Please help me with a Max HR question

or at least what it should be for most of it, since the very beginning of the workout will probably be lower, and the very end higher

85-90% if it pure AT run. This is roughly your 10K pace plus 15-20 seconds per mile.

roughly 92% if you are doing a time trial. I used to run my 10K for 3 miles.

By definition, tempo runs should be comfortably hard and run at your 10 mile to half marathon race pace. If you don't know what that is, you can use a race converter chart to give you a pace based on shorter, or longer, recent races, or you can run a test 5KM run and convert it.

Generally your max HR would be in the low 80's to 90 range during the tempo segment of the run. Tempo runs are for building Lactate Threshold, not VO2 Max, so they aren't run faster. Use your HR monitor, but if you are getting exhausted, you are going too fast.

3 miles is a bit shorter than most people go for a tempo run. Why that number? If your normal tempo distance seems too hard at first, break it down into a couple of (two mile?) cruise intervals with a 1/4 to 1/2 mile slow run in between.

G wrote:

By definition, tempo runs should be comfortably hard and run at your 10 mile to half marathon race pace.

By definition huh? Who says?

G wrote:

3 miles is a bit shorter than most people go for a tempo run. Why that number?

That's just the distance of the course that I like to run. I don't feel like doing a long run, I'd rather just push a shorter 3 mile run hard.

Maybe tempo isn't the right word for it. I'm looking for a good hard 3 mile workout that will help improve my 5k time

In RUN FASTER, Brad Hudson talks about tempo runs as essentially aerobic support for races. The idea of multi-pace training is that you want to train at five race-specific paces (in addition to base and recovery): race pace (obviously); one notch faster (you'll be running at least some of the race at a faster pace in order to put on surges and navigate hills); two notches faster (your finishing kick and hard surges); one notch slower (aerobic support; "coasting" a bit below race before picking it back up), and two notches slower (for strength).

Think about tempo runs as those two slower paces. For 5K, one tempo pace is 10K pace; slower tempo pace is half marathon and even marathon pace.

3-4 miles at 10K pace is a good workout for you (3 if you run more slowly, like my 6:40 pace; 4 if you run 5:00 pace).

5-6 miles at HM (starting a little slower than that and picking it up) would also be a good tempo workout.

Good point "wellnow". I got locked into what i do, so I went back to see how some experts define tempo speed:

Some like Phitzinger agree with me: 10 mile to HM race pace.

Some like Higdon say 10KM pace.

Others say 10KM to HM pace (10 mile race pace?).

If you are only running 3 miles and training for 10KM or even a HM, I'd say do it at 10KM pace. I go further and like to start with 4 miles at tempo pace and work up to 8 miles, so I run them a bit slower.

To each their own.

thanks for the info, but what does that mean about HR? 85% ?

G wrote:

Good point "wellnow". I got locked into what i do, so I went back to see how some experts define tempo speed:

Some like Phitzinger agree with me: 10 mile to HM race pace.

Some like Higdon say 10KM pace.

Others say 10KM to HM pace (10 mile race pace?).

If you are only running 3 miles and training for 10KM or even a HM, I'd say do it at 10KM pace. I go further and like to start with 4 miles at tempo pace and work up to 8 miles, so I run them a bit slower.

To each their own.

A tempo run can be any pace, any distance.

leche wrote:

thanks for the info, but what does that mean about HR? 85% ?

85% is just below marathon pace, a good pace to start many tempo runs, after a good warm up. As the run progresses, you might feel like increasing the pace. If you start fast and fade, you have failed in the task by trying too hard.

It's summer time, your hr will be all over the place.

Any pace and any distance? Well usually, by most descriptions, it's between 20 minutes to an hour, at around 85% to 80% Max HR, respectively (or around 15K to half-marathon pace), with longer workouts being slower.But I always think of tempo as a synonym for rhythm. You know you're doing it right when you get into a good rhythm.

wellnow wrote:

A tempo run can be any pace, any distance.

Well Now" wrote "A tempo run can be any pace, any distance."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. i.e. every run is a tempo run even if it's a walk. Makes sense. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Argh!~~~having a heart attack from laughing too hard.

We are all part of the cosmic oneness. Everything is the same! Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Yer kinda missin the point there man.

My tempo runs range from about ten minutes at about 5k intensity to two hours at close to marathon intensity.