about this speeding up thing, i managed to speed up from 440 notes a min(7 a second) to 760 a min(about 13) in one month, just shredding, and running through the chromatic scale for ages, even when i was downstairs watchingTV + stuff, I'd be doin it, walkin around the house with ya guitar. Pretty sad I know but hey it worked. My advice is to set your sights really high, I saw malmsteen as my target, and i acheived it.

So chromatic runs, alternate picking and lotsa a practice, as much as possible