 30 at D1 Nationals and all-american. Never know how these type of runners can develop and a lot of these runners could become pretty good with proper coaching.

shrewd observer wrote:

Its going to be more beneficial to do a 20minute tempo run at six minute pace then a 45min. tempo at seven minute pace.

Mr Mountain wrote:

How the hell is she going to do a 20 minute tempo at her 2 mile race pace?

Not to mention the fact that this guy is telling her that she should do this 20 minute run at 2 mile pace, and then go run 45 minutes at 7 minute pace. What the hell kind of workout is that?

Actually I know some fairly good D1 teams that have walk on standards around that. One has been a top 10 team at NCAAs the last few years. It's a team known for getting these runners and developing them to become a lot faster.

Forget Bakken. Forget pace. If you run about 60min full out, your lactate will be much higher than it will be if you run at LT. You can run at LT about 90-100min with low lactate, NO ACCUMULATION, then you run out of glycogen and your pace will drop drastically. I´m not suggesting that you should run that long LT sessions. And you can go a little bit faster than LT also, in order to use use more FToxidative muscle fibers. Even Bakken did only 40min LT session but with very high frequency (2 LT sessions in a hard day).The common believe about LT as 60min race pace is totally incorrect.

edumacator wrote:

Whoever supplied this quote from Bakken basically proved what the person he was arguing with was saying. LT pace is pretty close to the pace you could hold for an hour in a race. Marius's pace of 2:53 to 2:54 per k is on pace for a high 60's to low 61 minute half marathon. I doubt he could run too much faster than that, and it sure is awfully close to an hour...

Bear of Bad News wrote:

shrewd observer wrote:

Its going to be more beneficial to do a 20minute tempo run at six minute pace then a 45min. tempo at seven minute pace.

Mr Mountain wrote:

How the hell is she going to do a 20 minute tempo at her 2 mile race pace?

Not to mention the fact that this guy is telling her that she should do this 20 minute run at 2 mile pace, and then go run 45 minutes at 7 minute pace. What the hell kind of workout is that?

Ha!!! I missed that.

question..... wrote:

I don't know if it's half marathon pace (never run one) and I run this over hills and other terrain so it's not a flat road. But it is uncomfortably hard but not killer.

Run all your tempos comfortably hard, that's the best way. 40-45 mins or any time span, just gradually pick up the pace until you start to feel tired, then finish with a sprint. Don't use them as a test to see how hard you can push yourself.

name wrote:

rocket science wrote:

If 2.53-54 by kilo would be his pace between his marathon and half marathon distance this would be WR for the 30k and 20miles as well and would take Marius to the marathon WR as well. No way. 2:53-2:54 it looks like his 10k to 15k pace.

No one says that Marius would have been able to run a full marathon at his LT. So you think that it´s more accurate when you assume that Marius, a 13.06 5ker was able to run 10k only about 29.00-28.50?

Yes. 28:26.36 it is the best he did. 2:53-2:54 it is his 10-15k pace either not HM to M pace. Marius is the same pretentious ever.

There is little doubt that Marius could have trained better. There is even less doubt that anyone ever believed in their training more than Marius. I believe, as Marius sell his training to people like name, we will learn just how incredibly much that type of pretentious belief is worth.

784a oa9nsadf wrote:

I believe, as Marius sell his training to people like name, we will learn just how incredibly much that type of pretentious belief is worth.

Hey dumbass, Marius has run 13.06 5k. What is your PR?

He doesn´t sell me anything. My program is not like Bakkens. First, I don´t do any of LT training in the base season compared to Bakkens 4-5 LT sessions weekly. Second, I focus greatly training at aerobic threshold, intensity what Marius calls as "grey zone training". I only put the Bakken quote to back up the real LT intensity.

rocket science wrote:

28:26.36 it is the best he did. 2:53-2:54 it is his 10-15k pace either not HM to M pace. Marius is the same pretentious ever.

Semantics. Marius ran ZERO 10k´s in his prime. Again, you just can´t get the fact that when a top athlete like Bakken was runs 10 to 15k full out, he will accumulate lactate so much that it will be a lot higher than it would be at LT. The real LT can be sustained at least twice as long. Try running a half marathon full out. If you have trained well and finish well under 90min, measure your blood lactate and see it for yourself. Stop making a fool of yourself. It amazes me how stupid posters here are in Letsrun.

Oh shut up. There is no freakin lactate threshold. Glycogen stores are limited so lactate levels can't follow a strict definition of a threshold.