Book Review by Sheena Pearson "Born to Run"

I only ran when someone was chasing me.  I made excuses for my lack of running prowess.

            “My legs are too short!  My boobs are too big!” I lamented.  “My body is just not made for running!”

            Made for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Yes!  Made for long distance running?  Hell no!

            But in my quest to become healthier by my 30^th birthday, I vowed to conquer running.  No, I vowed to make running my bitch!

            So, I bought a pair of cute (and surprisingly comfy) running shoes and signed up for a couple of 5ks with my running friends.  I even completed an eight mile mud.  But, I couldn’t finish a single race without moaning, wanting to die or walking part of it.

            What was I doing wrong?

            “You need to regulate your breathing,” said one crazy marathoning friend.  “Once you figure that out, you can run for days.”

            So, I tried counting my breaths which only made me obsess over them which led to me hyperventilating every time I got off count! 

            “Try slowing down,” said another multi-race finisher.

            So, I slowed down.  I mean I slowed waaaaaaaaaay down.  But then, I was just going along at a snail’s pace, prolonging the monotonous, dreadful task even longer.  I just wanted to get done and over with!

            As I was lamenting about all this to my non-running gym owner, she said, “You have to read Born to Run!  It’s soooooooo good!  It’s such a riveting story with great scientific research to back up his claims.  When I finished, even I wanted to start running.”

            I grabbed the book, and boy, she was right.

            Written by journalist, Christopher McDougall, Born to Run is the story of a group of ultra-marathoners (50+ miles per race), who travel to Mexico to compete against the world’s greatest runners, the Tarahumara.  How were the Tarahumara such fantastic runners, despite the fact they lived in a harsh climate, drank too much, ran practically shoeless and (gasp!) never stretched?  Their natural diet and running upright running style allowed them to run extreme distances, sometimes running a single race over the course of days! Days, people!

            McDougall, along with his cast, are unforgettable with nicknames like Bonehead, Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted.  He does an amazing job weaving his narrative, his characters’ backstories and supporting scientific research into a rich book that will amaze any reader, runner or not.

            Born to Run is a book that you just can’t stop talking about.  The colorful cast of characters, as well as their incredible feats, is larger than life.  You can’t make this stuff up!  When I was done, I closed the book, laced up my Nike Lunars and just ran.