If you’re training for a long distance race or you’re working towards becoming a distance runner, you probably know that you must do more than simply run at race speed to prepare for your next event. In general, short and fast runs build speed and leg strength while longer, slower sessions develop endurance. Steady-state and tempo runs are endurance training tools in which you run at a consistent pace, although one is a bit more intense than the other.
Steady-State Running Workouts
Steady-state running involves longer runs during which you maintain a moderate but steady pace. Steady-state runs typically last for 25 minutes to one hour or even a bit longer. Running coach Greg McMillan recommends that you maintain the same pace you’d use to run between one hour and 15 minutes and two hours and 30 minutes.
Tempo Running Sessions
The term “tempo run” means different things to different runners. As a very broad definition, a tempo run is a slightly faster version of a steady-state session. Running coach and author Jack Daniels says a tempo run should last for roughly 20 minutes, during which you run at a “threshold pace.” For typical runners, Daniels adds, the threshold pace is approximately 20 to 30 seconds per mile slower than the pace you’d use to race for 5 km, or about 3.1 miles. Like steady-state runs, it’s important to maintain a consistent pace. Just keep the pace faster than your typical steady-state speed.
The Purpose of Tempo and Steady-State Running
Both tempo and steady-state runs are endurance workouts designed to raise your lactate threshold -- the point at which you’ve created more lactic acid via exercise than your body can remove. Simply put, the higher your lactate threshold, the longer you can run. Endurance workouts may also help you recover from more intense running or training sessions and can increase your aerobic fitness. Athletes who run very long distances, such as 10K, half-marathon and marathon races, should include tempo and steady-state running in their training programs.
Combining Steady-State and Tempo Runs
Tempo intervals and combined tempo/steady-state runs are exceptions to the rule that you should run at a consistent pace during your endurance training. If you’re not quite up to a long tempo run, for example, perform tempo intervals to increase your workout’s intensity. Run at your tempo pace for about eight to 15 minutes, then slow to a steady-state pace for three minutes. Continue the pattern for the rest of your session. Alternatively, perform a long steady-state run, but include two or three tempo running segments of around 10 minutes each within your workout.
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