Definition
A sustained effort at 'comfortably hard' pace—fast enough to be uncomfortable, slow enough to maintain for 20-40 minutes. The Goldilocks zone of suffering that actually improves your lactate threshold.
Example Usage
Tuesday's workout is a 30-minute tempo run at threshold pace, which means I'll be breathing too hard to talk but not hard enough to die.
Origin
Distance running training methodology, popularized by coach Jack Daniels in the 1980s
Fun Fact
Despite feeling brutal, tempo runs are typically run at only 85-90% of max heart rate, significantly slower than race pace for shorter distances.
Source: Distance running training methodology
Related Terms
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