As a novice, I only ever ran tempos. I leveled out at 40min/5mi. Spent some time researching and now I'm at a 45min/10k at 38yo and 195kg. The different workouts and mentors certainly helped me out.
Is not productive: in long runs you train mitochondria to burn fat, but it get exhausted with time entering transition metabolic zone (carbohydrate consumption) without increasing pace. Running faster doesn’t aport any extra benefit and will possibly reduce mitochondria capacity of lactate reuptake because exhaustion. Better run longer if you have an energy remanent.
@@99cya because it is a difficult thing to do, so once its done you feel like you really accomplished something. moreso than a normal zone 2 run for example
got home from work last night and sat around for 2 hours really dreading my 9 mile tempo run that was scheduled. finally mustered up the energy and got it done and was SO happy that I did! so I completely agree with this sentiment!
“Tempo” was a term to describe “race tempo” in marathons. So it is, literally, the marathon pace. It falls in a region between aerobic lactate threshold and anaerobic lactate threshold (LT1 and LT2 for some authors). The difficulty is to estimate LT1, without a field lactate sample (devices are expensive, around 500€). LT2 breaks more abruptly the slope of the max holding time with respect to the speed, so is easier to estimate in various protocols without direct lactate measurements. For the price of a lab test, and taking into account that they are not as trustable as routine field tests, I think is better to go to the lab and measure VO2 max pace, LT2 pace and LT1 pace and heart rates. Is under 100€ and can save some injury risks
Is there any fitness/performance benefit to doing tempo intervals rather than just running the whole thing at tempo pace? I tend to do my monthly half-marathon in zone 3 (according to heart rate reserve) and have no problem just running like that for 2 hours (I do intervals, zone 4 runs and easy long runs as well)
im not an expert, but I think that the only downside, is the extra load on your body/joints when running at tempo for a prolonged time- so the main benefit to doing tempo intervals, is that your body is getting alot of the benefit, but also having a little more recovery time in between. e.g. someone who runs 20km, alternating between 2km easy and 2km hard, will run 10km at tempo, and 10km easy. and I think the recovery period needed after this; is lower than the recovery period after doing 10km easy followed by 10km tempo. SO what's best depends on your training plan, and if you need to be, and how much you'll be running the day after, or 2 days after (busy schedule, and injury prone: it'd likely be better to do the half marathon with 2km tempo, 2km easy alternating). I guess the ultimate goal is to progress without injury in whatever you do. I guess, if you're balancing all of your work outs (Easy, tempo, threshold, anaerobic) correctly (something like the 80:20 rule); then there is no problem with doing your full half marathon at tempo pace, as long as it fits within that 20% ish of the total volume. (and with your exercise load form the weeks before and the plan for the week after (I know for me to run a 21km at tempo pace this week- without accepting a high risk of injury; id need to make sure I only do slow and recovery runs for 1 week or so either side.
@@1991ryanl thanks - that's very helpful. I tend not to run on consecutive days, so I haven't found the recovery to be too much of an issue (I only run on track and grass/trails which I think helps). The only injury issues I have had so far have been from (attempted) sprinting. I tried 80:20 for a few months, but it gave too little time for more enjoyable hard running and my fitness deteriorated, so I moderated it back to something like 60:40 to 70:30 and that has worked much better.
Z2 is for aerobic base. Z4/5 is for lactate metabolism. I view Z3 more for running mechanics / technical efficiency than any specific energy system... it has it's place 🙂
@@MarkkuTikkaFi I like this way of looking at it... zone 3 is mainly useful for practicing a certain race pace - for me i could say upper/middle zone 3 is my half marathon race pace, very high zone 3 is my 10k race pace and lower zone 3 is my marathon race pace. AND this fits, because I bonked in my first marathon when I tried to stick with my training pace which was low zone 3... but in the actual race, My HR was high zone 3 because of the heat etc; and I hit the wall at 30km. im definitely going to listen to my heart rate more in my next race. Zone 3 has all of the answers =P
I’m consistently in zone 4 at quite a comfortable pace.. it may be due to lack of proper breathing. I’m trying to figure out if it’s anatomical or just bad habit. It does feel like I have trouble taking in oxygen through my nose😢
Same, it can also be because of hot weather or simply not being an experienced runner yet. I started running 4 months ago and even at a slow pace my heart rate is in zone 4, so all my runs are threshold/tempo runs lol
You guys do your math to calculate the ideal training and all those fancy super effective excercises and whatever. I just run. Because I like running. :)
It means 6-7 on RPE scale... not heart rate. Although I do agree that 90% (of heart rate) isn't tempo anymore. It's more like 80-85% for most. 90% would be threshold.
@@scratchandwinner Look up RPE scale. It's very effective to moderate intencity once you get used to it. And the answer is that they don't both start from zero and the relationship is not linear. RPE 2-3 is "light activity" or something like 50-60%.
Do you incorporate tempo training into your runs? 🏃
I do, but prefer to mix tempo and intervals on the intensity session of the week. For examples 20 min tempo, suited by 4x1000m or 6-7 90 sec hills
As a novice, I only ever ran tempos. I leveled out at 40min/5mi. Spent some time researching and now I'm at a 45min/10k at 38yo and 195kg. The different workouts and mentors certainly helped me out.
My long runs always turn into tempo/race pace runs when my brother comes along. I'll end up setting a pr in the 5K on a 10K run.
Is not productive: in long runs you train mitochondria to burn fat, but it get exhausted with time entering transition metabolic zone (carbohydrate consumption) without increasing pace.
Running faster doesn’t aport any extra benefit and will possibly reduce mitochondria capacity of lactate reuptake because exhaustion.
Better run longer if you have an energy remanent.
I dread my tempo run every week but its always such a good feeling to get it done. Definitely pay dividends when done reguarly. Thanks for the video
You dread it because it fully exhausts you or cause it hurts a ton?
it's a pleasure to make this video! It's funny how despite dreading it, the feeling of completing it is wonderful!
@@gtn would you say this is a useful session?
4x 800m at max effort
3km, 2km, 1km at tempo, race pace, above race pace
@@99cya because it is a difficult thing to do, so once its done you feel like you really accomplished something. moreso than a normal zone 2 run for example
got home from work last night and sat around for 2 hours really dreading my 9 mile tempo run that was scheduled. finally mustered up the energy and got it done and was SO happy that I did! so I completely agree with this sentiment!
90-94% of LTHR is quite different to 80-90% of max HR - for me the range of the first would be 6BPM and for the second it would be 16BPM.
my 9 mile tempo workout last night was
3 miles easy
3 miles marathon pace (~6:45)
1 mile tempo (~6:20)
2 mile easy
felt so good to get it done!
Is your mp slower than your tempo?
@@DarkPa1adin yeah my paces basically go
Easy: 7:30-8:35 min/mile
MP: 6:30-6:50
Tempo: 6:10-6:30
Interval: 5:50-6:10
Nice one! 🙌
That’s a properly executed tempo run
“Tempo” was a term to describe “race tempo” in marathons.
So it is, literally, the marathon pace. It falls in a region between aerobic lactate threshold and anaerobic lactate threshold (LT1 and LT2 for some authors).
The difficulty is to estimate LT1, without a field lactate sample (devices are expensive, around 500€). LT2 breaks more abruptly the slope of the max holding time with respect to the speed, so is easier to estimate in various protocols without direct lactate measurements.
For the price of a lab test, and taking into account that they are not as trustable as routine field tests, I think is better to go to the lab and measure VO2 max pace, LT2 pace and LT1 pace and heart rates.
Is under 100€ and can save some injury risks
I can’t get out the habit of running tempo runs all the time. I know in my head just do a slow run or fast but as soon as I start it’s let’s go 🙈😩
It’s the most fun in my opinion. Also good psychology too.
Is there any fitness/performance benefit to doing tempo intervals rather than just running the whole thing at tempo pace? I tend to do my monthly half-marathon in zone 3 (according to heart rate reserve) and have no problem just running like that for 2 hours (I do intervals, zone 4 runs and easy long runs as well)
im not an expert, but I think that the only downside, is the extra load on your body/joints when running at tempo for a prolonged time- so the main benefit to doing tempo intervals, is that your body is getting alot of the benefit, but also having a little more recovery time in between.
e.g. someone who runs 20km, alternating between 2km easy and 2km hard, will run 10km at tempo, and 10km easy. and I think the recovery period needed after this; is lower than the recovery period after doing 10km easy followed by 10km tempo.
SO what's best depends on your training plan, and if you need to be, and how much you'll be running the day after, or 2 days after (busy schedule, and injury prone: it'd likely be better to do the half marathon with 2km tempo, 2km easy alternating). I guess the ultimate goal is to progress without injury in whatever you do.
I guess, if you're balancing all of your work outs (Easy, tempo, threshold, anaerobic) correctly (something like the 80:20 rule); then there is no problem with doing your full half marathon at tempo pace, as long as it fits within that 20% ish of the total volume. (and with your exercise load form the weeks before and the plan for the week after (I know for me to run a 21km at tempo pace this week- without accepting a high risk of injury; id need to make sure I only do slow and recovery runs for 1 week or so either side.
@@1991ryanl thanks - that's very helpful. I tend not to run on consecutive days, so I haven't found the recovery to be too much of an issue (I only run on track and grass/trails which I think helps). The only injury issues I have had so far have been from (attempted) sprinting. I tried 80:20 for a few months, but it gave too little time for more enjoyable hard running and my fitness deteriorated, so I moderated it back to something like 60:40 to 70:30 and that has worked much better.
South African
I still don't know what is tempo. Lol
Do i trial 5k at uncomfortably comfortable pace?
Zone 3 at 80-90% of max hr? That's zone 4
depends on training history, training face, genetics etc. for relatively experienced athletes it is zone 3.
That's what I thought. Zone 2 is 60-70, so zone 3 is 70-80, not 80-90. But the advice stands that one session a week of fast, harder exertion is key
Isnt training in zone 3 inefficient because its a master of none and you should stay in zone 2 or 4 to 5 (on short intervals) instead?
Z2 is for aerobic base. Z4/5 is for lactate metabolism. I view Z3 more for running mechanics / technical efficiency than any specific energy system... it has it's place 🙂
@@MarkkuTikkaFi I like this way of looking at it... zone 3 is mainly useful for practicing a certain race pace - for me i could say upper/middle zone 3 is my half marathon race pace, very high zone 3 is my 10k race pace and lower zone 3 is my marathon race pace.
AND this fits, because I bonked in my first marathon when I tried to stick with my training pace which was low zone 3... but in the actual race, My HR was high zone 3 because of the heat etc; and I hit the wall at 30km. im definitely going to listen to my heart rate more in my next race.
Zone 3 has all of the answers =P
My tempo runs consist of running at night listening to MrBallen crime stories 😅.
I’m consistently in zone 4 at quite a comfortable pace.. it may be due to lack of proper breathing. I’m trying to figure out if it’s anatomical or just bad habit. It does feel like I have trouble taking in oxygen through my nose😢
Me too. I can’t get enough air in through my nose, and just feels more comfortable mouth breathing. Though it’s definitely worse performance 😅
Same, it can also be because of hot weather or simply not being an experienced runner yet. I started running 4 months ago and even at a slow pace my heart rate is in zone 4, so all my runs are threshold/tempo runs lol
@@ZombieNinjaTurtle getting a spin bike for zone 2 training has helped a lot.
I was just about to head out for a fartlek. You gave me thinking about what I actually want vs need from today's run.
We hope we made you make the right choice 🙌
Dropping into zone 3 happens all the time during zone 2 runs as soon as a hill comes up. Scheduling zone 3 work is unnecessary.
What’s that in the sky at 2.42? After zooming in, looks like a triangular UFO. It’s not moving at all so can’t be a plane for sure. 😲
Suggest a running Shoes
Are we now moving away from the concept of junk miles?? 🤔
You guys do your math to calculate the ideal training and all those fancy super effective excercises and whatever.
I just run.
Because I like running.
:)
6 or 7 out of 10 is 60 or 70%... Not 90%
It means 6-7 on RPE scale... not heart rate. Although I do agree that 90% (of heart rate) isn't tempo anymore. It's more like 80-85% for most. 90% would be threshold.
@@MarkkuTikkaFi How can you get 80% of max heart rate with a 6 out of 10 effort?.... What would 100% effort produce? 120% heart rate?
@@scratchandwinner Look up RPE scale. It's very effective to moderate intencity once you get used to it. And the answer is that they don't both start from zero and the relationship is not linear. RPE 2-3 is "light activity" or something like 50-60%.
This is the most confusing video I’ve ever watched lolll
What part did you find hard to follow?