Tempo Run with Race Day Shoes

Session Overview

This 45-minute tempo run is designed to be completed in your race day shoes, dialling in feel and pace before your triathlon. You will build from easy effort to sustained threshold pace, developing the muscular familiarity and confidence you need on the day.

What You’ll Need

• Your planned race day running shoes
• GPS watch for pace and heart rate
• A flat-to-rolling road or path route
• Elastic laces fitted to your race shoes (optional but recommended)

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Start with 5 minutes of easy jogging at conversational pace, then complete 5 minutes of dynamic drills: high knees, heel flicks, leg swings and 3 x 20-metre strides building to 80% effort. This activates your legs and prepares you for threshold pace.

Main Set

The main set is 25 minutes of sustained tempo running. Hold a pace you could maintain for approximately 60 minutes in a standalone run — typically 20 to 30 seconds per kilometre slower than 5K race pace.

• Minutes 0-5: Build into tempo pace — start at the lower end of your effort range
• Minutes 5-20: Hold steady tempo — consistent pace, controlled breathing, relaxed arms
• Minutes 20-25: Negative split — aim to be 5-10 seconds per km faster than minutes 5-20

Cool-Down (8 minutes)

Slow to easy jogging for 5 minutes, then 3 minutes of static stretching targeting your calves, hip flexors, and quads. Note any feedback from your race shoes — hotspots, lace tension, heel slippage — and adjust accordingly before race day.

Coaching Notes

• The goal is shoe familiarity as much as fitness — pay attention to how they feel when fatigued
• Avoid the mistake of running too fast in the final 5 minutes — save your legs for training tomorrow
• Beginner option: replace tempo blocks with 3 x 6-minute at comfortable-hard pace, with 2-min easy recovery
• Target RPE: 7-8/10 during the main set; you should be working but able to speak in short sentences