For a multitude of reasons, a treadmill is an excellent tool for increasing your running speed. Due to the fact that you need to build up both muscle and endurance, this will take some time. Running faster and finishing races in less time is possible with speed exercises incorporated into your normal running regimen. Both running hills and tempo runs, which are simpler to accomplish on a treadmill, can be part of a speed exercise.

Using the Treadmill for Speed Training

You may even make speedwork more fun by controlling your external environment and running in your preferred temperature on a treadmill.. Running on a treadmill eliminates the uncertainty of attaining your target pace.

When it comes to precise speedwork, “the treadmill is an excellent tool,” says Erin Truslow, the founder of Big Pistachio Triathlon Coaching and Personal Training and the author of “Treadmill Workout.” “You can either take your time and get used to it, or you can set it and forget it.”

As a beginner, Truslow recommends that you build a firm foundation and practise endurance running before attempting a speed session. Adding track workouts or a treadmill speed training once a week will help you improve your overall speed, she advises.

Anaerobic power and speed are the primary objectives of this treadmill workout. Both a warmup and cooldown are essential to maximising your performance and avoiding injury. As Truslow points out, “they are always vital to any workout.” To illustrate, a good warmup “helps your body get ready for the task it’s about to accomplish by raising your heart rate and core temperature.”

30-Minute Treadmill Speed Workout

Warmup: Step out for a 7-minute walk-run (depending on your level)

Main Set:

  • 5 minutes of hard running (you should be breathing heavy, but not all out)
  • Sprinting for 45 seconds and then jogging for 10 times in a row for 1 minute each.

Cool down: Running, jogging, or walking for five minutes at a moderate pace

Bonus: For an extra challenge, during each of the 10 x 1-minute sprint efforts, increase the treadmill speed 0.1 for at total of a 1.0 mph faster by the end of the session.

1. Boil the Frog

Putting a frog in boiling water is said to cause her to jump out in order to save herself. Put her in lukewarm water and raise the temperature gradually, and she won’t notice the progressive increase in water temperature.

We can still use this myth as a basis for a workout even if it has been disproven.

Ten minutes of jogging at a moderate pace is a good starting point. Increase your pace by 5-10 seconds per mile every three minutes after you’ve warmed up, depending on how long your run is.

The treadmill slope can be increased by.5 percent to make this workout even more challenging.

Return to your normal pace and elevation gradually after several kilometres of gradual increases in both.

As a result, you’re no longer a frog. The growing complexity of this run is known as a progression, and you’ll notice it immediately. For marathon and half-marathon training, it can be utilised in place of tempo or marathon-paced runs and is an excellent workout.

Runners can learn to run fast even when they’re exhausted with this type of workout. It’s easy to run fast when your legs are fresh, but can you maintain going faster and faster as your weariness mounts?

It’s a vital talent that will come in handy when you’re competing in the next race.

2. The Running Power Hour

In college, you would turn on your Power Hour CD and drink a shot of beer every minute for an hour. There were some great times in the past!

Take that same CD or playlist (with sixty one-minute tracks) and do a treadmill workout based on it today instead.

Alternating between rapid and slow paces instead of drinking beer every minute (there are better methods to hydrate)

Fartlek – Swedish for speed play – is the original name for this form of training. Do some dynamic stretches and at least 10 minutes of easy running to warm up before beginning your workout

Listening to the playlist, you cycle between a slow and a fast tempo at certain points. This workout allows you to run as fast or as slow as you desire, from the treadmill’s maximum speed to 5k or marathon pace.

The key advantage of the running power hour is that it allows for frequent changes in pace. This is a common occurrence in races, so getting plenty of practise in before the big day is a good idea.

In addition, what about the advantages? There are sixty (abbreviated) tracks for you to enjoy.

3. I Pod Roulette

Warning: this treadmill workout can be difficult. Faster-paced runners who don’t have much time to train can benefit from this.

The first stage is to create a three-minute-long playlist with ten songs. Half of the songs should be high-energy and the other half should be mellower.

Do some easy running for at least 10 minutes before beginning your workout. Once you’ve got your playlist set to random or shuffle, it’s time to party! If you hear an uplifting music begin, you should run. As soon as the music slows down, it’s time to take it easy.

Don’t be fooled: this workout will test you. Occasionally, you’ll run quickly for two or more songs in a row, which means you’ll have to pace yourself and be more cautious than you would for a running power hour session.

Choose to run at the following paces:

  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon
  • Tempo
  • 10k

In comparison to the more difficult mid-distance paces, these paces are a lot easier to handle. You should also run more conservatively because you may be running “fast” for periods of 5-10 minutes at a time.

In this workout, you’ll learn how to deal with and accept ambiguity in your brain.” Structured workouts, when we know exactly what to expect, are all too common.

It’s impossible to predict when the next huge hill will arrive in a large race, however.

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty – and you’ll race faster.

Running on a treadmill when it’s raining or snowing isn’t nearly as much fun as running in the sunshine. When it’s too cold or unsafe to train outside, these fun treadmill routines are a great alternative.