Tempo runs are a great training session to include as you prepare for a half marathon. They help develop your aerobic efficiency as well as your tolerance to (slightly) higher intensity. These sessions are perfect for those training for a half (or even a full marathon) or half ironman.
Each week I will be posting the Friday Fartlek Run Sessions that you can do to enhance your running. Fartlek is a Swedish term that runners often use and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.
Over the next few weeks, I will post a sequence of Tempo Runs that you can include in your training over a period of weeks. Start with Session A and work through to H.
Half Marathon Tempo A
- 15min Level II WU;
- 12:30min Tempo Level III;
- 15min Level II CD;
- 10min Stretching
The Warm Up (WU) should be done at an intensity that is steady but not overconsuming at Level II for 15 minutes.
After the warm-up increase, your intensity to Level III and hold that pace for twelve and a half minutes.
The Cool Down (CD) is at low-intensity jogging (Level II) for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up to my informative newsletter.
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Download the Garmin (.FIT) files for this workout for FREE
If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.
Friday Fartlek Run: 2x 800m, 4x 400m, 6x 200m
For more great workouts see my eBook: ‘Top 10 Workouts from Coach Ray – The Ten Most Popular Training Sessions from www.CoachRay.nz”. Use the workouts within the eBook to enhance your fitness.
Hello Ray
I found this site somewhere in the world of the internet. Very exciting!!
I’m a fan of Lydiard and have read a lot of his material and other Lydiardcoaches points of view. Latest I got my hand on Ron Daws, and after a lot of injuries since I start running in the age of 49 and a first marathon in 3:37 in the age og 50, I have found a schedule with potential progress. I run only 50 km/week right now, with 1 fartlek session where the landscape deside moderate hillruns, 100-2000m intervals(aerobe), 3 restitution run, 2 moderate runs and a easy run. My pace is developing quite well and think I can find inspiration here for the perodization towards 5 km, and in 2-3 years, a marathon again. So thanks for this site i will dig in?
Sincerely
Henrik Olsen, Denmark, Scandinavia