Tempo Running – Building Strength and Stamina
Tempo runs are designed to help you run faster for longer by improving your ability to sustain a hard effort. These runs sit right on the edge of your lactate threshold, the point where your body starts producing more lactic acid than it can clear. Training at this intensity teaches your body to process fatigue more efficiently, making race pace feel easier over time.
By Quentin van Bentum | Last updated Feb 25, 2024
A Full Breakdown
A tempo run is faster than an easy run but slower than the bursts of an interval session. The goal is to hold a “comfortably hard” pace—one where you’re working hard but still in control. These runs improve your speed endurance, which is crucial for races from 5Ks to marathons.
A common mistake runners make? Going too fast. If you’re gasping for air or struggling to complete the workout, you’re running at interval intensity rather than tempo pace. A good tempo run should feel challenging but sustainable, where you could say a short sentence but wouldn’t want to hold a full conversation.
Tempo runs are race-specific training—they help you lock in your pacing, build strength, and improve overall efficiency.
What Tempo Runs Should Feel Like
- “Comfortably hard” effort – Harder than an easy run but not an all-out sprint.
- Heart rate in Zone 3-4 – Working hard but not maxing out (80-90% of max HR).
- Sustained effort – Typically run for 20-50 minutes, depending on your fitness level and race goals.
- Focused but controlled – If you’re fading halfway through, you likely started too fast.
If you finish completely exhausted, you ran too hard—tempo runs should challenge you, but you should still feel in control.
Why Tempo Runs Matter
Tempo runs are one of the most effective ways to build endurance, strength, and race-day pacing confidence. They help your body push the threshold where fatigue sets in, allowing you to hold faster paces longer.
How Tempo Runs Help You Improve:
✔ Increase lactate threshold – Delays fatigue so you can hold a strong pace longer.
✔ Improve endurance at higher speeds – Strengthens your ability to run at race pace.
✔ Teach mental toughness – Holding tempo effort requires focus and discipline.
✔ Optimize energy efficiency – Helps your body burn fuel more effectively at faster speeds.
How to Do Tempo Runs the Right Way
Choose the right tempo duration.
The duration or distance of you tempo run is usually determined where you are in your training program. Before your run make sure how long or how far you want to run at your tempo pace.Run at the right intensity –
Tempo pace is about 80-90% of max effort—challenging but controlled.
A simple way to find tempo pace: Run at the effort you could hold for an hour-long race (typically 10K to half-marathon pace).Start with a proper warm-up and cooldown –
Always jog around 10 minutes before and after a tempo session to prepare and recover properly.Stick to 1 tempo run per week –
Tempo running is demanding. Overdoing it can lead to fatigue and overtraining.
The Key Takeaway
Tempo runs are one of the most effective workouts for distance runners, helping you build the strength, endurance, and pacing control needed for race day.