Just read "BORN TO RUN"!!!!! WOW GREATEST BOOK EVER

Not An Expert wrote:

Entertaining read, I enjoyed it. And behind all the BS there is a kernel of truth—running shoes are really overbuilt, and a lot of folks could benefit from a barefoot cooldown mile on grass or set of strides 1-3 times/week.

An even better read from a real scientist (and champion ultra-runner) who really gets into both the science and the joy of running is “Why We Run” by Bernd Heinrich. For my taste, that’s the best running book ever written.

+1

No need to go barefoot, but "needing" maximally cushioned trainers with a 12mm drop is not necessary to keep away injury. Do it correctly and a pair of road racing flats will work just fine as training shoes if you so please.

Dont immediately start wearing training flats all the time on your 80 mile weeks then complain when you get injured though because you didnt learn how to do it properly

Bretta wrote:

..only took you 10 years to get around to reading it ..?!

He would read it in 9.5 years if he was on EPO

I am glad you liked it.

I think this might be the worst running book ever. This was written (or made up) by a war journalist.

Teva lost a big class action lawsuit a couple years later.

I enjoyed the book, but it was a bit uneven.

The barefoot stuff was way off - very difficult to practice.

He cites interesting research, but you have to draw your own conclusions.

Big problem is he doesn’t give a single actual example. If people are born to run then Tarahumara are terrible examples, since they actually practice all their lives. A good example is the many runners who started running late in life and quickly gained proficiency, even though their family members never ran, etc.

Spam!

Rocky Balboa the Third wrote:

I knid of get the impression that people living in mountainous country are actually running on basically rock a lot of the time rather than dirt.

Possibly, but even so, it's part rock and part dirt, not 100% pavement like most runners train in the US. Plus, on pavement, the camber is almost constant on some roads. Off road, the camber is constantly changing.

I wonder if new barefoot runners suffer more metatarsal fractures on the right foot due to the camber of roads?

As a forefoot striker who is constantly monitoring my footstrike, I noticed a few things about running in huaraches (sp?). On pavement, I noticed the camber. Over time, I felt it would result in injuries because the camber was a constant, unnatural tilt of the foot.

I could run fine otherwise, but not fast since I couldn't toe-off as well.

On dirt, the toe-off was even worse, surprisingly. The sandals required me to lift my foot rather than plantarflex it on toe-off. When I attempted to push off, it chewed up the tips of my toes. I noticed that the Vibram Five Fingers had rubber toe guards on each toe to prevent this. I only know one person who has stuck with Vibrams after the fad wore off. He's a 70-year-old trail runner who probably is running 12-minute miles.

Be careful wrote:

It was a great read, but remember the author is a journalist, not a scientist, researcher, or exercise physiologist. He is not bound by accurate scientific representation of the many articles and summaries he presents. It’s a work of fiction, read it for enjoyment but as many other barefoot craze runners have discovered, the author plays fast and loose with the facts.

this is what i came here to say

Inspired Gal in Oklahoma wrote:

I have never felt more inspired an I am very excited to start barefoot running. Wow, what a great read. If you have not read it, I can not recommended it more! Amzing!!

There's a big difference between a great book and a great idea/topic.

Shame on you for not understanding that. Grow a brain, then try reading Heart of Darkness, or Moby Dick.

Infringement anyone? wrote:

Surprised he got away with that title - it is the same title as Seb Coe’s biography .

Yes, equally irrelevant is that it was the title of a song and album by Bruce Springsteen.

Neither ultra runner nor chick wrote:

Ultra Runner Chick wrote:

Clearly a troll post. I don’t think I was able to get through half of that book it was so bad. I’m truly baffled by anyone who honestly claims it was a great book.

Not a great book, but I thought it was a pretty entertaining story. As far as running books go, one of the more compelling ones to be sure, as long as you treat it as a work of fiction.

Exactly. Luckily it reads like fiction, so treating it like fiction is easy to do.

sowhat wrote:

Infringement anyone? wrote:

Surprised he got away with that title - it is the same title as Seb Coe’s biography .

Yes, equally irrelevant is that it was the title of a song and album by Bruce Springsteen.

And the title of Bruce's autobiography, written later. Book titles can't be copyrighted.

Quick takes from someone who now only runs in minimalist/barefoot shoes:

1) Don't trust anybody claiming you'll get shin splints or that they got shin splints from running barefoot. This makes no sense. Barefoot running forces you to avoid the things that give you shin splints.

2) You'll likely run into problems in your Achilles and plantar fascia. Barefoot running taxes these more than running in typical shoes.

3) You'll likely need A LOT of time running and walking barefoot before you can put up serious mileage barefoot. (Think a couple YEARS before you can string lots of 50 mile weeks together without issue.)

4) Either (a) start with very low mileage and work up very gradually or (b) work an even smaller bit of barefoot running into your training and increase it gradually.

5) It works for me BECAUSE I don't have aspirations to get into great shape right now. A 40min run every other day is what I make time for. At this point (now after running barefoot for two years) I can do this without injury.

6) Born to Run makes its point. But many grains of salt are in order.

This^

Keep in mind that early man wasn’t navigating cement. Also, this argument about strengthening your feet is partly bogus. The arch of your foot is primarily compromised of ligaments and tendons and not muscle. If you have a lot of flexibility or rigidity, it’s genetic and is not tied to strengthening exercises. If you want to transition into forefoot running, choose a shoe with a low heel-toe drop. I’d recommend still wearing shoes.

Luv2Run wrote:

[quote]Inspired Gal in Oklahoma wrote:

Also, not even close to greatest book ever; not even in the hunt for greatest running-related book.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ once a runner takes the cake for best running book

It's a fun , easy read and McDougall is good at building the mythology around not only the Taraumara, but the American ultra-ers too--Ann Trason, Jenn Shelton, Caballo Blanco, etc. Read it for the mythologized adventure, skip the stabs at the science of running barefoot. I saw a lot of old training partners lose their seasons/goal races to the illusion that they would become endurance superstars in naked feet.

nice

I got this book on one subject at the university, then I first got to know it. True, I did not read it at all, but simply ordered work for https://edubirdie.com/ama-citation-generator and passed it, without any effort. It was just necessary to Generate Citations Automatically in AMA and at the same time decided to get the maximum mark from this book. I did not think that this book is as good as you describe it. I’ll surely read it myself.

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