I'm training to run a faster mile.
Is 4x800m @ mile pace with 1 minute rest a strong workout or am I doing too much?
I'm training to run a faster mile.
Is 4x800m @ mile pace with 1 minute rest a strong workout or am I doing too much?
That's probably an impossible workout. I would be astonished if a world class runner could do that, and they recover much faster than your average runner. 3-4x800 at mile pace can be a good workout, but you should take probably 4 or 5 minutes recovery between each. Honestly, if you want to run a fast mile, I recommend just doing rolling 200s: run a 200 at mile pace then a 200 jog, repeat maybe 12-16 times to start. It's not an incredibly difficult workout, but it gets you used to running a high volume at mile pace, keeps your respiration rate up between reps, and will make you faster. To make it harder, you can either do more (I wouldn't do more than 20-24 though) or you can make some reps faster (I'd recommend doing every 4th rep at 800 pace).
Should the 800m reps be at your goal mile pace (short term goal) or faster than your goal mile pace?