Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

I'm venturing gingerly into the field of nonfiction, led by a tentative new interest in running. I was always an anti-jogger, dubious about all that repetitive motion and the possibility of joint damage, but the few times the sun has shined this spring have found me longing for some brisk activity in the sun. Strangely enough, I seem to have crossed some invisible milestone; jogging has become enjoyable and energizing.

Naturally, a new interest means research-- what running shoes are best, how to gradually and fairly painlessly increase endurance, what's the science behind muscle development, et cetera. In the process of my research, I came across Born to Run, which is the saga of a runner/journalist doing some research himself. Christopher McDougall’s question: Why does his foot hurt?

Since he's a former war correspondent and world traveler, McDougall didn't just go to his library to research or to his doctor for diagnosis (although he did of course do both of those things). McDougall traveled and interviewed extensively in his quest for understanding, and his question grew to encompass all kinds of other questions: Why does the U.S. not produce internationally competitive runners anymore? Is being an excellent competitive runner about being more aggressive, hungry, and focused, or about being light of spirit and full of love and other mushy stuff? Why are we strapping $100 shoes to our feet when ultramarathons have been repeatedly won by guys with tire treads tied on to their feet with long leather straps?

You know what a name dropper is? McDougall is a story dropper. He packs so many odd little tidbits of information into the book that you might want to read sitting next to a computer so you can fact check. Did a Tarahumara woman from Northern Mexico really run all the way to Kansas in the 80's and then get thrown into a mental institution for 10 years because no one understood her language? Apparently, yes. I find his writing style very entertaining, but you have to be willing to go for a bit of a ride. Don't worry, it's a good one, especially if you're into running (even a little bit.) This will also appeal to those of us with serious doubts about consumer culture. (Nike gets slammed.)