Running a 3 Minute Mile

I went to the gym today and it turns out I can run a 3 minute mile. Considering the world record is nearly 45 seconds better, this was astounding to me. My previous fastet mile was about 5:30 in high school, and generally people my age (33) slow down a bit in that event, so while I knew I could run faster than I had, and thought maybe the 5 minute mile was a possibility, I never thought about 4:00, or even 4:30, I'm not even sure 3:00 existed.

Nevertheless, according to the trainer I spent an hour with today it is possible and for one simple reason, everything I'm doing with my body, I'm doing absolutely wrong. Having learned the secrets I've learned, it's a wonder I'm able to get out of bed in the morning without crippling myself to tell you the truth.

Now, I know I've never been in the best shape but even at 172 lbs I could break 6:00 last year, I always figured losing 30 lbs would get me to 5:00. If I spent some more time in the gym and consistently did speedwork, that could even get me down to 4:30. However, I can do much much more.

For instance, I don't even walk right, and a lot of my other mechanics are off. My flexibility is hellishly bad according to Chris the trainer, and let's not forget about my ankles which were never that strong to begin with. All of that has to be worth another minute, and that gets me down to.... 3:30. That aint so shabby.

Ok, maybe it's not a 3:00 minute mile, but it's still the world record by 13 seconds or so, and that's plenty good enough to me. Damn, I never even knew I would have a shot at it, so I can't complain. I'm off to the hash to start my training.