Required Reading: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Non-fiction)

Born to Run is a study in ultrarunning and the masters of this art, the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico.  Author Christopher McDougall began his intensive research of running for personal reasons: his feet hurt while running.  No matter what running shoes he bought, what expert he consulted, he couldn't seem to solve the problem.  His research led him to the Tarahumara, the Running People, who could run literally for days in the hot, treacherous canyons of Mexico in only handmade sandals. McDougall traveled to Mexico where he searched out the mysterious Caballo Blanco, an American who had moved to the Tarahumara region to learn the ways of the mysterious tribe.  McDougall learns that Caballo Blanco wants to set up the race of all races: a fifty mile race across the canyons pitting the Tarahumara against some of the best ultrarunners from  the US.  McDougall's involvement leads him into the world of ultrarunning and running research where he learns that, despite the common belief, humans were born to run and that modern advancements in running shoes have not helped but hindered our attempts.  McDougall begins Tarahumara style training and ultimately overcomes his foot pain and completes Caballo Blanco's fifty mile race.

I am not a non-fiction reader or a runner, so I wasn't overly excited about reading Born to Run.  However, when I started reading, it was actually much more intriguing than I would have ever thought.  The Tarahumara are a fascinating tribe, and there is much to be learned from their way of life that has nothing to do with running (well, perhaps, as McDougall would argue, it has everything to do with running).  The book almost made me want to become a runner--almost. It did make me rethink the whole idea of the expensive running shoes on the market.  The idea that all that cushioning that I have always thought was better for my feet is actually making my feet weaker really makes perfect sense.  Though I'm not a runner, I am a teacher, and I'm on my feet quite a bit.  I've always thought that the more cushioning in my shoes, the better my feet would feel after a long day, but perhaps, after reading Born to Run, I need to rethink that theory.  Apparently I also need to rethink my insistence that my husband by new tennis shoes for basketball rather than continuing to wear his favorite old, worn in pair.  I was interested, too, in the discussion of plantar fasciitis, a common runner's injury, because my mother is actually suffering from this painful problem right now.  She, too, always tries to buy shoes that are supportive and cushioned and, perhaps, that's part of her problem.  She has actually weakened her foot by doing so and made herself more prone to falls and to tears in her plantar fascia. It's all very interesting, and I may have to put some of the theories to the test.  The best part, though, is the fact that I gleaned so much useful information from the book despite the fact that I have no interest in running (unless I were being chased), let alone ultrarunning, which I truly think is rather insane.

Now, to be completely honest, there are parts of the book that I feel could be cut.  The book does get long and is time-consuming to read.  Personally, I was more interested in the story than the research.  I really felt that some of the research tangents McDougall went on could have been left out.  While they do provide support for argument for following the Tarahumara way of life, they sometimes become tedious to read and take away from the real story, and the real story is what will attract and keep readers who aren't avid runners. Still, the book was a national best-seller, so apparently not everyone would agree with my complaints.

References

McDougall, C. (2009).  Born to run. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.