Tempo Run with Race Shoes: 40-Minute Race Pace Build

Session Overview

This 40-minute tempo run combines lactate threshold training with race shoe adaptation in the six weeks leading into your A-race. Many triathletes train in daily trainers and only put on their race shoes on race morning — a recipe for discomfort. This session builds both your threshold pace and your comfort in the shoes you'll actually race in.

What You'll Need

• Your race day running shoes (plated or non-plated)
• GPS watch set to pace or heart rate display
• Race belt with number (optional — good practice to run with it)
• Water bottle for warm-up and cool-down

Warm-Up (8 minutes)

8 minutes of easy running at a comfortable conversational pace, followed by 4 x 20-second strides with 40 seconds walking between each. Strides activate your fast-twitch fibres and prime your neuromuscular system for the tempo effort — skip them and your first tempo kilometre will feel disproportionately hard.

Main Set

A progressive tempo build across three blocks, finishing faster than you start. Race shoes reward a quick cadence — aim for 170–180 steps per minute throughout the effort.

• 10 minutes at 10km race pace + 20 seconds per km (steady, 6/10 RPE)
• 10 minutes at 10km race pace + 10 seconds per km (comfortably hard, 7/10 RPE)
• 5 minutes at 10km race pace (race effort, 8/10 RPE) — this final block should feel like you're genuinely racing

Cool-Down (7 minutes)

Easy 7-minute jog back to your start point. After the session, note how the shoes felt — any pressure points, tightness, or heel lift that needs addressing before race day. This feedback is exactly why you're doing this session early in the build, not the week before the race.

Coaching Notes

• If you don't know your 10km race pace, use heart rate: zone 4 (approximately 80–88% of max HR) for the first two blocks, zone 4–5 for the final 5 minutes
• Carbon-plated shoes can cause calf fatigue in athletes not accustomed to them — reduce the volume of this session for the first few runs in new plated shoes
• Easier: replace the progressive structure with a flat 20 minutes at steady threshold pace
• This session should not be completed the day before a long ride or key swim — allow 48 hours recovery on either side