I like tempo runs. In addition to the physiological benefits of steady running at lactate threshold pace (adaptations particularly helpful for half marathon and marathon runners), they always help to remind me that despite how hard the pace feels over one mile, the feeling is not necessarily an indicator of how many miles I’ll be able to run that pace. Nice to run by practical experience, strategy and will, and not feeling alone. These are more fixed parameters. Feelings fluctuate on any given day. For me, this idea has applications in almost all aspects of life.
For those interested, there are a variety of definitions of tempo runs out there, but I tend to go by Pfitzinger’s description in my training: “Lactate threshold training should be run at close to the pace that you could currently race for one hour. For serious marathoners, this is generally 15K to 20K race pace.” My tempo run range right now falls right around my half marathon race pace.
Tags: marathon, Running, tempo runs
