Roger Bannister has died
bbc.com
bbc.com
https://books.google.com/books?id=ka0TDQAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=ro...
Your inner geek can also publish your Strava runs to a Jekyll blog (shameless plug: http://code.dblock.org/2018/02/17/auto-publishing-strava-run...) :)
The world isn't black and white. It can be information and be tacky.
This is a less offensive case, given that the person had a long life and died under fairly positive circumstances; but what if someone used a public shooting to spin sales into their gun safe company? What if a company that engraved tombstones hung around sites of mass tragedies offering free catalogs to the bereaved?
At what point does trying to spin someones personal tragedy into your own gain or profit turn tacky? To me : instantly. To others : it varies.
Personally I very much DO want to know if a person giving me advice stands to gain from it. You can use that information to filter out perceived biases and make better decisions oneself.
Run with proper form, don't ramp mileage and intensity too fast. Humans are built for long distance running.
I prefer cycling. Running has wrecked me multiple times (100m & 200m training). I'm not built for long distance which is a shame because I could hold pace with the best amateurs over middle distances when fit (sub 3 min kms).
Humans evolved on the plains of Africa, hunting animals by running them down to exhaustion[1].
I think some of the bare foot running purists become cult-like in their views, but I think Chris Mcdougall's "Born to Run"[2] book is worth reading and thinking about. It's an easy, well written and entertaining read too.
[1] Watch the amazing Attenborough clip of them running an healthy, fully grown male antelope down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826HMLoiE_o
[2] http://www.chrismcdougall.com/born-to-run/the-barefoot-runni...
But nor is it settled that running causes damage, and I think the endurance running hypothesis provides an interesting reason to consider the counter-case.
For one, AFAIK humans rarely aged beyond 40 in those times, so it is entirely feasible that the accumulated wear and tear starts to hurt the joints after that age.
Its funny back in the day, there were rumors that a person would die if they ran that fast, but this is also the same time when smoking cigarettes was a training method.
It reminds me how many of our limits are mental and if you think you can't you definitely can't. But if you think you can, just maybe you will...
I love reading about the 4 minute mile. So many phenomenal athletes mentioned in this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-minute_mile
> It reminds me how many of our limits are mental and if you think you can't you definitely can't. But if you think you can, just maybe you will...
There is an article here debunking the idea that breaking the 4 minute barrier had any psychological effect on other runners:
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/the-roger-bannister-...
TLDR - the mile record times at that period closely track the 1500m times, which had no similar 'psychological' barrier. Also the impact of WW2 had slowed down record breaking leading up to that time.
Instead, it's about knowing what's possible and attainable. It's akin to the story of George Dantzig, who solved two unsolved problems in statistical theory because he believed them to be mundane homework problems.
Put it this way: how can something that had never been done before 1954 is now considering a very basic benchmark? I would argue that it's precisely because it is considered a basic benchmark that it is so common. If you know something can be done, that makes it easier to train to. If you know something is commonly done, then all the more.
Of course, that goes for any record/benchmark, but Bannister's 4 minute mile seems like a particularly significant one.
Here in Raleigh, NC there is a once a year commmunity event where a handful of elite runners are invited to run a 4 minute mile. The women are invited to run under 4:30. For the 4 weeks leading up to the event, there are “pop-ups” around town where us mere mortals get to run. The best runners are invited to run with the elites on the big night. It’s a free event with a few hundred in attendance and we get to stand on the track, leaving just the 4 inside lanes clear. These guys (and the women in their race) are practically flying.
Anyway, the mile isn’t run all that often as an event any more, but maybe there’s a similar event in your area if you look for it.
Watching the rare times a pro will take it to sub 3:50 is nuts. Many good athletes in most HS sports can usually run anywhere from 13-14s for the 100m. That's keeping pace.
[1] http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2008/12/speed_...
”There's a gentle irony to it. I have seen and looked after patients with so many neurological and other disorders that's why I am not surprised I have acquired an illness.
"It's in the nature of things. I am being well looked after and I don't intend to let it interfere - as much as I can."