Thank you Charlie and if you must use a time, lean towards the right while adding bw drills.
Latiff Thomas highly recommends assigning and timing everything.
Correct…
Right, considering where you’re from, that’s a boldface lie about the times. Regardless though, anybody who has actually worked with someone who is in 11.0fat shape knows that anything approximating 14flat (let alone faster than that) is way too fast for extensive tempo. In fact, I’d question how much volume you could be doing below 15 seconds/100m if you are doing all of the runs on grass and with relatively short (<60seconds) rest between reps. My PR is below 11.0fat and I’ve trained with people who have run substantially faster than that and I am fairly certain none were approximating those kind of speeds for extensive tempo (finish the way you start with incomplete rests and not going too hard), especially when done on softer surfaces.
Let’s say an athlete runs 100m in t0 seconds
We want them to run at 75% effort.
Assuming average velocity, we can work with the following formula: velocity = distance/time
v = 100m / t0
We want the athlete to run at 75% velocity, so multiply the right hand side by (3/4)
v = (100m/t0) * (3/4)
v = (75m/t0)
So the athlete will be running at a pace that will take him 75 meters in the time it would take him to run 100m at full pace. Denote tempo time by tT
75/t0 = 100/tT
75tT = 100t0
tT = (100*t0) / 75
Therefore, tT = (4/3)*t0
So for ex: an 11s 100m sprinter should do 100m tempo runs in 14.67 seconds, if 75% intensity is desired (assuming same surface is being used)
In general, tT = [(100%)*(100m PR)] / (Desired %)
Edit: That was just so everybody is on the same page here on how to calculate the time for 100m tempos, if so desired. But yeah, me personally I really just listen to my body and go at a pace I know I can handle for the entire session without any lactic acid buildup…which happens to be around 65% of my 100m time approximately.
or just remove the decimal point and divide your time by the percentage. For example 1100/75 = 14.6666667.
My masters group simply starts approx 60% and each rep just raise the intensity until we are moving at approximately 75% or hi 14’s low 15’s. Its not that tuff, but then we are in 400 shape.
That’s true, but it’s the same thing. The 100% becomes a 1.00(and hence since 1*a = a, the top becomes simply PR in seconds, and the Desired Percent, xy% becomes 0.xy.
So as you said, tT = PR / Desired % lol
Wow - never thought I’d see so much discussion over percentages. 
Quite irrational way of going about things.
Alot of people are still unable to grasp the concept of flexibility in training in general and tempo in particular. I will try once more and then I’ll move on because it’s probably useless to discuss it further.
I can assure you heroes out there that my group virtually NEVER went at 14sec pace in tempo and, conversely, I can guarantee that no one on this thread ever approached the speed work times my group achieved- which required the slower tempo in the first place.
1:Tempo is a means and not a goal.
2: 75% is an upper limit and not a rule and anyone who limits their training towards remaining on this pace will limit their progress where it counts- speed work.
3: Tempo workload is determined by both pace and recoveries. If you complete a big circuit in 21 min overall, the pace will not be as fast as if you took 24 min or more. The faster the previous speed session, the more appropriate very short recoveries at a lower pace will be.
4: To optimise tempo sessions- or anything else- you need to be there to direct it.
So as a practical matter, running tempo too slowly is rarely the problem. Kind of like undertraining. Technically it’s possible, but for motivated athletes it’s almost always the opposite concern.
I’ve always found that giving the athlete a goal time of 75% will lead to the opposite effect than desired as Charlie described (more fatigue vs. improved recovery). I would rather just let the athlete run at an easy pace and just make sure they’re not exceeding the 75% limit. They need to know they’re doing it for recovery first and conditioning second IMO.
not really.its called deriving the formula from scratch to show why it works.if a smart guy like boldwarrior had the formula wrong, im sure others did too.thanks for your useful input though!
clarify - i never time less than 200m in tempo. Pointless. We also rarely ran 100’s anyway.
Our speed groups typically went 30-33sec 200m speed with 2min recoverys and around 60-65sec 300’s.
Whatever % that works out to be.
How often do you use 300m for tempo runs? Also, do you follow a similar warm up for tempo sessions as you do for a speed session?
the fitter guys ran 300m tempo maybe 1-2x a month, just for a change up.
Warm ups typically were t same, except on speed days we did a few more strides, or run throughs, then 3-4 20m starts.
“Just get them to chat while doing tempo. If they can’t hold a coversation it is too fast” - one of CF’s best pieces of practical advice.