Threshold and tempo training: key sessions
Threshold sessions raise the pace you can hold for a long time. Types, examples and how not to overdo it.
Threshold work is probably the best return per minute invested for middle and long-distance events. Its goal is to make the pace you can hold for a long time faster and faster.
Continuous tempo
20 to 40 minutes at a "comfortably hard" pace, a bit below threshold. It takes focus but doesn't leave you wrecked.
Threshold intervals
Blocks at threshold pace with short recoveries. They let you accumulate more quality time than continuous tempo.
- 3 × 10 minutes with 2 minutes of jogging.
- 5 × 1 km at threshold pace with 1 minute recovery.
- Cycling: 2 × 20 minutes at 95-100% of FTP.
How not to overdo it
The mistake is turning it into a race. Threshold pace is what you could hold for about an hour: if you finish a 30-minute session completely spent, you were above it.
How many per week?
One is usually enough, alongside a session of another intensity and plenty of easy volume. In specific phases for a half marathon or marathon there may be two.