How To Overcome Physical And Mental Barriers.

As a means of inter-village communication, transportation, and hunting, Mexico’s Northwest tribe the Tarahumara have developed a tradition of long-distance running, sometimes up to 200 miles in one go. They call themselves Rarámuri which translates to “the running people.” Their long distance running isn’t made easier by the terrain they call home.

The Sierra Madre mountains are rugged, complex, and adorned with footpaths the Rarámuri have worn into the land. Wearing sandals made from deerskin or found tyres (Huaraches), these super athletes break all preconceived notions of human physical potential.

What is their super athlete diet you ask? During harvest, they consume corn beer increasing hydration and glycogen status — high in carbohydrates. Beans are one of their protein staples and are often taken with them on long journeys. And meat such as fish chicken and squirrel constitutes less than 5% of their diet. Hydration. High Protein. And the slightest sliver of meat. Noted.

Physical and mental barriers.

A four-minute mile means completing a mile run (1,760 yards, or 1,609.344 metres) in less than four minutes. It means running at 15 miles per hour. Or 22 feet per second. But there was a time where this was a huge barrier.

After Roger Bannister beat the almost impossible record of under four minutes a mile in 1954, it stopped becoming a huge barrier and in the last 50 years the mile record has been lowered by almost 17 seconds, and currently stands at 3:43.13.

Pain is a friend.

37 runners broke the four-minute mile after Roger did.