When It's Time to Adapt Your Tempo Run

By Richard Shryack

During every marathon training program that I have ever designed there always comes a time to adapt. This week the weather has been rather challenging. For the past week now it has been warm and exceptionally humid. I have decided to do my tempo training today on the treadmill.

My usual tempo run during marathon training is 10 or 11 miles. I have had great success using this for marathons and half marathons.

I usually begin with a mile or two warm-ups and gradually raise the pace to my tempo training heart rate of 87-92% mhr for the next 8 miles and then cool down for a mile.

Today I will take this workout indoors and run on my treadmill. A few changes will be made to adapt this workout to the treadmill. First I will have to determine the correct treadmill speed. To determine the correct pace the standard formula is 10-15 seconds below your 10k pace. A sure sign that the pace is too fast is that your heart rate rises above 85% in the first 5 minutes of the repeat.

After determining the speed to set the treadmill will warm up for 10 minutes. Next raise the treadmill speed to the desired setting. Then run until your heart rate monitor signals to either slow the pace down or jog for 2 minutes.

By selecting the correct pace you should be able to run approximately 20 minutes before having to recover. After jogging for 2 minutes start the next repetition. The next repetition at the same pace will be shorter. Again after reaching your upper limit setting on your heart rate monitor jog easily for two minutes. Continue this pattern until you reach the desired mileage or continuing becomes too difficult.

Any running ability can be adapted to this workout. Beginners could run shorter repeats, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes and take the two minute rest. As their fitness improves extend the length of the repeat until a full 20 minutes tempo run can be completed. Intermediate runners and advanced runners should add more repeats as their fitness improves.

By learning to adapt to changing conditions that will happen during marathon training or any other training program your running can improve dramatically. When new challenges in running or life present themselves learning to adapt will remove stress and amazingly allow you to come up with new ways of doing the same old workouts. And in the process you just might discover a new favorite workout.

Author of Fatigue Nutrition & Endurance Exercise, Run2Fast, Ultimate Marathon Training Videos

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