This is a guest post article written by Anna, writer and treadmill tester for RunReviews, a project dedicated mostly to treadmill reviews and treadmill workouts . Thanks Anna for the great workout – I can’t wait to use it when training for the Charlottesville Fall Classic 10k this fall!

Speed intervals are excellent to improve a runner’s strength, speed and endurance. I believe every runner who completed successfully the beginner stage aims to achieve higher speed goals.

I discovered that by using a treadmill I can improve my results faster and more efficient (without the need of a professional trainer by my side).

In this article I want to share with you 2 Speed Interval Workouts I’ve used so far (and which can be customized on any treadmill) that helped me improve my 10k time.

It’s important that the below information is used depending on each individual’s fitness level. For example I am a 27 year old woman, 132 lbs, 5,57 feet tall and I’ve been running for over 2 years. My training routine in the last 6 months includes 40k (25 miles) a week and I run a minimum 4 days a week. It was only a personal goal I set for myself 6 months ago to improve my 10k time from 62 minutes to 44 minutes. To do so, I created and tested this workout by myself. I am not a certified professional trainer, just a regular user of treadmills.

I started to do 10k based on treadmill speed intervals 6 months ago. At first I began with the following workout:

Part 1, Warm Up: 4 minutes

2 minutes – 2 mph

2 minutes – 4 mph

Part 2, Speed Intervals Workout: 54 minutes

First interval: 90 seconds (1.5 minutes) – 6 mph

Second Interval: 30 seconds (0.5 minutes) – 8 mph

Repeat the 2 intervals in this order 27 times.

Part 3 and last is Cool Down: minimum 4 minutes

2 min – 4 mph

2 min – 2 mph

If you need more time to cool down, extend the last 2 mph with another few minutes so you can catch your breath. This workout allows you to finish 10k in almost 60 minutes.

After completing this workout around 10 times, from beginning to end without interruptions, I started to slowly increase speed per interval until I could run the 10k in almost 40 minutes. Here is the Treadmill Workout I do now:

Part 1 is Warm Up: minimum 4 minutes

2 minutes– 3 mph

2 minutes – 4 mph

Part 2 is the Speed Intervals Workout: 36 minutes

First interval: 90 seconds (1.5 minutes) – 6 mph

Second Interval: 30 seconds (0.5 minutes) – 8 mph

Repeat intervals in this order 18 times.

Part 3 and last is Cool Down: minimum 4 minutes

2 min – 4 mph

2 min – 3 mph

Don’t forget that it’s perfectly OK if you don’t finish the workout from the first attempt. Actually, it’s OK if you don’t finish in 10 or more tries either! The most important is to aim to a goal and achieve it smart (with perseverance, correct stretching and healthy nutrition).

[From Kate: Look for a post from me in the next few weeks telling how I did with this workout! If you decide to give it a go, let me know how it works for you!]