Summary:
Tempo running can add a stronger aerobic effort to your marathon training while still allowing you to settle into a controlled rhythm. These ten sessions give you different ways to spend time within Zone 3, with options that can fit alongside the wider endurance demands of preparing for 26.2 miles.
Exploring Tempo Sessions for Your Marathon Training
Tempo running can bring something different to marathon training by giving you time within Zone 3 while still leaving room to settle into the run. Zone 3 should feel moderately hard and controlled, which can make these sessions a useful change from the easier running that often makes up a large part of marathon preparation. The workout itself can take different forms, so tempo does not have to mean holding one continuous effort every time it appears in your training.
The ten sessions below give you a range of options to explore, and there is no expectation that every workout will suit where you are in your training right now. If the amount of tempo running feels too much, you can shorten the intervals or complete fewer repetitions. Giving yourself a little more recovery can also make an interval session more manageable while you become familiar with the workout.
Our Why Do Running Zones Matter for Marathon Training? guide explains the intensity metrics used across each zone and how the different training zones can fit within your marathon preparation.
10 Example Tempo Sessions for Marathon Runners
1. Long Tempo Repeats
Purpose: Builds the endurance needed to spend prolonged periods at tempo, using the recovery to support a second extended block of quality running.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 2 × 20 min @ Zone 3 (4 min jog between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
2. Sustained Tempo Intervals
Purpose: Develops your ability to repeatedly settle into and hold tempo pace, accumulating a high volume of quality work with only brief resets between efforts.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 3 × 12 min @ Zone 3 (2 min jog between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
3. Tempo Finish to an Aerobic Run
Purpose: Develops your ability to increase your pace late in a longer run, completing the tempo work after fatigue has already accumulated through sustained aerobic running.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
40 min @ Zone 2
20 min @ Zone 3Cool-Down: 10 min jog
4. Tempo Pyramid
Purpose: Tests your ability to regulate tempo pace as the duration of each effort rises and falls, maintaining control rather than letting interval length dictate your intensity.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 4 min → 6 min → 8 min → 6 min → 4 min @ Zone 3 (2 min jog between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
5. Tempo Within an Aerobic Run
Purpose: Integrates a prolonged tempo effort into a broader endurance session, adding faster running without losing the aerobic volume provided by the easier sections.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
15 min @ Zone 2
25 min @ Zone 3
10 min @ Zone 2Cool-Down: 10 min jog
6. Continuous 40-Minute Tempo
Purpose: Develops the endurance and pacing discipline needed to hold a consistent tempo effort for a prolonged period as fatigue steadily accumulates.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 40 min @ Zone 3
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
7. Broken Tempo Intervals
Purpose: Accumulates a high volume of tempo running while brief recoveries help prevent fatigue from disrupting your pace and running quality later in the session.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 4 × 10 min @ Zone 3 (90 sec jog between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
8. Uphill Tempo Intervals
Purpose: Develops muscular endurance by sustaining tempo effort against the added resistance of the incline, increasing the demand on each stride without needing to increase running speed.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 4 × 5 min uphill @ Zone 3 (walk/jog downhill recovery)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
9. Tempo With Short Recoveries
Purpose: Keeps the aerobic demand high across the session by limiting recovery, while still providing enough of a reset to maintain controlled tempo running.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 4 × 8 min @ Zone 3 (60 sec jog between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
10. Tempo Within a Longer Run
Purpose: Develops your ability to produce repeated periods of faster running deep into a longer session, when the accumulated demands of the run make maintaining pace more challenging.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
60 min @ Zone 2
2 × 15 min @ Zone 3 (2 min jog between)Cool-Down: 10 min jog
Using Tempo Throughout Your Marathon Training
Tempo running can take on different forms across marathon preparation, which gives you room to choose sessions that make sense alongside the rest of your running. There may be times when intervals appeal more than a continuous effort, or when you want to bring some Zone 3 into a run that also includes easier running. Having different options means the session can change without tempo always needing to follow the same familiar format.
You may also find that your preference for certain workouts changes as your marathon training develops. A session you enjoy early in your preparation might remain a favourite, while another may become more appealing later on. The aim is not to work towards the longest or most demanding workout in the collection, but to have a selection you can draw from when tempo has a place in your training.
Our Why Should Marathon Runners Include Zone 3 Training? guide takes a deeper look at the role of tempo running and what Zone 3 can bring to your marathon preparation.
Final Thoughts
Tempo running can add some welcome variety to marathon training, particularly when so much of your running may be built around easier efforts. Having different Zone 3 sessions available gives you the chance to change the feel of a workout and discover which approaches you genuinely enjoy using as part of your preparation.
These ten sessions are there to give you ideas rather than another part of marathon training that needs to be completed in a particular way. Some may become workouts you return to regularly, while others might simply give you something different to try when the timing feels right. Tempo running should have enough flexibility to work with your marathon training rather than making the rest of your running fit around it.
Always consult with a medical professional or certified coach before beginning any new training program. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized advice.
