Tempo runs (or cruise runs, lactate threshold development runs, anaerobic threshold runs, sustained runs, Dartmouth runs; there are many, many names for these) are crucial elements of a runner's overall training. Coaches from Daniels to Benson, Vigil to Galloway, Simmons to Wetmore, all espouse the value of continuous runs that are done at a pace you can sustain for 20-30 minutes. These are runs that get you a lot of "bang for your buck", as you can get a lot of improvement without having to do a lot of stretching, strides, speed. Just a simple run at this "comfortably hard" pace really kick starts a lot of systems in your body that let you run really fast when it counts.
We have done these before in the past, but I want to explain the reasoning behind them from a physiological point of view. I'll start at the beginning. The reason we train full-time is to teach our heart, our lungs, our muscles, our circulatory system; how to operate under conditions when our brain tells us we need to run wicked fast. When we run wicked fast, our heart beats faster, more blood is moved throughout our body, we breathe faster and harder; everything, including our rate of movement, speeds up. We need to teach our body to handle all of those things.
When our system speeds up, it consumes fuel (oxygen and food) and creates waste (lactic acid). This waste is what causes the "burn" to occur in our muscles when we are running fast. (Or when we use up all our fuel, we feel the dreaded "bonk.") The best athletes in the world (Phelps, Armstrong, Seppala) have trained their internal systems in such a way so they use fuel very efficiently and they can get rid of all the waste before it affects them negatively.
So, all the intervals, all the long runs, all the stretching, everything we do in training is designed to help our bodies become better at efficiently using fuel and getting rid of lactic acid. Simple, huh? :)
Where do tempo runs come in to all of this? Well, everyone has a point where you body goes from running aerobically to running anaerobically. In other words, there is a speed, (called your anaerobic threshold, or AT), and once you get faster than that speed, your body goes from being able to get rid of the waste before you feel it (aerobic), to getting overwhelmed by all the waste and it builds up to painful proportions(anaerobic). Now remember, this speed is different for everyone. The best athletes in the state of Colorado, this speed might be 5 minute miles. They can run miles at 5:05 pace without ever feeling the lactic acid burn. But once they run 4:55 miles, they start to feel that burn. In other runners who are just beginning, that pace might be 10:00 miles. Same concepts apply. That beginner runner could run 11:00 miles for a long time, but once they dip into 9:30 miles, they are hurting.
What tempo runs do, is they help you move that speed to faster times. Running tempo runs at a speed just below your AT speed allows your body to learn to get rid of waste faster and to use fuel better. Over time, your anaerobic threshold speed goes from 6 minute mile pace to 5:45 pace. The to 5:30 pace. Once you have achieved a faster AT speed, you can do you intervals at a faster pace. And we all know what faster intervals mean, faster race times. And that's the ultimate goal, isn't it? The secret is not doing your tempo runs at a pace faster than your AT pace. That's a mistake I have seen lots and lots of runners make. Patience is the key, you can't force or rush things.
So, on Saturday, I want all of the athletes reading this to do a 20-25 minute tempo run at your AT pace. Warm-up for 15 minutes or so with some easy jogging, then run 20-25 minutes at your anaerobic threshold pace, a pace that is comfortably hard. AT pace is similar to what we do on Texas Run days, of which the last one was when we ran around the tennis courts on that Saturday twoweeks ago. Another way to look at it is this is a pace you could race at for 45-50 minutes. But, only go for 20-25 minutes. Then, 15 minutes of easy jogging cool down, some stretching, and you are done. Remember, don't go faster, go about 85% of your race pace. Run on soft surfaces, grass, dirt, trails, and try to stay off the pavement. By doing these types of work-outs regularly, we can get into faster intervals sooner in the season.
So, run smart, run alert, run with great form, and listen to your body. Remember, patience is key, just run at your pace and the benefits will come! See you Thursday night, then see you Tuesday morning!
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