In 1954, Roger Bannister did the previously unthinkable. He ran a mile in under four minutes. Six weeks later, his chief rival John Landy, did the same thing, and bettered Bannister's performance.
Thirteen months later, three other runners broke four minutes. Bear in mind that this had been considered impossible for as long as there had been time-keeping at track meets.
A mile is not a sprint. The runner doles out his performance in such a way as to maximize his overall speed without exhausting him too early.
The stories of Bannister and those other guys strongly suggest that what we think we can do strongly influences what we can do. On the other hand, fatigue is a defense that can keep us from overstressing our hearts or tipping over into hyperthermia. How much should we listen to our body when it tells us that we're tired?
GUESTS:
- Shankara Newton has been teaching yoga for over 28 years. He’s also is in private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist
- Alex Hutchinson is a freelance science journalist and a columnist for Runner’s World and Outside Magazine writes their Sweat Science blog. He’s also the author of “Which Comes First: Cardio or Weights,” and wrote the December 12 article, “What Is Fatigue?” for The New Yorker which inspired this show
- Samuele Marcora is a professor of Exercise Physiology and head of the Endurance Research Group at the University of Kent
- Kent Tremaine is an endurance athlete featured in the documentary, “Desert Runners” and is a personal trainer at New Leaf in the UK
