tempo runs - how long?

Tempo is a poorly defined training term in the world of running, it can mean a lot of different things. I consider any hard, continuous efforts a tempo run, so 20 minutes run hard is a tempo, and 16 miles at marathon pace is a type of tempo too.

Most people will tell you they consider a tempo run is a run of 25-60 minutes run at a hard but not break neck pace.

The effort for marathon tempos is not hard; it's moderate. As a rough guideline: half marathon pace for shorter tempos (3-4 miles), marathon pace for longer tempos (6-12 miles), MP + 20-30s for longer tempos (14-22 miles).

taaaangy wrote:

The effort for marathon tempos is not hard; it's moderate. As a rough guideline: half marathon pace for shorter tempos (3-4 miles), marathon pace for longer tempos (6-12 miles), MP + 20-30s for longer tempos (14-22 miles).

Seems slow to me. Is there any sort of consensus on this?

taaaangy wrote:

The effort for marathon tempos is not hard; it's moderate. As a rough guideline: half marathon pace for shorter tempos (3-4 miles), marathon pace for longer tempos (6-12 miles), MP + 20-30s for longer tempos (14-22 miles).

Brent. wrote:

Seems slow to me. Is there any sort of consensus on this?

Better to err on the slow side than on the fast side.

Everyone's definition of tempo is different. In marathon training I try to have 3 different paces. The shorter the distance, the faster the pace. My tempo runs are four miles and I run as fast as I can (for me this is about 1 minute faster than marathon goal). Then I have a pace for runs which are 8 to 12 miles and this will be marathon pace. My last pace is the long easy pace which I use for days which I'm not feeling well or the weekly long run. For me: 4 miles at 6:30 pace, 10 miles at 7:25 pace, Long runs 8:30 pace. Be careful not to run more than 1 tempo run and 1 intermediate run per week unless you are in very good shape. Your body needs recovery runs.

Look in Daniels' chapter on T training. He has a modified Tempo run chart for longer times/distances.

If you are running your tempo runs correctly you shouldn't need much recovery time. The effort should be moderate regardless of distance. Of course, the shorter the distance the faster the pace but it should not be a 'hard' effort.

For a short, 20 minute tempo, shoot for about 25 - 35 seconds slower than 5k pace. If you want to go for an hour, add about 20 seconds per mile or so. You should feel good when your run is over, not beat up and tired.

That is how I define it anyway.

Maybe my question is "is it 'better' to do the longer/slower tempo runs, or the faster 20 minutes runs which seem to be Daniels' preference?"

20 minutes just doesn't seem very long to create a training effect, especially when everyone else seems to be doing their one hour+ tempos.

T - two months wrote:

Maybe my question is "is it 'better' to do the longer/slower tempo runs, or the faster 20 minutes runs which seem to be Daniels' preference?"

20 minutes just doesn't seem very long to create a training effect, especially when everyone else seems to be doing their one hour+ tempos.

What is your goal? A marathon, right? You should be aiming for more of the longer Marathon paced tempo runs. This is called specificity of training. That does not mean completely avoid or ignore other types of training (hills, short sprints, VO2max intervals, shorter tempos, etc). But your goal is the Marathon. The primary focus of your training should be to get you ready for what you're going to feel in the marathon.

depends on the event that you are aiming for. For the marathon, I think that you can skip Tempos below 30 minutes, and focus instead in the 30-60 range.

If you are training for a 10 k, then a 20 minutes tempo becomes crucial.

Don't think run