3:59.4

In Oxford for the day, checking in with Matty before moving on to London.
A beautiful city and spoilt for choice with my photos, but as I walked to my B&B down Iffley Road, I thought I know that name from somewhere. A train of thought had started at lunch with Matt and his friend as they talked things Maths and Physics way beyond their recent A Level, way,way beyond me.

I called in at Iffley Road track, I knew that this was my blip for the day.
The sub 4 minute mile was thought by many to be beyond mans ability, for 9 years having seen it fall to 4:01 people tried and failed then a 25 year old medical student stepped up and for the first time ran a mile in under 4minutes. His talent yes, but also previsualisation and meticulous preparation not only saw the barrier broken but also changed things for a whole generation of runners. In the following year the 4 minute barrier was broken 24 times. For me it is this fact that fascinates me. I can easily grasp that we stand on the shoulders of giants when it comes to intellectual achievement, but this story speaks of the notion of possibility and those barriers we construct as individuals and society. His talent and fitness were not transferable to others, but the deconstructing of a psychological limitation was.

Roger Bannister continued and had a career in academic medicine, when asked about his proudest achievement he described it as this rather than that famous day on the Iffley road track.

I wonder what the equivalent "4 min mile barriers" are in my head.