summer tempo question

bumparoo

I would communicate with your coach as he might have a specific pace he wants you to hit, but I think that what you are doing now sounds very solid for where you are at.

I've always favored "snowball" runs , decrease each mile by 10 sec. Like a snowball rolling down the hill, gets bigger, more energy,finish fast strong.

3 miles at 7:00, the tempo,3 miles @ 7:00 = 10 miles

5:35-5:25-5:15-5:05

For shorter tempos that is fine. If you want to increase your aerobic endurance do 5-8 miles at maybe 5:30s to 5:45s. Just do what feels comfortable. They are not races or race simulations...just runs that are supposed to increase you aerobic capacity. Don't get caught in the trap of racing them. If you can get to the point where you are doing a weekly 8 miler at 5:30-5:45 and it is not too taxing and you still get in a track/interval workout...then you should be ready to roll.

I basically second what others have said. When I was running close to 25:00 for 8k xc, I ran 4-5 mile tempos over the summer. I was rarely under 5:20/mile but rarely over 5:35 unless it was a trail tempo. The key is feeling comfortable and strong while maintaining a fast clip. I think to really improve your aerobic capacity, you want to go slightly slower for slightly longer, like 6-8 miles around 5:40 like another poster mentioned. Personally, I recommend doing these kinds of workouts when you're feeling GOOD, like after a recovery day, bearing in mind good nutrition, hydration and sleep. If you're painting houses 40 hours per week AND training, cut the distance and intensity of tempos by 10-20%. DO NOT RACE YOUR TEMPO RUN.

So basically what you're saying is don't force the pace? I try to keep it a threshold-type effort throughout (keeping the HR around 85% and finishing the last .25mi at 90%).

I do work 40+ hrs a week but I have been very careful about recovery, nutrition, sleep, etc. Also, I sometimes do the tempos on a treadmill if it is extremely hot outside after work, which may or may not be significant.

My other weekly workout is a cruise-interval session (ie 5 x mile @ 5:20 --> 5:10 pace or 8-10 x 1000m @ 3:20 --> 3:10).

Do you think I have a solid plan going? Any tips/modifications?

Slow it down to 5:40. 5:35 at the fastest. And extend it up to 6-7 miles 1 mile at a time. You will do plenty of 5:20 pace tempo work during the season.

My collegiate times were a bit slower than yours at the same time (25:40 8K/15:30s 5k/4:00 1500m), but I have some advice for you...

Trust me when I tell you: Less is more at this point in the season. Scrap the intervals (mile repeats, Ks, etc.) I used to do the same things and ended up washed out/tired by the end of October when you should be peaking.

At this point, you should be running miles. For strength, run a progression (snowball) run 1xc a week as an earlier poster mentioned, start at 5:40 pace and work down to 5:10.

As an alternate to change things up, you also might try finishing an hour run with a mile at the end of the run at race pace on the track (sub-5:00 mile) as relaxed as possible, then finish with some striders/speed drills to keep your leg turnover.

tempoman wrote:

So basically what you're saying is don't force the pace?

You are seriously considering some of these chums? Ask your coach if you should be running faster.

My personal opinion is that the 4 mile should be the short tempo run of the week, and that you should have a second tempo run at 8 or 10 miles at 5:30 pace or quicker.

I love these "go by feel" proponents on here. I guess I do go by feel on my tempo runs... the feeling of as fast as I can.

How can I expect to improve if I don't push myself. "Oh, I'll only go 70 or 80% of what I am capable of." Stupid.

lol

for what it is worth, I ran 14.38 for 5km and was doing 10 mile "tempo's" once a week in 56/58 mins. I did this for 12 weeks, I then decided to give a 10 mile race ago and ran 50.42.

Don't hammer them, be in control, plus they will naturally start to hurt towards end, as its time on your feet.

I was also running 14/16 miles on Sunday @ 6.30/7 min miling.

Good luck.

I honestly cannot tell if you're serious or not... please clarify.

Yes, race your strength-building summer runs because that has worked out so well for athletes looking to peak October and November. Brilliant.

Try the McMillan pace calculator. I think you'll do well with that. Given your PR's, I think you're probably capable of running a 15:20 or faster 5k if you can do tempos in 5:15 pace.

Like others have said, try going a little longer at a bit slower of a pace. There was a great post earlier that said not to race tempos, and that's really important for you to remember.

Can you run 40 minutes at 5:40 pace? (that would put your 10k in the mid to low 35's). Maybe pick it up the last 5 minutes/ last mile and drop a bit, but overall, i think if you can do that, you'll come into your season with some confidence and be ready to roll!

I used the Mcmillan calculator to originally decide what pace to do my tempos/cruise intervals. I entered my 8k PR and it told me to do tempo runs at ~5:20 pace (which is what my tempos average out to) and my cruise intervals at ~5:15 (which is what my repeats average out to). Is the calculator wrong/am I still doing them too hard?

tempoman wrote:

I used the Mcmillan calculator to originally decide what pace to do my tempos/cruise intervals. I entered my 8k PR and it told me to do tempo runs at ~5:20 pace (which is what my tempos average out to) and my cruise intervals at ~5:15 (which is what my repeats average out to). Is the calculator wrong/am I still doing them too hard?

The tempo pace for those calculators is based on your "current" fitness, not your PR time. Could you go out today and run a PR?

Put in what you would realistically run today for a 5k. If you're not sure, go run a local one. That is the baseline for your tempo pace. With Tempo I always feel a little to easy is better than a little too hard.