Born to Run by Chris McDougall
Probably one of the most discussed books about running that has been widely on the market in recent years, there are no doubt so many online reviews of it that I doubt this one is really adding much to the debate! Born to Run by Chris McDougall is often cited as being the text that kicked off the whole barefoot running craze (which recently appears to have blown over in favour of a return to ‘maximallism’; proof yet again that you just need to experiment and find what’s right for you!), but really, I think non-runners will get just as much from it as at its heart is simply a damn good story. The book details the experiences of the author as a journalist following a band of eccentric (real life) characters whom, amongst other things, travel to run an ultramarathon in competition with the Tarahumara community of Northwest Mexico. The Tarahumara are now pretty famous in the west, especially amongst runners, and are especially well known for their apparently innate athletic abilities and their tendencies to run distances that are to many unimaginable, in loose, flowing clothing and homemade sandals after long nights of heavy drinking.
You may not learn much from this book in terms of running technique or fuelling strategies (though I predict a temptation to nip to your local health food shop to experiment with chia seeds!) but it can be safely described as a page turner. There are actually one or two chapters later in the book that do go into a bit more detail about the logic behind barefoot running, as well as a very interesting theory about human endurance running performance and why we seem to be so good at it as a species.
I can honestly say that reading this book inspired my first attempt at a cross-country run (albeit a much wetter and muddier experience than the hot, sizzling South American ones as described by McDougall!) and I was genuinely sorry when I finished it (the book that is, not the wet, muddy run). I wouldn’t be surprised if, as I did, you then went off to hunt down a ‘spin off’ book from one of your favourite personalities featured in the story. You may even head out to your local park and kick off your trainers!
Probably one of the most discussed books about running that has been widely on the market in recent years, there are no doubt so many online reviews of it that I doubt this one is really adding much to the debate! Born to Run by Chris McDougall is often cited as being the text that kicked off the whole barefoot running craze (which recently appears to have blown over in favour of a return to ‘maximallism’; proof yet again that you just need to experiment and find what’s right for you!), but really, I think non-runners will get just as much from it as at its heart is simply a damn good story. The book details the experiences of the author as a journalist following a band of eccentric (real life) characters whom, amongst other things, travel to run an ultramarathon in competition with the Tarahumara community of Northwest Mexico. The Tarahumara are now pretty famous in the west, especially amongst runners, and are especially well known for their apparently innate athletic abilities and their tendencies to run distances that are to many unimaginable, in loose, flowing clothing and homemade sandals after long nights of heavy drinking.
You may not learn much from this book in terms of running technique or fuelling strategies (though I predict a temptation to nip to your local health food shop to experiment with chia seeds!) but it can be safely described as a page turner. There are actually one or two chapters later in the book that do go into a bit more detail about the logic behind barefoot running, as well as a very interesting theory about human endurance running performance and why we seem to be so good at it as a species.
I can honestly say that reading this book inspired my first attempt at a cross-country run (albeit a much wetter and muddier experience than the hot, sizzling South American ones as described by McDougall!) and I was genuinely sorry when I finished it (the book that is, not the wet, muddy run). I wouldn’t be surprised if, as I did, you then went off to hunt down a ‘spin off’ book from one of your favourite personalities featured in the story. You may even head out to your local park and kick off your trainers!
