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Throughout the year, dominant short-course racer Cameron Dye does a version of a tempo run every week.
The Workout
– Warm up easy for 15–20 min
– 2×15 min OR 1×25 min, starting at 25–30 sec above race pace and working down to race pace for the last mile
– Cool down
“I always think that’s a really productive workout—tempo workouts in general,” Dye says. “For me, not being a runner, that’s the best place to put myself in the hurt box and force myself to run when I’m tired. You can go to the track and do repeats, but I don’t know if that’s the best benchmark. But if you go out and try to hold 20 minutes at race pace [for Dye, that’s typically a 32-minute 10K pace], it’s a pretty good sign that you’re near the right place. It forces you to stay efficient throughout the whole thing because you’re trying to get faster as the workout goes on. So you’re starting in an uncomfortable place and getting more uncomfortable, which tends to be a good fitness builder.”