Born to Run

I had seen a mention of the book along the way, I can't recall exactly where. And then we saw it in a bookstore near Pioneer Square in Seattle in late November.

However it wasn't until prompted by two friends did I look it up at the library and brought it home.

It's interesting, I think, how a book says different things to different people.

I found the book a bit tough to get into.

It's the story of Christopher McDougall's journey into the world of ultrarunning. Within the story is his search for the reason why his foot hurts?

He mixes comments from doctors, research by a range of academics and explores the world of the Tarahumara Indians who live in Mexico's remote Copper Canyon.

He challenges us to rethink what we eat, how much we eat, how we run, the shoes we run in and why running is as innate to humans as breathing.

It's a good read.

One passage that caught my attention was the basic running advice from the guy who had befriended the Tarahumara.

"Think Easy, Light, Smooth and Fast. You start with easy, because if that's all you get, that's not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don't give a sh.. how high the hill is or how far you've got to go. When you've practiced that so long that you forget you're practicing, you work on making it smooooooth. You won't have to worry about the last one - you get those three, and you'll be fast."

I'll stop there - time for a run.