Now that I'm back to running again, I find that I can jog along quite happily and comfortably, but I'm REALLY slow! That's OK, except that I'd like to enter for another race (maybe a 5K this time), so I need to learn to run faster. This means working some other types of runs into my program.

You may already know about pace runs, intervals, tempo runs and so on, but do you know how to enjoy them, rather than looking on them as punishment? I'll describe what works for me: you are free to adapt it to fit your own needs. What follows is a description of my tempo run today (remember, this is August in Texas – hot and humid).

Today's tempo run was a five stage effort:

1. Warm up

2. Moderate

3. Fast

4. Moderate

5. Cool down

Each stage has unique characteristics to make the run fun, rather than misery!

First, I take it VERY easy during the warm up stage. The temptation is to run faster than I should during this stage: whenever that happens, I force myself to slow down to a pace that feels too slow, and concentrate on good running form. This means I'm continually forcing a slower pace than my body wants to go (if for you that means slowing to a walk, that's OK).

You'll find that if you do this, by the time you get to the second (moderate pace) stage, you are hungry to run faster. Pick up the speed a little by increasing your turnover so that it feels comfortably fast. Once again, focus on maintaining good form and not pushing too hard during this stage.

The third stage is where you shift gears and increase your turnover once more. Again, the temptation is to go all out, but to sustain this pace for 5 minutes you'll need to hold back just a little from a full sprint. Your pace should be uncomfortable but sustainable – try to feel like you're stretching yourself, but not killing yourself.

The real test comes in the next stage, where you aim to reproduce the moderate pace you ran in the second stage. If this proves difficult, you pushed too hard in the middle (fast) stage. Don't worry about it for now, but remember it for next time!

I find that for the last stage (cooling down) I generally prefer to walk. If I jog, it usually means that I didn't get a really good workout in the other stages. However, your mileage may vary: do what works best for you.

The purpose of the tempo run is to get used to how it feels to run faster than normal. You will find that a tempo run, repeated every week or two, will improve your pace so that in all your training runs you will run faster than before. And if you follow my plan, you will also find yourself looking forward to tempo runs, rather than dreading them!

PS: The current Runners' World has an article entitled “No Stretching”! When I have read it, I intend to comment on it, so come back and check here and on the forum.