Advanced Marathoning

Appendix B Lactate-Threshold Workout Charts

The training schedules in this book call for doing lactate-threshold workouts between your current 15K and half marathon race pace, in tempo runs of 4 to 7 miles (6 to 11 km). The charts that follow give per-mile and split times for tempo runs based on these parameters. The charts include roughly equivalent race times – for example, a 58:00 15K is roughly equivalent to a 1:24 half marathon – so you should be able to find the narrow range of paces to run to provide the greatest stimulus to improve your lactate threshold.

Slower runners should run closer to their 15K race pace on tempo runs. Faster runners should run closer to their half marathon race pace during these workouts. Remember, though, that it’s important to run your tempo runs at an even pace. Doing so provides a greater stimulus for boosting your lactate threshold than doing a 5-miler (8 km) in which you finish with the same time but during which you start fast, lag in the middle, and finish fast.

If you’ll be doing your tempo runs on a track, bear in mind that on a 400-meter track, four laps at a given pace will be short a few seconds per mile. For example, 20 laps at 85 seconds per lap take 28:20. During this time, you’ll have covered 8K, which is almost 50 meters short of 5 miles, so you haven’t quite averaged 5:40 per mile on this tempo run.