Born to Run

After reading this book, I was dying to go for a long run. I remembered the runners high I felt the first time I ran home from high school. Running was a source of freedom and pure pleasure. I remember feeling this pure enjoyment again on a 15 mile run. It was only supposed to be 5 miles, but the runners high and the pure enjoyment kept me going back for more. This is the running the book describes, not "training runs" or workouts, but pure pleasure runs.

The focus is on Mexico's Tarahumara tribe. They run long distances as part of their normal life, with only flimsy foot coverings, yet never seem to get injuries (or "old person" diseases.) From their, the author delves in to long distance running, anatomy and physiology and evolution. The conclusion? Humans were born to run, says biologist David Bramble. Homo sapiens have the bodies to complete long runs. They may not be as fast as other animals, but they can outlast them. Humans can breathe multiple times per stride, release heat through sweat and continue a moderate aerobic pace over long distances. Human feet also seem to be configured well for long distance running. Athletic shoes tend to be a leading cause of athletic injuries, often fighting problems that never existed. Most important of all, to really succeed in running, a runner needs to enjoy it. A runner having fun can go further and longer than a runner running for glory or simply to complete a goal.

In the course of reaching these conclusions, the history of "ultramarathons" (like the Leadville Trail 100) is discussed along with profiles of many ultramathon champions. The pinnacle is the "Copper Canyon" run staged by Caballo Blanco in the Tarahumara homeland in Mexico. The author participated here along with the locals and some champion racers from the United States. (A local ended up winning, but not without a close fight.) The story is told in a dramatic fashion, but still filled with interesting facts.