Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Born to Run

So I've just finished the book Born to Run and I absolutely loved it.  Here's my short review.



The book follows the story of the author McDougall who is a writer, and his athletic journeys followed by continual injuries that repeatedly put him on the sidelines.  Without giving away the good details he's able to find the story of how one man recruits "the worlds greatest runners," the Tarahumara indians from the Copper Canyons of Mexico to run in a famous 100 mile run in Leadville, Colorado.  After dominating the race for a few years wearing only homemade sandals and practically no clothes they retreat to their wilderness to never return.
McDougall continues his story as he tries to track down this "hidden" tribe to learn their secrets, no just for himself, but for all the world.  On the trail he meets a gringo that has left American society to live like these natives adopting all their cultural habits and especially their running!  The story develops as this gringo, Caballo Blanco (white horse) and McDougall recruit top notch ultrarunners to compete against the legendary Tarahumara indians and a 50 mile race.  The only catch is that it's going to be held on their turf (or dirt) in the infamous Copper Canyons Mexico.

This book has really motivated me not just to run but to get in better shape.  I just crossed 200 lbs yesterday for the 1st time in 3-4 years and I'm hoping to continue to improve my fitness.  With a kid on the way I don't want anything (especially physical) to hold me back.   I started training around Christmas weighing in at 218 (my highest EVER).

Here's one of the Tarahumara runners (on the right obviously). 

1 comments:

Molly said...

That looks awesome James! How are you and Shelby doing? I miss that girl! You guys can check out my blog too! See ya!