Day 10: Speed Work (again...)

According to my training schedule today calls for speed work, which I am much less enthusiastic about than I was on Monday. As I think about my workout options, I am actually dreading having to push myself. The only thing that is really motivating me is the sense of accomplishment I know I will feel after I am finished. This is the workout I plan to do this evening on the treadmill:

-1 mile warm-up at comfortable pace (probably 6.3 or 6.4mph) and 1% incline
-Increase incline 2% every 2 minutes until incline is at 12% then decrease incline by 2% every two minutes until back down to 0%
-Keep speed constant (this will be the tough part).

The hardest part about this workout is keeping the speed constant. Once you get past 6% incline it gets tough. It's hard not to decrease speed or cling to the handrails for help. I'm not really looking forward to this one, but I keep thinking about my first race in two (!!!) weeks. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised by a faster-than-expected time, which I know is only possible if I push myself now.