Bare foot running

I seldom read running books about people’s experience of running anymore. After nearly 30 years of considering myself a runner, there really isn’t much that I haven’t experienced myself. If the book receives good enough reviews, I’ll open it up. I’ll even enjoy it. But I seldom learn anything from it.

But Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run, is an exception to the rule. It took a while for me to finally get around to reading it (for the aforementioned reasons) but when I did - I was pleasantly surprised - I actually learned a few new things about running.

The buzz over this book is about barefoot running. The gist is that, because we’ve put so much padding on our shoes - we’ve taken away from our foot’s natural ability to adapt to the road - thus causing more injuries than actually preventing them.

I haven’t completely bought into this theory. However, it certainly has caused me to experiment by running in an old pair of Nike Free’s.

The rest of the book is about ultra distance running, fun running stories and the author’s successful attempt at becoming and ultra distance runner.

It is an uplifting celebration of running and a reminder of how pleasurable the hobby can be. It’ll remind you why you drag yourself out the door everyday - pick up a copy if you haven’t already.