We asked an expert to tell us everything you need to know about tempo runs – including how to maintain that all-important ‘comfortably hard’ pace. Whether you’re training for your first ...

We can use different words to describe music we play or listen to. Tempo is the speed of music. For example, music can be slow or fast. The pulse of the music controls the tempo.

Sometimes the tempo is shown on music scores using numbers. This number is the amount of beats per minute (BPM). So the higher the number, the faster the tempo. 60BPM is one beat per second.

If you're keen to improve your running performance this year, it's worth adding tempo workouts to your regular training plan.