The Everyday Ultra Newsletter

Ultra training tips to help you be a better endurance athlete, every day
by Joe Corcione

#ENDUREBETTER 🐺 

The treadmill cheat code workout

Even if you hate the treadmill, this is for you

We’re in the thick of winter running right now, which means one thing for a lot of us:

More treadmill running than usual (ugh).

A lot of you can sympathize with the “ugh” there. The monotony of feeling like a hamster on the wheel while watching The Office for the 5th time through, for the 6th time in one week can get old after a while.

But…did you know you can actually use the treadmill in a way that can help to increase speed and climbing strength in an even better way than running outside? All while making treadmills more fun?

I know. It sounds like a tall promise. But it’s true.

In fact, I call these workouts “cheat code” workouts, because they are so powerful.

And even if you’re not relegated to the treadmill, you can use these workouts at any point in your training to get faster, become an uphill machine, and actually have you say “that was fun” after a treadmill session.

Introducing: Uphill treadmill tempo workouts.

The science of the uphill treadmill tempo

When I was first becoming a true nerd about training science, I dove into the effectiveness of hill repeats.

You know: the traditional kind of hill repeats where you’re doing really fast and short uphill intervals that range from anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

Now, I knew those were so effective. But I thought about what if this could apply to a tempo-style intensity?

For context, a “tempo” intensity means running in the area at or just above your lactate threshold. Meaning, the highest effort you can sustain for about 45-75 minutes before your body has too much lactate built up, and has to slow down.

Running at tempo intensity is beneficial because it allows your body to get more efficient at processing and clearing lactate. Which translates to higher speeds because you can now go faster, without lactate limiting you as much. Magic!

Now, traditionally, these tempos are done on flatter ground, mostly because it is really hard to find an uphill segment where you can hit the interval length for tempos (anywhere between 6 to 30 minutes).

Whereas for shorter, more intense hill repeats, it’s easy to find a hill to rocket up at it for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

But the science is so powerful for uphill intervals:

1. You can get the same speed benefits at a lower impact cost, because uphill running is easier on the body than flat running.

2. Running uphill at higher intensities can have a bigger impact on uphill strength and running uphill economy than going uphill at a lower intensity

3. It teaches our body to get mechanically stronger running uphill since we usually will hike most uphills in ultras, making us better uphill runners.

So, why should we only let the shorter, faster intervals get the fun with uphills?!

It was only when I heard David Roche talk about doing uphill tempos on his podcast, where I realized it was possible. And that’s when he mentioned doing them on a treadmill.

The thought of doing it on a treadmill sunk my heart. But I decided to give it a try.

And boy, it was a butt kicker. And, it was actually fun!

But the results? Even better. After several weeks of uphill treadmill tempos, I was flying up hills stronger and faster than before. It was insane.

And when I started to program them in the plans of the athletes I coach, they were seeing massive results too. This stuff works!

So, for anyone doing a race with a ton of uphill, and if they have access to a treadmill, I will program these workouts in there to turn athletes into a climbing beast.

And you can too.

Treadmill tempo example workouts.

Before we dive into the specific workouts, some general guidelines:

1. Make sure your body is used to uphill running before diving into these. Doing several weeks of some low intensity uphill running or hiking helps a ton. This helps to avoid injury

2. Also make sure you’ve been doing some speed or strides before putting these in the plan. Speed is a variable that you want to ease in to to also avoid injury.

3. You can do these on an incline anywhere from 7 - 15%. Just be sure that the incline is one that you can honestly sustain a 6-7 effort out of 10 (tempo intensity) without slowing down.

4. If your legs are limiting you before your breathing, it likely means the incline is too high. Bring it down a bit. That way, you can let your body get in the tempo zone where the aerobic benefits lie.

5. Your tempo efforts will be at a 6-7 effort level out of 10. (or 6-7 RPE - rate of perceived exertion). Think of it as the intensity you can hold for 45-75 minutes before you are forced to slow down.

Alright. Now with those guidelines out of the way. Here are some examples of some uphill treadmill tempo workouts you can use in your training:

Beginner:
20 minute warmup on flat at 2-3 RPE
3 sets of 6 minutes uphill at 6-7 RPE, with 3 minute recovery in betwen
20 minute cooldown on flat or rolling terrain at 2-3 RPE

Intermediate:
20 minute warmup on flat at 2-3 RPE
4 sets of 8 minutes uphill at 6-7 RPE, with 4 minute recovery in between
30 minute cooldown on flat or rolling terrain at 2-3 RPE

Advanced:
20 minute warmup on flat at 2-3 RPE
4 sets of 10 minutes uphill at 6-7 RPE, with 5 minute recovery in between
30 minute cooldown on flat or rolling terrain at 2-3 RPE

Expert:
20 minute warmup on flat at 2-3 RPE
4 sets of 12 minutes uphill at 6-7 RPE, with 6 minute recovery in between
30 minute cooldown on flat or rolling terrain at 2-3 RPE

These are just a few examples of some uphill treadmill workouts, and there are plenty of other variations as well, but these are great starting points. I suggest doing 1 per week if you are in a general build. Or, if you are early in your plan, and if you have a lot of speed experience, doing 2 of these per week is doable, as long as all other runs are super easy through the week. I would do no more than 2 of these in a given week though, and would likely do 0-1 per week in your final 4-6 weeks before the taper for your race.

The first one you ever do will be TOUGH. It will be hard. And you will be cursing me out. But just like with everything, you will get better at it.

So, trust the process. Trust the treadmill. Trust the tempo. And you will become a mountain goat in no time!

P.S. if you want more uphill treadmill workouts, you can check out our free cheatsheet, complete with workouts in TrainingPeaks by going to this link here!

What I’m loving in my current training

SPEED BABY, SPEED!

As you can probably guess from the above segment, I believe that speed work is such a powerful tool for ultrarunners.

And recently, I wrapped up a VO2 max speed block in my training for Western States 100M.

For context, a VO2 Max block focuses on increasing your ceiling for fitness. AKA, it allows you to increase the limit on how fit you can truly get.

And these workouts are typically at an 8-9 effort level out of 10, and very short intervals. They are intense. They hurt. And they are really tough.

But they are good for you! And if you are early into a training block for your next ultra, doing a VO2 max can be super beneficial for you.

Typically, I suggest doing a VO2 max block in your training, with 1-2 VO2 max workouts per week, with the rest of the runs being easy throughout the week. And this block would be anywhere between 2-5 weeks long - anything more than 5 weeks, you start to see diminishing returns.

And if you want an example workout, here is one for you:
20 minute warmup at 2-3 RPE
4 sets of 3 minutes at 8-9 RPE, with 3 minutes recovery in between
20 minute cooldown at 2-3 RPE

Remember, a VO2 max speed block isn’t about getting faster. It’s about raising the ceiling of fitness that you can make. Meaning, you get more bang for your buck from the higher volume training you’re going to do closer to the race.

If you’ve just been doing easy running for years, and your body is ready for it, go for a VO2 max block in your next training to make progress.

Did you know we’re putting on a race?!

That’s right! Everyday Ultra is hosting it’s first race this upcoming April 2026!

Introducing: The Desert Peak Ultra.

With 100K and 50K distances through the desert of Tucson, AZ, you’ll traverse a high peak, glide on mountain singletrack, and flow through panoramic desert views.

And the best part? This is not just a race; it’s a festival! We plan to make it a party at the start/finish, every aid station, and all along the course.

If you’re looking for an epic adventure with a community just like you, this is the race for you.

As a heads up: prices increase on February 27th, so if you want to lock in your best price, now is the time.

Hope to be partying with you in the desert in April 🏜️

Have questions about running, training, or anything else? Respond to this email and I’ll be happy to help.

Remember, endure better, every day.

- Joe 🐺