What are the benefits of a tempo run?

What is a tempo run?

Bascially, “a tempo run is a sustained effort run that builds up your body’s ability to run faster for longer periods of time, no matter if you’re training for a 5k or a marathon” . 

(Helming, 2021)

Tempo runs increase your anaerobic threshold, so our bodies adapt to performing at higher intensities comfortably (Nike, 2022). Higher Intensities could take the form as a longer distance or a faster pace.

If you want to read about how to run a tempo run, head our article on How do I do a Tempo run?

Benefits of a tempo run 

Including a few tempo runs in your weekly training plan adds many benefits to your running performance and fitness levels. It is important for all runners as it allows the body to run at faster speeds before we get tired or lactic acid takes over. A few of the benefits include:

Improve Lactate Clearance

A tempo run improves lactate clearance as it purposely spikes lactic acid production so our body gets more effective at clearing it (Nike, 2022). 

Lactic acid is a metabolic byproduct created when you train in the anaerobic heart rate zone. Anaerobic means without oxygen and can be contrasted with aerobic running. At 80% or more of your heart rate max (HRM), you switch energy systems, meaning you need energy faster than the rate at which you can deliver oxygen.

The higher the intensity — i.e. the closer to your anaerobic threshold — the more lactic acid is produced in your muscles. This is then broken down into lactate, and released into your bloodstream.

You cannot sustain anaerobic energy production for long — usually one to three minutes but high levels of lactic acid can accumulate. Lactic acid is not bad for us as it helps our bodies produce energy when we do not have enough oxygen in our muscles. It’s a necessary byproduct. However, too much lactic acid buildup can be detrimental to our performance.

Lactic acid can slow down energy production and causes a soreness and burning sensation in our muscles. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s our bodies way of regulating exertion. So the fitter we are, the more efficiently lactate can clear. How to make our bodies more efficient at clearing lactate? Lactate clearance training which tempo runs are. 

By improving your ability to clear or tolerate lactate as it’s increasingly produced, it allows us to sustain a faster pace for longer (Magness, 2011). 

Improve speed and/or distance

The goal of the tempo run is to push your body to run harder and faster for longer periods of time, says Molly Armesto, a running coach and founder of All About Marathon Training (Lindberg, 2020). This is why it is important to become better at efficiently clearing lactate. 

Tempo runs are all about the pace. You want to maintain a comfortably hard speed, whilst staying in control of your breathing. Your body will soon adapt and be able to  run faster over time (Jesner, 2022). 

Improve cardio

Poor cardiovascular fitness means that your heart has to work hard to transport oxygen to your muscles during exercise. As a result, your heart rate increases quickly to sustain the oxygen requirements. The faster your heart rate gets, the more you move away from your aerobic threshold and nearer to your anaerobic threshold (Nike, 2022).

As mentioned, you cannot sustain 80 percent of your maximum heart heart for long, so you’ll stop. This is why you might be struggling to run long distances. Your cardiovascular system is not used to working at this intensity during a workout. For runners, incorporating a tempo workout into your 12 week half marathon training plan, for example, can quickly develop cardiovascular fitness (Nike, 2022).

Improve mental endurance

Tempo runs are a fantastic tool to build mental toughness, due to having to do these workouts at a pace that could be more difficult than you are used to (Lindberg, 2022).

We do not want there to be any doubt in our mind that we should not be going at this pace, tempo runs give us a tester to what our pace may feel like on the day and it prepares us, so there are no big surprises when we aim for that goal time (Helming, 2021). Similarly, we may be able to tell if we are going too fast early on in the race if we have done several tempo runs beforehand. 

Improve your race day performance

According to Sjödin (et al. 1982), middle to long distance runners who implement tempo runs into their weekly training plan for 14 weeks experienced better race day performance than those that did not. 

Reading all the benefits provided above, it makes sense that all these benefits put together will result in better race day performance. By regularly practicing tempo runs during your training, when race day arrives, your body (and mind!) will know that it’s an achievable task (Helming, 2021). You will have ran at the speed that is right for you and know how long you can go for.

Tempo runs offer an array of benefits as mentioned above, which is why if you want to run faster for longer, try adding these into your training plan. Or sign up to Coopah and you will have your tempo pace worked out for you and a tempo run workout specific to you ready to go.

Download Coopah today!

References

Asp, K. 2015. What is a tempo running and how do I do it? . Runner’s World. [online] Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a773601/what-is-tempo-running-and-how-do-i-do-it/ [Accessed 15th May 2022]

Burdick, A. 2014. What are Tempo Runs and Why Will They Help My Running? Runners Connect [online]. Available at: 

 https://runnersconnect.net/training-with-thresholds-in-the-right-zone/ [Accessed 26th May 2022] 

Helming, 2021, Tempo Run: What is it and why is it worth doing?. The Run Experience [online] Available at: https://therunexperience.com/what-is-a-tempo-run/ [Accessed 13th May 2022] 

Jesner, L., 2022. Tempo Running: What is it and why it’s Beneficial. Very Well Fit. [online] Available at: https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-a-tempo-run-2911659#:~:text=Tempo%20running%20can%20help%20improve,both%20mental%20and%20physical%20benefits. [Accessed 12th May 2022]

Lindberg, S., 2020. How to get in that Tempo Run. Healthline [online]. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/tempo-run#benefits [Accessed 10th May 2022]

Nike, 2022. What Exactly Is Tempo Running? Nike. [online] Available at:

https://www.nike.com/a/tempo-running-workout-benefits [Accessed 16th May 2022]

Sjödin, B., Jacobs, I. & Svedenhag, J. Changes in onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) and muscle enzymes after training at OBLA. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 49, 45–57 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428962