A Favorite Get-Back-In-the-Mood-To-Run Treadmill Workout

On Monday night as I was dragging myself to the gym, feeling sluggish and full from dinner, I thought about turning around and going back home because I knew running on a full stomach wouldn't be ideal. Then I realized if I only ran when all conditions were ideal (weather, energy level, stomach comfort), I would only run about twice a year. So I continued my full-bellied walk to the treadmill and did an extra long warm-up before I started one of my favorite get-back-in-the-mood-to-run treadmill workouts.

I thought I'd share the workout because I always like getting new workout ideas from others. I like to do this workout when I want a good workout, but my legs (or stomach) feel too sluggish for speed intervals. I also love it for the days when I'm not in the mood to run because it breaks up the time on the treadmill, and before I know it I've gotten an awesome hour-long workout in. 

By the time this workout was over I was drenched in sweat, feeling anything but sluggish, and remembering why I love running so much.

I hope you find this workout useful too whether you're trying to become a stronger, faster runner, or just wanting to burn some major calories. It would also work well for walking if you don't like to run.

Here's the workout:

(*Note: Between each interval I had a rest interval of about 1-1.5 minutes. You can walk or slowly jog. When you get to the half-way point you get a 5 minute rest interval.)

Start with a 1 mile warm-up. Then...

Treadmill Incline	Time	Speed
2%	5 minutes	7.5 (Whatever a normal walking or running pace is for you.)
3%	4 minutes	7.5
4%	3 minutes	7.5
5%	2 minutes	7.5
6%	1 minutes	7.5
0-1%	5 minutes	easy jog, or walk
6%	5 minutes	7.5 (Get through this and the rest of the workout is cake.)
5%	4 minutes	7.5
4%	3 minutes	7.5 or faster
3%	2 minutes	7.5 or faster
2%	1 minutes	As fast as you can! (You'll feel like you can fly!)

End with a 1 mile cool-down. 

What's something you do to pass the time on a treadmill?