Commentary by Rick Rodriguez
Reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/ in his book, Born to Run, Christopher McDougall contends that barefoot running is natural to us humans and in fact running shoes are the cause of some if not all our running injuries. Moreover, he believes all of us are runners as he emphatically states "we don't stop running because we get old" rather "we get old because we stop running." Of course, I can appreciate those passages but even as an avid runner since I was virtually a kid, it is with some ambivalence that I approach these ideas.
(Born to Run P. 92 McDougall )"How do you flip the internal switch that changes us all of us into The Natural Born Runners we once were. Not just in our history, but in our own lifetimes. Remember? Back when you were a kid and you had to be yelled at to slow down? Every game you played, you played at top speed, sprinting like crazy as you kicked cans, freed all, and attacked jungle outposts in your neighbor's backyards. Half the fun of doing anything was doing it at a record pace, making it probably the last time in your life you'd ever be hassled for going too fast." Now, as I've aged, I blame my lack of speed on age yet as soon as my training levels increase speed and endurance come back quickly. So, even as I age, I can concur with one of the Author's contentions--I've stayed younger because I run!
Born to Run is an adventure story and part exploration into the art of running. The story is part McDougall’s investigative reporting into an indigenous culture of the isolated Mexican region known as Copper Canyons. The people, known as the Tarahumara, live in this isolated region with a culture mostly unchanged from their ancestors. They live in caves and small cliff dwellings. They are known for their ability to hide and disappear when approached, giving them an almost ghost like quality. And they are known to run. They have been famed for their ability to run gracefully, effortlessly, and with seemingly unending energy over amazing distances. Running is a part of their culture, it is a means of transportation, and it is also a social outlet and a way of staying healthy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Canyon
So when the kid, our guide, hit the hilly trails of Puerto Vallarta, and broke into an immediate sprint up the hill, I followed figuring the kid was trying to lose us. He wasn't. But, he was doing what comes natural to him even as he bolted across rocks, boulders, pebbles and the uneven surface of his natural environment. I watched in amazement as this kid leaped on small boulders and crushed the pebbles beneath his hardened bare soles!
Though I read this book long ago, rereading this post causes me to think about rekindling my running endeavors; as in days of the past. Oh, I still run but compete less than in the past when 10k's, half and full marathons were part of my yearly regimen. The challenge remains, as always, conquering me. My mind recalls past struggles and contemplates future challenges. (Born to Run McDougall P.242-243) "The brain is always scheming to reduce costs, get more for less, store energy and have it ready for an emergency," Bramble (a collaborator) explained. "You've got this fancy machine, and its controlled by a pilot who's thinking, Okay, how can I run this baby without using any fuel?' You and I know how good running feels because we've made a habit of it." But lose the habit, and the loudest voice in your ear is your ancient survival instinct urging you to relax. And there's the bitter irony: our fantastic endurance gave our brain food (interesting!) it needed to grow, and now our brain is undermining our endurance." That last sentence is the key to this paragraph and in fact a component of the Author's contentions. I won't expound on that here. For that, read the book, and it will be there. Ready for discovery! And, perhaps, it may provide the impetus to retrace steps back to the beginning where running was an endless habit. A habit perhaps taken for granted!
This book will be enjoyed best by runners historical buffs, endurance athletes, or those interested in getting back to where they were before--running-- as a kid! Moreover, the story is engaging and maintains interest from start to finish!
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is 287 Pages. I read it in January 2010.
