Born to Run

I love to read non-fiction, so most of my recommendations here will likely be from that genre. I find that life truly is stranger than fiction, and what better book to illustrate that fact than "Born to Run" by Christopher Macdougall.

In this book, Macdougall discusses the modern history of running, as well as explores what makes great runners great. He becomes involved with the Tarahumara, a Mexican tribe who can run 40 miles in a day without any physical repercussions. Along the way he discusses motivations and personality traits of ultramrathoners like Scott Jurek and others.

A runner myself, I was really surprised at the wealth of information (stats and studies) he relays about the effectiveness of running shoes and how they may harm more than help. I'm not ready to do barefoot running on the hot, concrete streets of Southeast Texas yet, but what I've learned in this book will figure prominently in the next pair of running shoes I purchase.

I am not finished with this book yet; it starts off slowly, but it is picking up momentum and I find myself not wanting to put it down.