I’ve dug out my heart-rate monitor this morning and went out for a Threshold/Tempo run. 

I didn’t know anything about this type of training until reading about it in Runner’s World. I know a lot of people can just get out and run, no planning, no thought, but I’m certainly the type of person who likes to plan and organise things. Maybe in the one aspect of my life that IS organised is the way I like to run. I can’t just go running without a route, everything has to be planned…but that’s just me. 

Tempo running from my uneducated position is where your runs have short bursts of higher pace sections that you run at 80-90% of your maximum heart rate. WHAT THE HELL IS MY MAXIMUM HEART RATE? I hear you shout, well actually you can figure that out here.

I run at 170-180bmp for these sections and do 3-4 x 5 minute sections after warming up for a mile or two. It’s brilliant, you know you’re really caning it but you also know it’s only 5 minutes long, so despite how much of a pain your in you can always say “What you can’t take 5 minutes of this?” and try to man yourself out. It works!

My training is completely different from when i first started this malarky. I used to think you just needed to run, and run longer and longer. But a 20 minute high intensity run is just as beneficial as a 2 hour workout, they just do different things and as long as you mix them up it’s all making it work for you.

I’m really starting to fall in love with training again, i had a dip, and my belly made a shy return but I feel very on track with the next 3 months, hell i’m even LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. FANCY THAT!