RunPackGuides · 5 min read
Tempo runs: what they are and how fast to run them
What a tempo run is, how fast tempo pace should be (by feel, heart rate and race pace), three tempo workouts to try, and how to do them with a group of mixed paces.
A tempo run is a sustained run at a “comfortably hard” effort: faster than your easy pace, slower than a race, held for 15 to 40 minutes. It’s the session that teaches you to keep going when running starts to feel like work, and it’s one of the most useful runs for 5K to half marathon.
How fast is tempo pace?
- By feel: you can say a few words at a time, but you wouldn’t want a conversation. About 7 out of 10 effort.
- By race pace: roughly the pace you could hold for an hour in a race, which for many runners sits between 10K and half marathon pace.
- By heart rate: around zone 3 to the bottom of zone 4, roughly 80–88% of your maximum. Find your numbers with the heart rate zone calculator.
For a runner with a 50-minute 10K (5:00 /km), tempo pace is roughly 5:05–5:15 /km. The pace calculator turns any race time into paces.
Three tempo workouts
- Classic tempo: 10 minutes easy, 20 minutes at tempo, 10 minutes easy.
- Tempo intervals: 3 × 8 minutes at tempo with 2 minutes of easy jogging between. Easier to start with.
- Progression to tempo: start easy and speed up a little every 10 minutes, finishing the last 10 at tempo. See negative splits.
Once a week is plenty, and keep the rest of the week mostly easy.
Tempo runs in a group
Mixed paces make continuous tempo runs tricky, so use time instead of distance: everyone runs 8 minutes out at their own tempo, turns round, and runs back. Faster runners go further, everyone finishes at the same spot. Warm up and cool down together.
Common mistakes
- Running it as a race. If you can’t speak at all, you’re going too hard.
- Holding pace on a hilly route. Go by effort when the course isn’t flat.
- Skipping the warm-up. Ten easy minutes makes the tempo part feel much smoother.
Sharing the session with your crew afterwards is half the motivation. In RunPack, every run lands in a private feed only your crew sees.