Vacation Reading: Born to Run

I didn’t technically read this book while on vacation, but I had to include it in this series because it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  Born to Run is about a reporter who set out to figure out the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians, an elusive tribe in deepest, darkest Mexico and some of the greatest distance runners in the world.

His premise: if our ancestors and many primitive tribes run miles upon miles upon miles without injury, why is the modern runner so afflicted by injury?

What he discovered may (or many not) surprise you.  We don’t need special equipment, fancy shoes, and physical therapists to do what our bodies were created to do naturally.  In fact, nothing has done more damage to the modern runner than the running shoe.

For me, it was just an extension of my food epiphany.  When man interferes with God’s design, everything falls apart.  (FYI, you won’t find mention of God in this book; it all comes back to nature and evolution for McDougall.)  But either way you want to look at it, it basically comes down to this — what the food industry has done to our diets, the retail industry has done to our bodies.  And we’ve fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

It was after reading Born to Run that I bought my Vibrams and my knee problems “miraculously” disappeared.  I will never go back.

(Yes, I realize that Vibrams are just one more marketing ploy to get us to spend money on something we don’t actually need, but I tried running barefoot, and I got blisters. So Vibrams, it is. Incidentally, I hear that some just run in cheap water shoes, so that’s something else to consider.)

What makes this book fascinating, though, is the story. Even if you’re not a runner, and nothing I’ve said so far has interested you, you may want to tune in now.

This is one of those stories that jumps all over the place, and you have to work hard to follow, but I love how he takes us into his own personal narrative.  That is where he sucked me in because I could relate so well. He was an unlikely runner — a large man, generally uncoordinated, but he had the running bug. He was plagued with injury and told by the best doctors in the country to stop running. But he doesn’t get it. Aren’t we, well, born to run?

That’s when he set out to discover the secrets of primitive peoples.  Throughout the story, he takes us into Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyon to meet a mysterious gringo who lives among the Tarahumara, into Harvard’s science labs to understand the physiology of running, to extreme ultrarunning trails across America, and finally back to the Copper Canyon for the climactic showdown between an eccentric group of American ultrarunners and the elusive Tarahumara.  Believe me when I say, there is never a dull moment.

The best part is, by the end of the book, McDougall becomes an ultrarunner himself — proving that there is no one particular body type that is cut out for running, and we all are, in fact, born to run.

This book is right up my alley because, as I’ve said before, I like nothing better than a true story, told in such a way that I get entirely lost in it.

As fascinating as the story is, what I love most of the book is that it gave me a new perspective about running.  Basically, if I’m not having fun, then something is wrong.  I’d probably benefit from rereading the book a couple times a year to keep that perspective.

You see, for the ultrarunner, running is pure joy.

In an interview for Amazon.com, McDougall says this:

But here’s the real key to the kingdom: you have to relax and enjoy the run. No one cares how fast you run 50 miles, so ultrarunners don’t really stress about times. They’re out to enjoy the run and finish strong, not shave a few inconsequential seconds off a personal best…as coach Eric told me, “If it feels like work, you’re working too hard.”

This has given me great freedom in my runs.  When I want to stop and walk, I do.  When I want to run slowly and evenly, I do.  When I feel like putting on some speed and taking a sprint, I do that.  I try to focus on my music and on the view around me and enjoy each moment.  Once it becomes drudgery, I remember the ultrarunners of McDougall’s book.  I try to harness their perspective and refocus my mind on the joy of the run.  It works every time.

As much as I tried to make this post a review of the book, it really keeps coming back to me.  I guess there’s really no other way for me to share about the book.  It is a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a good story; but ultimately it made such a personal impact on me that I can’t not shout it from the rooftops.

Before I read Born to Run, I was beset by knee pain and thought I was going to have to give up on running.  Now I’m out several times a week, without pain, adding to my distance, and best of all, enjoying every minute of it.

Well, okay, ALMOST every minute.

Here’s a quick video of McDougall explaining why he wrote the book and sharing his personal triumph.  It’s fun to see him in person.  He’s not really what I was expecting.  I wish I could embed it, but it only gave me the permalink code.

About Jo-Lynne Shane

Jo-Lynne Shane has written 2857 posts..

I'm a transplanted Virginian living in the suburbs of Philadelphia with my husband and three lively children and author of this mom blog. When I'm not buried under piles of laundry, you will mostly likely find me with my nose stuck in a book or hanging out on Twitter: JoLynneS.

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