BREAKING FOUR

​By Alfredo S.​Breaking four minutes in the mile is a feat that less than 2000 people in the world, 500 or so American citizens, and 3 Puerto Ricans have accomplished, me being in company of all. Ever since Roger Bannister ran the first sub 4 minute mile in 1954, which critics deemed impossible at the time, the mile has been one of the most popular track and field events in the world. Since I started training for the Mile, in late 2016, my goal was to be a part of that history. This year on January 13th I got a chance to add my name in the track and field history books by being able to get under that Barrier. This was a huge honor for me, seeing my hard training pay off and realizing one of my most important goals.
            Training to break four was one of the toughest things I have ever done. There were days where I did not want to get out of bed and other days where I was ready for the challenge. However, I knew that if I wanted to accomplish my goal that I had to put in the work, especially when I didn’t feel like it. I had to do every little thing to motivate myself when I didn’t want to train on any particular day. I knew if I slacked off that could potentially snowball into more and more complacentness. I had to do the little things, like wake up 10 minutes early to stretch, do core, lift, etc., in order to reach my goal. These little things are what made training for that goal hard, because in a busy society the last thing you want to do is lose time on something so meager. Still, these are the things that kept me healthy and able to train.
            After a solid fall of training and staying healthy I got my first chance to get after a fast Mile on the 13th of January. My teammate, Sadiki White, agreed to rabbit me through 1000 meters in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. At about 900 meters I got antsy and passed him. I was left with just over 700 meters to run by myself, but I felt good. Lap after lap I was on pace to run under 4 minutes and the crowd was getting into it. With 200 meters to go I saw that I needed to run a 29 second last lap and from the help of the crowd, my teammates and family I was able to run 3:59.07. This meant the world to me, not only because I was able to get under the elusive barrier but because it showed that through hard work and perseverance anything is possible.  It was fun to share that moment with my family, friends and teammates who all believed in me and helped me get there. The story is not done being written, as I am trying to lower my mile PR and qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The dream goes on…