Teaching Young Runners Tempo Running
The third piece of the puzzle.
A bit about me:
Ran for Buffalo Grove High School.
Didn’t run in college.
Started coaching cross country in 2003, Track in 2004.
Gotten at least 2 runners to State every year for 21 years straight.
From 2012-2024 got 12 teams to the IESA State Championships.
2 Individual Sectional Champions, 2 Team Sectional Championships.
2 top 10 finishes.
9 State medalist.
2022 NXR 5th place finish.
Gotten at least one 4x200m relay team to State every year since 2005.
Presenter in 2019.
Supplementing workouts for Games.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
While there is a ton of information online about tempo running, there is very little about how to teach it, particularly to middle school runners.
I tried a lot, and as you’ll see I failed, A LOT. I want to help other coaches to develop this training without going through all the issues I went through.
This is a long term skill that kids are going to continue to use. It may not be for you this year, it may not even help your kids that much next year, but if we want to continue to develop lifelong runners and athletes, we need to think beyond our season and years with them.
DEFINING
THE “TEMPO” RUN.
(Has there ever been a more controversial subject?)
While there are many definitions of what a tempo run is and what it does, for the sake of this presentation we will define it as “Comfortably Hard”.
(The dumbed down basic version I tell kids)
LACTIC ACID- When you’re running hard your body produces Lactic Acid, if too much builds up, it’s what makes your muscles hurt.
However, your body can be trained to get better at getting rid of Lactic Acid by producing an enzyme called LDH.
To train your body to get rid of Lactic Acid better and produce more LDH, we do Tempo runs.
BORING SCIENCE STUFF
The 3 Barriers
I get tired quickly.
I lose my breath.
My legs hurt.
The 3 Barriers
I get tired quickly.
DO DISTANCE RUNS
I lose my breath.
TO INTERVALS/REPEATS
My legs hurt.
DO TEMPO RUNS
THE WORKOUT TRIANGLE
TEMPO RUNS
(Lactic Acid)
DISTANCE RUNS
Muscle & Endurance
INTERVAL REPEATS
VO2 MAX- SPEED
I use this to explain to my athletes what type of workout we are doing and why we are doing them.
Trial & Error
So many errors…. So very many
Why try it in the first place?
Failure #1
THE WATCH RUN:
I had the runners go out on a distance run and gave them a GPS watch. I gave them a mile pace to hold during the run.
Why it failed
Failure #2
400m
I had the runners run a 400m square route and gave them a short break between each with the hope that the short break would cause them to run slower at pace
Why it failed
400m
SQUARE
ROUTE
Me, standing there like an idiot with a watch.
Failure #3
800m
I tried having them doing a longer distance with a pace clock. Gave each kid a pace.
Why it failed
NOTE: After this one, it was such a disaster that I bailed. It was the single worst practice I’d ever had, kids were literally crying.
PACE CLOCK
800m
SQUARE
ROUTE
A path in the right direction
THE TURNING POINT:
2019
In 2019 we weren’t just good, we were REALLY good.
Not only were we good but I had an entire team (girls and boys) that ran all summer and were in superior shape.
In a normal year I would pound distance with the “line in the sand” of 15 miles a week and no more than 4.5 miles a day. We had nowhere to go having already been at our milage cap.
After about a few weeks I realized we were spinning our wheels and we needed to change our workouts in order to get faster.
Additionally, this was a very experienced and talented group of runners so this allowed me some wiggle room to experiment again with teaching TEMPO.
PROBLEM #1
Kids understand 2 speeds:
“AS FAST AS I CAN GO” and “ALL DAY” Pace. Tempo running is done between those two speeds so I had to figure out a way to get them to that speed semi-consistently.
PROBLEM #2
Grouping:
The kids did not want to run alone, they want to group up.
PROBLEM #3
Monitoring
During a Tempo run kids should maintain a constant speed at their Lactic Acid zone. I need to be able to watch them and make sure they are at the speeds I want, it’s impossible to run with 30-40 kids individually.
Around this time, 2 other things converged to help….
1- I busted my face and leg. I broke my jaw and lost 2 teeth in a biking accident.
I also tore my labrum on my left hip, the doctor was not able to fully repair it so my days of running every day were over
So…. I bought a Peloton
2- I became the head swim coach at my high school.
Go Raiders!
Peloton
How did these things help?
In Peloton they have what is called a “Power Zone”.
Essentially you take a 20 minute test called an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) and it shows you where your various training zones are located.
Swimming
How did these things help?
Swimming more than ANY sport is very solitary. You can’t talk or interact with anyone while working out. Additionally your workouts are dictated by the confines of a pool (25yds). This means you need to make a workout interesting that changes speeds. Swimmers are very attuned to their bodies and speeds.
TEACHING RUNNERS TO UNDERSTAND SPEEDS & THAT THOSE SPEEDS DO DIFFERENT THINGS FOR TRAINING
ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF TEMPO RUNNING
I also realized that I was so focused on the results from the workout that I was unwilling to take the time to teach the workout properly.
I needed to realize that Tempo Running at our level was very imbalanced.
The Tempo Timeline
200 & 400 Variable Repeats
This is an entire practice
“Mario Kart” Accelerations.
We do these after practice.
400m Speed Change Repeats
We do these as part of a practice
30-40 minute Tempo Repeats
This is a full practice.
STEP 3
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 4
NOTE:
These should all be done on the same incline. Meaning if you’re doing them on hills, do them all on hills.
I recommend all done on a flat surface.
Mario Karts
Step 1
AKA- Understanding Speed Changes
You probably know them as “builds”
What is a “Mario Kart”?
We call them Mario Kart Speed Burst because 99% of the kids know what that is and what it entails. They start out super slow, at a dead stop and then slowly start building and then when they reach the last set of cones they do a “Speed Burst” up to a full sprint. They’re based of of the “speed burst” icons on Mario Kart
The Layout
EASY JOG LANES
45-50m in length
Groups of 2-4
Gradually get faster with each cone color set
Jog back. NO WALKING. Very easy
We do about 4-6 of these a day for the first 2 weeks of practice. Coaches monitor them to make sure they are doing things the right way.
400m
Level/Gear Changes
Step 2
We start out by explaining “Levels”.
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
This is your “shag” pace. Very slow, this is the speed you would run if I asked you to run all day without stopping.
This is your distance training pace. A pace that you would run 4-5 miles at. A bit faster than level 1 but not much.
This is your “Tempo” pace. This is your where if I was going to ask you to run you could talk, but it would be hard. 4 mile “race” pace.
This is your race pace for a 1-2 mile.
However, we very rarely train there. I refer to this as your “last 20 meter pace.”
Yes, there is a “Level 5”
400m Speed Changes
Divide a track or 400m course into 4 equal parts. I like to use various colored cones to mark them
Sect 1
LEVEL
1
Sect 3
LEVEL
3
Section 2 LEVEL 2
Section 4 LEVEL 4
Time Doesn’t Matter
Start Slow!
Visible Change
Points of Emphasis.
I don’t even use a stopwatch. Break time is coach discretion.
If they start too fast, they won’t be able to change speeds effectively.
Monitor them so that they are visibly changing speeds and not just doing regular repeats.
I don’t usually do this as a full workout. We will do this on a day where we have done another workout or have something going on like uniform hand-out or photos.
We do about 4-5 of them
400 & 200m
Variable Speeds
Step 3
1x400 @Level 1
1x400 @Level 2
1x400 @Level 3
1x200 @Level 4
Set of 4
As a coach it is your job to time them.
The goal is for them to be 10 seconds faster each 400.
I tell them this is the goal so they should start out slow so they have room to grow.
The only direction for the 200 is “HARD”, as fast as you could go so this may be Level 4 for most or Level 5 for some.
Other Notes
It’s very important that you continually use the same terms and phrases.
Level 1- “All Day Pace” “Warm-up” “50%” “Super Easy”.
Level 2- “Long Distance Pace” “5 mile pace” “Easy”.
Level 3- “5k Pace” “Breathing Hard”
Level 4- “Hard” “Race Pace” “All out”.
Tempo Runs
Step 4
Three Parts of the Course
600-700m Tempo Course | This is the bulk of the run, the tempo length. |
150-200m Cool Down Course | Used as a “Level 1” Cool Down. |
Rest/Reset Area | Spot for a quick break to regroup. |
The Course
REST AREA
Start & Finish
600-700m Tempo
100-200m Level 1 Area
Incredibly Attractive Coach
BREAKDOWN
Start & Finish
600-700m Tempo
This is your tempo run course. This should be done at a level 2-3, preferably 3. They should never reach a Level 4.
Absolutely no sprinting.
THE 600-700m Course
BREAKDOWN
The 100-200m Level 1 Course
100-200m Level 1 Area
This is the “Level 1” Area. Why is this important? They absolutely cannot be running their slow distance pace. This area allows you to see their pace and make sure they are not going too slow on the TEMPO section.
They need to job, SLOW. It is a “cool down”.
BREAKDOWN
The 100-200m Level 1 Course
This is the Rest Area. This is a chance for the kids to regroup and take a short break. They keep their water here.
Kids will spend 1:30-2:00 here. No more than that.
The trick to the Rest Area is to allow them enough time to regroup but not enough time to recover.
REST AREA
Before You Start:
Decide on a time. We usually have our A & B group kids do 35-40 minutes. Our C group kids do 20-25 minutes.
Drive home that they are getting a short break and that you are looking for a “change in speed” between the Level 1 and Level 3 area.
I like to use a pace clock and set it for 40 minutes and let it run. If not they will ask you 400 times how much time is left. It’s way easier just to point at a clock and say “see”.
Level 1 Area
Once they start they will naturally start dividing themselves into groups. Once they come through the first time I will start assigning them into groups like 1,2,3,4… etc. Groups are anywhere between 2-10 kids. This way they have someone to pace with and hold them accountable.
What is your job as a coach?
MAINTAIN BALANCE
Avoid this becoming a Distance Run.
HOW?
You are standing at the “Level 1 Cool Down” Area making sure you see a speed difference. There should be a visible change in pace and speed between the Level 2-3 area and the cool down area.
Do not allow them to recover too much.
If you allow them to have more than 1:45 to recover this will become a “Speed Day” which we do not want. We want them running between Levels 2-3.
Level 1 Area
All coaches should be here. The biggest thing you are looking for is the “change in pace” You cannot let them drift into “distance” pace. There should be a visible difference in the speed going from a Level 2-3 to a Level 1. Every time.
ROTATION
REPEAT
REPEAT
RUN
600m at Level 2-3 pace.
JOG 100-200m easy at Level 1 pace
REST
for 1:30-1:45. Drink your water and get ready for the next one.
“RUN, JOG, REST, REPEAT”
2 Ingredients you must have before starting/trying tempo.
Understanding pace
Kids need to be in shape
Kids need to have a basic understanding of pace and effort.
This will only work if kids can do at minimum 20 minutes of continuous running. We usually wait about a month before starting Tempo.
WHEN TO DO IT?
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
DISTANCE RUN | SPEED DAY | TEMPO | MEET | FUNDAY FRIDAY |
Not only do I try to find a week where we’ve gotten everything in, I also try to put it in a week where things are feeling stale or repetitive. It breaks up the work and introduces something new.
NOTE: I try to replace it with a “Distance” day rather than a speed day.
I try to get a minimum of 2 but strive for 3 of these a season.
THE MOST IMPORTANT NOTE
If you are looking for an amazing workout that will show huge gains, this isn’t it. Tempo running is about the margins, it’s about taking kids who are already in a good place and taking them further.
I have a cap of 18 miles a week and no more than 6 miles a day (we only do that once).
This is where you do “Tempo”.
Experiment!
More fun stuff!
This has the link for my 2019 Presentation.
Bottom of the page
http://www.runjaneaddams.com/