Roger Bannister’s 4-Minute Mile – How To Destroy Mental Barriers
Roger Bannister’s 4-minute mile was a surreal moment in sporting history.
For many years, running a mile in under 4 minutes was considered physically ‘impossible’ and many people attempted the feat but fell short.
However, on the 6th of May 1954, a British runner broke the record.
After breaking the record, many competitors were able to run a mile in under 4 minutes.
What was impossible was shown to be possible and this gave faith to other runners.
This ‘Bannister Effect’ happens often in the sporting world.
But what led Bannister to being the first person to break the record?
Clearly there were dozens of runners, some even better equipped than Bannister to beat the record.
The answer comes from how Bannister reprogrammed his subconscious mind for success.
Roger Bannister’s 4-minute mile – The Power of Belief
If you do not believe that something is possible, then you might as well not attempt the thing.
Your belief is the starting point of success.
Initially, Bannister’s belief in someone running the 4-minute mile was very little.
In his autobiography The First Four Minutes we can see the progression of his belief.
The belief starts off small with him merely entertaining the idea for fun.
“The possibility of the four-minute mile was again mooted. I was full of doubt, but it costs nothing to talk about such things.”
It costs nothing to think big
Despite not believing he could break the 4-minute mile, Bannister was not opposed to entertaining the idea of it being done.
This is an important step in destroying mental barriers.
When you begin to use your imagination your subconscious starts to work for you.
The object of your attention will start attracting more things in relation to it.
You will notice strange coincidences, and the right circumstances will appear in your life to help you move towards the imagined ideal.
“By a strange coincidence it happened that the round figure of four minutes was just below the existing world record for the mile, and seemed to stand as a barrier to future progress in that event.”
The more Bannister contemplated the 4-minute mile, the more it started to make sense.
Find proof that it can be done
“Wherever I went after John Landy’s two races, the inevitable question was broached. Was it possible for a man to run a mile in four minutes? To me the answer was obvious. Of course, as a result of more competition and better training, men would gradually run miles in faster and faster times, until four minutes was reached. Nor would the progress stop there.”
Bannister noticed his rival, the Australian John Landy, was encroaching on the record.
This made him believe that it was simply a matter of time before someone would break it.
It’s hard to have faith when there is no evidence or proof that what you’re trying to do can be done.
In some cases what you’re trying to do might never have been done before.
This is when you must find evidence of something similar being done in other fields or industries.
Consider the Wright Brothers who were told that a flying machine could not be invented.
They disregarded the naysayers because there was plenty of proof that a flying machine could work.
Before the airplane, there were plenty of birds, blimp airships and hot air balloons.
Although these things were not exactly the same as a plane, they proved the concept was possible.
Elon Musk believes man could go to Mars because man has allegedly been to the Moon.
If something similar has been done before, use it as fuel to build your faith.
Accepting the Challenge
The last part of building belief is accepting the challenge.
In Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey framework, this is called the ‘Call to Adventure’.
“To say, however, ‘Four minutes is only a time’ was presumptuous, unless I had an answer for the inevitable follow-up question – ‘Well, if it’s possible, why don’t you do it?’”
— Roger Bannister
Bannister accepted the challenge and decided that he was going to be the one to break the record.
The subconscious mind loves firm decisions which are made from emotion.
When a man’s kids say they don’t want to hug him anymore because he stinks of cigarette smoke, it becomes easy for that man to quit.
The emotion of the situation gives the decision power.
It becomes effortless to commit to the ideal.
Roger Bannister Subconscious Mind Work for 4-Minute Miles
One of Bannister’s secret weapons is a tool used by many top athletes.
He used the power of visualization to help program his mind for success.
“I always did this before an important race or record attempt. These precautions may make no difference, but in those last hours before a race I always imagine I must not neglect any assistance, however slight.”
This habit helped him overcome the mental game of racing.
“Racing has always been more of a mental than a physical problem to me.”
The mind has the power to weaken the body from disempowering thoughts.
In a race in which every second counts, you cannot afford to have a weak mind.
A few seconds of doubt can lower your pace and destroy your chances of winning.
The same goes for any pursuit in which excellence is the goal.
Negative thought patterns and self-talk can lead to self-sabotage.
The entrepreneur who wants to close a deal with a big client but doesn’t check his self-talk will find himself saying something stupid during a meeting.
The actor who lands the perfect role will break their leg whilst snowboarding.
The subconscious mind has elaborate ways of fulfilling your unconscious desires.
This is why visualization is so important, it gives the mind direction.
It clearly worked for Bannister, because he claims he visualized himself running the 4-minute mile every night for weeks before he did it.
“Each night in the week before the race there came a moment when I saw myself at the starting line. My whole body would grow nervous and tremble. I ran the race over in my mind. Then I would calm myself and sometimes get off to sleep.”
The Power of a Mentor
Mentors are authority figures, and their advice often penetrates our subconscious mind.
This can be seen in the Pygmalion effect.
Before deciding to run the 4-minute mile, Bannister consulted one of his mentors, the coach Franz Stampfl.
“Franz understood my apprehension. He thought I was capable of running a mile in 3 minutes 56 seconds, or 3.57, so he could argue convincingly that it was worthwhile making the attempt.”
This belief from Franz undoubtedly gave Bannister the boost he needed to know that he could be the first man to break the 4-minute mile.
Franz told him a story about another runner.
“I remember J.J. Barry in Ireland. He ran a 4 minute 8 second mile without any training or even proper food – simply because he had the will to run. Later in America where he was given every facility and encouragement, he never ran a fast race. In any case, what if this were your only chance?’”
When Bannister talked to Franz, he was having concerns about running that day due to the wind.
He ultimately decided to run and was able to break the record that day.
What if Bannister hadn’t talked to Franz?
Would he have committed to running?
Would he have had the same resolve?
Perhaps not.
This is why mentors are necessary when you are looking to break mental barriers.
They will show you what you can do and make you perform at your full potential.
Master your mind
What allowed Roger Bannister to run the 4-minute mile was his mind.
He strengthened it by allowing himself to first entertain the idea of the feat being possible.
He then rehearsed the feat in his mind for months whilst training the physical body.
Finally, he consulted with mentors who were ready to encourage him.
You can use the same methods to achieve the impossible.
Do this, and you will be one step closer to living and dying well.