The Running Channel Podcast 127: How Hard Is It To Run A 4 Minute Mile?
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Jul 5, 2025 Dive into the thrilling pursuit of breaking the sub-four-minute mile with insights from the hosts. Discover the personal challenges of balancing running and life, along with hilarious anecdotes about car troubles. Explore the intense world of ultra marathons and the unique challenges of achieving speed, all wrapped in playful banter. Hear about the intricacies of racing etiquette and hear quirky stories from endurance events. Plus, the emotional rollercoaster athletes face during tough workouts makes for engaging conversation!
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Mental Health and Toughness Coexist
- Mental toughness and mental health struggles can coexist in elite athletes.
- Experiencing anxiety or depression does not mean an athlete is mentally weak.
Sub-4 Minute Mile Difficulty
- Running a sub-4-minute mile requires maintaining 24 km/h with near-perfect pacing.
- Technology and pacing constraints make this feat significantly harder on a track than a marathon sub-2-hour attempt.
Andy's Sub-4 Minute Experience
- Andy Baddeley ran a sub-4-minute mile every year for about 10 years during his career.
- His first sub-four was in 2004, and he was still running them post-knee surgery in 2016.