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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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A tempo run, sometimes called a threshold run, is a common part of many training programs, as coaches believe it is an effective way of improving lactate clearance. However, the science indicates that tempo paced runs should be avoided in favor of other paces. Tempo pace represents the no man's land between [[Long Run| Long Slow Distance]] and [[High Intensity Interval Training]]. They can improve performance in the untrained, but not as well as other types of training. For highly trained runners Tempo Runs may actually be counterproductive.
=What is a Tempo Run?=
A Tempo Run intended to be run at or near the pace corresponding to the [[Lactate Threshold]]. Lactate Threshold can be thought of as the transition from mostly aerobic to mostly anaerobic metabolism. In well trained athletes, paces below the Lactate Threshold can be kept up for prolonged periods (several hours), where paces about the Lactate Threshold typically cannot be maintained for more than an hour.
