Roger Banister is famous for breaking the four-minute mile
mark. It was a record that runners had chased for decades to no avail. It was
thought by many that it was impossible for a human to run a mile that fast. It
was also thought that if it was somehow accomplished that the running
conditions would have to be perfect. Yet when he broke the record it was a cold
wet day. Yet on the day he did it more than a record was broken. He showed the
world what was possible. A month and half later John Landry broke the four-minute
mile and then thirteen months later three runners in the same race no less
broke the four minute mile. Now-a-days even high schoolers run sub four-minute
miles. It was Roger Bannister, however,
who showed us all a new possibility. A physical activity went from impossible
to possible for all who followed. It is sometimes called the “Bannister
Effect”.
Think about his impact of changing the mindset and creating
a new possibility for all runners to follow. Think about the impact if
something that seemed far flung or even impossible now becomes very possible to
you personally. That happened to me with my friend Richard. He gave me a new
vision about being older. I never really thought about what it would be like to
be in my 60’s. 70’s, 80’s or even my 90’s.
Being old just happens. You don’t really plan for it even
though it is inevitable. You work until you retire. Then you do what retired
people do. You look around and see what people who are older are doing. That
seems to be the only options available to you. They seem to have fun as long as
they have a nest egg and good health (Though all seem to have some medical
issue.). Active ones play golf, swim, walk, play cards, join a book club or
senior citizens organization. I was fearing getting old because I couldn’t
picture myself having a more sedentary lifestyle. My father was always working
in his yard or the garage doing physical labor until cancer took him in his
eighties. My mother is very spry and alert at 96. So maybe genetically sitting
around is not for me. Yet the options did not inspire me to look forward to
retirement.
I did begin to think about being in my 70’s when I turned
fifty. I was in fairly good shape but not great shape. I decided I wanted to
hike mountains when I retire and not just look at them or drive up to the top. So,
I began training to be 75.
I began running and doing various races from Tough Mudder’s
and Spartan to trail races. I knew however I had a limited time to do this,
that Father Time (If you want to read about my battles with Father
Time read this blog.)would one day put a stop to my fun. As part of my
fitness training, I joined an online group that set a goal of running and/or
walking 1,000 miles in a year. Something that is very doable. The site had a
few articles and a leaderboard and also a discussion page.
In the discussion page there was not a ton of posts, but I enjoyed it and after a while there were a few of us that were regulars. I enjoyed my online banter with Cynthia, Debby, and Richard. We always stayed positive and encouraged each other to reach our goals. In the years we were doing this Richard always amazed me. You see Richard was in his 90’s. I remember at the end of February I was doing about 100 miles per month and was feeling pretty impressed with myself, until I looked up and Richard was ahead of me!
Richard not only walked and ran a lot, but he also competed
in master track events. Usually placing in the various events whether it be a
100 meter dash, long jump, or 200 meter race. He was still an athlete.
That is why Richard changed me. He showed me that he was an
athlete even after the age of 90. That was not something I thought was an
option or even possible. Sure, I had seen YouTube clips of 80- and 90-year-olds
finishing a race but this was different. Richard and I regularly communicated
with each other. Even after the website went defunct, we stayed in contact. As
Richard would say “We were unseen friends.” We had a connection, so his feats
really hit home and had an impact.
I now decided that I was an athlete but that was not a
temporary label but a permanent self-image of myself. I finally knew what I
would do when or if I retire. I would still enter races and compete. I would
run till I couldn’t anymore. I now knew what was possible not for others but
for me. Like those runners pursuing the sub four-minute mile after Roger
Bannister They knew that their dream was attainable. That gives you confidence
to strive for your goal. Richard did that for me.
So I may retire from work but not from competing. I don’t
expect to win many if any events, but I can still compete. Like the runners who
followed Roger Bannister they had a different mindset I had new mindset about
getting old. From my way of thinking getting old is all about your mindset.
One of the things I pride myself on in my races is that I
always like to finish strong. Running the last mile or so with whatever energy
I have left. I don’t want to walk or just slowly trod across the finish line. This
even though it will not change my place in the standings. There is a high at
the finish line when you know that you have given it your all. I know that this
sounds trite, but I want to end my life the same way. I don’t want my final
years being sedentary and slow moving. I want it to end like the race. Me
always pushing my body and mind to do more.
Now Richard was impressed with my tough trail races and
ultra-marathons but what I never told him was his impact on me. I recently
finished first in my age group in a tough trail marathon. (Actually, it was 28
miles.) That was not because I was particularly fast but because I was the only
one in that age group. I hope that maybe, just maybe, in the future one or two
people who are younger than me will see a man in his 60’s running in these
races and say hey I was going to stop but if this old guy can do so can I –
after all it is possible. Sometimes all we need to push ourselves is to know
that something is possible. Thank you, Richard.
