A friend (Thanks Shelby) sent me a link about a book he thought I would be interested in. The book "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall is-in a word-magnificent! Now most running stories or books about running/ultrarunning are brutally boring. David Horton's Book "A Quest for Adventure" is so-so, and Pam Reed's book "The Extra Mile" is downright bad. (Hey, it's my blog right?)
So what makes this book different. For starters it not just about the runners or the race. Mcdougall takes us on a journey of exploration and adventure in the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) part of Mexico, and introduces us to the Tumahara Indians who live there. For them running is not simply a sport but a way of life. They make their own shoes out of cast off tires treads and leather thongs, run farther-and faster- than most competitive ultra studs (A turamahara indian WON the Leadville 100 in 1994...wearing sandals....and he was 55 years old!)
and their diet doesn't consist of anything fancy. In fact they drink a fair amount of beer before they run. Go figure!
The book is part running science, part anthropology, part history lesson, and mostly just a well written story that pulls you along right to the end of the book. Even if you've never run a step you'll enjoy this book, but if you do run it might just change the way you think about running and training.
For a great look at the Turamahara, the Copper Canyon ultra, and the spectacular scenery of central Mexico check this out.
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