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Re: difference between steady state and tempo run in mcmillan running [Flanagan]
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Wow...I have never seen such horrific definitions of "tempo". Tempo is not 5K pace, nor is it is a pace someone *can* hold for 20-25 minutes, nor is it even really 10K pace. Tempo should be what someone can hold for 60-75 minutes of best effort running. A tempo run should be that pace for 20 minutes, then add about :05 seconds per mile for every 5-10 minutes you add to the length of your tempo run, up to 60 minutes.


I think the problem is that "tempo" is a bit of a nebulous term. I think people treat "tempo" as if it were one pace when it is not. Tempo, at least as I have always understood it, refers to a range of paces.

What you are describing above is the classic rule-of-thumb for lactate threshold (LT) pace. LT pace is clearly very specific. But that's pretty much the high-end of tempo. On the flipside, while tempo may be as fast as LT pace, it may also be slower. Longer tempo runs, done at slower than LT pace, are a staple of great runners. Even a marathon paced run is arguably a tempo.
Last edited by: JoeO: Dec 8, 08 15:30

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  • Post edited by JoeO (Dawson Saddle) on Dec 8, 08 15:30