I get asked for book recommendations constantly. This is a good thing, as there’s nothing I’d rather talk about.
Over the last few months, whenever anyone says, “Now, if there was one–”
And at this point I interrrupt and say “Born To Run. You have to read Born To Run.”
“–book that I–”
“Born To Run. Read it.”
The best book I’ve read in the last 5 years
I am not kidding, despite reading way more fiction than non-fiction, despite reading about four books each week, and despite the fact that I’d prefer to have syphilis than run around the block. (I am trying to run about a mile each week, but I really do hate it).
What’s it about? What’s in it?
- The history of running and how it has contributed to our evolution
- The Tarahumara, a South American tribe whose culture is built around running for extremely long distances
- Vibram Five Fingers
- A story about some decapitated heads being rolled out onto the floor of a discotheque, much to the dismay of the clubbers
- The story of the runner Zatopek, which might be the most touching story of an Olympic Gold Medal that you’ll ever read
- A mildly unhinged white man named Caballo Blanco who winds up living with the Tarahumara and becoming an ultra-distance runner and setting up a race between the tribe and America’s elite ultra-runners
- A history of ultra-running in America. Some of the play by play recountings of the races are as good as any fight from Rocky I-VI
You can probably tell if you’re interested or not, but let me just say that more than any of that, it’s just a fun read. A page-turner about running of all things.
It will inspire anyone who loves training, physical culture, sports, science, and human craziness. Reading about 100 mile footraces through Death Valley will make Adam Glass seem a lot saner. Not much, but some. It will also reveal that there are some tiny little ladies out there who are much tougher than any of us.
Lots of people read a book and say “That changed my life.” And then they don’t change.
Lots of people have told me that Born To Run changed their life. In their cases, I’m not so quick to dismiss the statement.
Read it!
Josh
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I loved that book, especially considering that I was (am?) a runner. Even if you hate running – and I suspect that many readers of this blog do – it works just as you said as an example of human craziness.
By the way Josh, did you ever get around to reading any more Robert Anton Wilson?
Thanks for the write-up, Josh I’ve heard enough about it in the past but like most, my mentality was “Running is a huge turnoff for me so why the hell would I buy this?”
I will definitely check this out. It may change my mind on running…
God damnit now I am finally going to add this to my Kindle to make the list of books to catch up on even longer.
dont do it, no gunz and chest if you are out running 100 miles at a time
My gunz are Gatlings, and they are a direct result of the many times I’ve sprinted through Death Valley.
if you take off your shoes and carry them you can do curls with them as you run 100 miles. that’s a lot of curls and will give you da gunz yu need.
drop and do some pushups every mile and ders yur chest
I just wanted to thank you for sharing all this good information….
Especially for getting me into short bending. Its sooooo much fun. I have a question though…I started by using Ironmind’s wraps, and I like that I can feel the steel in my hands. However I just got a pair of fat bastard leather wraps, and it cuts the difficulty in half… I feel like I’m cheating. Advice on how to proceed?
Your question is not entirely clear- you are bending and it feels like you are cheating? If this bothers you than bend with IM pads or man up and use wash clothes. You will not feel cheated with those.
Thx. I just wanted to know what the standards are… as well as what will provide the most beneficial results in terms of grip strength.
Mike Sharky
In bending, the most important thing is not harming yourself. So use the wrap which allows you to prevent punctures and severe bone bruising.
A side note and danger to thick leather– guys load up lots of leather on a bar, and start to bend it. The bend is way above their limit strength, but the wrap is giving enough leverage to get it moving. they continue to push and hit the sweep, than tear a pec or bicep. Happens enough to be aware of it. I was banned at a popular grip site for 8 months for being a wrap hater, but the primary reason was safety and performance– Did you just bend that bar or did those thick ass double leather wrap “pipes” do it.
If you are not going full retard with your bending like I do, there is no need to ponder things like this too much. Just be safe and have fun with it. Fun is the most important part
ok thanks Adam. I only plan on going partial retard, as I am already starting to develop tennis elbow. Bending is amazing and addictive, thanks for getting me into it. I am gonna try to work just with the IM wraps…
one last question, do you know how galvanizing affects the steel? I have some 60D galvanized dull nails, and I am wondering where they are in the progession.
I just bought Diesel Crew’s eBook on bending on your recommendation, and he has a long progressive list, but it says nothing about galvanized nails.
It’s a very good read ( I read it straight through several time last summer) although McDougall doesn’t keep several of his facts straight between his earlier magazine articles and what appears in the book. One example: the temperature he cites for the Copper Canyon Race is higher in the book (typo or dramatic license?) than it is in the original magazine article. The book left me with the impression that this great race was a one off event. Far from it. There have been 7 Copper Canyon races since the first one McDougall writes about, which occurred in 2003. (The Tarahumara run them, but their results are spotty, not dominating) Since then, the “slightly unhinged” Caballo Blanco has become a Copper Canyon adventure tour guide as well as a promoter and director for what has been an annual race since 2003. You can check results and opportunities to visit Horse and the Copper Canyon at his website: http://www.caballoblanco.com/
Apparently barefoot/minimalist running didn’t fix McDougall’s heel pain either. Or at least not sufficiently to stop him from using his condition to write another magazine article, this time on fascia: http://tinyurl.com/yade84j
Still, I really enjoyed the book…but I regard it more as a synthesis of autobiography and historical fiction…not straight journalism or non-fiction.
Be cautious with Chia seeds if you decide to start eating like a Tarahumara. They are not just good energy, but an extremely potent source of dietary fiber. I have my own “Born to Run” chia seed anecdote, not suitable for this family blog.
Randy, I am shocked! You are saying an author selling a book may have lied to make the story more interesting?
AND bare foot running did not fix his feet? I was assured bare foot running cures cancer and makes people 5″ taller. I think it’s all a shame to sell more vibrams.
On the seeds, i can imagine the punch line. Hopefully you were close to home when that all went down.
Randy…crap.
But! If even the story about Zapotek is true, I’m happy. I want that chia seed for a guest post here!
Josh,
I have a enormous respect for the book. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in awhile too. I’m not saying it’s “A Million Little Fibers” by any stretch. But the little inconsistencies tempered the “life changing” power of it for me.
Adam and Josh,
Not worth a guest post, but perhaps a short cautionary tale.
The great Tarahumara chia seed explosion occurred far from home after an hour and half drive from West Chester, PA to Harrisburg, PA. I had taken the recommended serving of 2 tblsp of chia seeds with my breakfast earlier that morning and I had drained a Vente Starbucks Black Eye (large coffee with 2 shots of espresso added) along the way. I was meeting a client at a small gym for a 3 hour Oly Lifting and Kettlebell mini-clinic. The gym wasn’t open when I arrived and I was already, how do I put it, “anxious”. It was a half hour before my client showed up and before the gym finally opened.
Long story short, a half hour after arriving at the gym, I was marveling at the interesting wallpaper pattern on the walls to my right and left in the gym’s small rest room. That is until I realized it wasn’t a wallpaper pattern at all. Had Caballo Blanco or Arnulfo Quimare been there before me? Was it a message? Were they sending me a warning? Doubtful. Apparently, chia seeds can fly and also magically transport through porcelain and other solid materials. Egads!
Epilogue: Other brands of Chia seeds recommend 1 tsp serving size…I would go with the smaller portion. Your results may vary.
Awesome. I love it.
Also: I didn’t mean you were crap or that what you wrote was crap. Against my better judgment, I still believe stories when I read them, almost without exception. And every time a fact-checker shows up, it takes the wind out of me a tiny, tiny bit.
pretty epic story
Yeah, they’ve been running tours down there for years. The book was certainly a little exaggerated at times, but that’s what makes for a great story. I see the greater value of the book in what it has created in the running community – an intense focus on this physical activity that is shining light in the shadows.
Until I read it, I really don’t think I had any idea that people ran that far. It just never even crossed my mind as a possibility. Crazy stuff.
All great stories have been twisted or stretched, its part of story telling. I know Randys point- people are taking the book word for word as an iron clad case of how we all need to burn our shoes and run ultras.
from an evolution point of view, I doubt humans ever ran much. superior intelligence and pack-team work would have allowed humans to bring down large game consistently to stay fed when they were not picking berries and eating whatever else. I see running more as a sprint activity more than miles and miles.
Adam, did you read the book? There are some interesting hypotheses about long-distance running in humans (especially interesting: efficiency of 2-legged stride, heat-management systems), but it still remains quite a lot of speculation.
I suspect that some groups used long distance running to hunt prey, others had better ideas and trapped mastodons between cliff faces. Humans, I think, seem better adapted to adaptation than any one activity.
Still, that would explain the millions of crazy fuckers who run all day.
Another book to add to my list. Running is something I too always hated…with a passion.
I actually took pride in how much I hated it! When I competed in bodybuilding (in the “old days”) none of us ran. We just worked out harder and tweaked the food.
Time went on and it became a “challenge” then became something I actually looked forward to…kinda the same feeling I’m getting now as I am about to order the book.
By the way, very cool way of reviewing the book.
Josh writes reviews which almost makes me buy books, which is far better than any other blogger i know of.
His true skill is in interviewing 1980′s movie stars, such as this recent one http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/5646/interviewed-by-john-matrix-from-commando/
You don’t get to buy Born To Run until you read The Knot.
that is solid, I will be full retard as an unemployed dude by the end of this month, and than I can read all kinds of books
GREAT book – read it in two days, and that’s rare for me to finish a book so quickly (so is actually finishing a book). Like you said, it’s a page turner, and I recommend it to runners and non-runners alike.
One of the best books I read last year fo sho.
thankyou josh.
I received the book from my sister as a Christmas present. I am a triathlete and marathon runner. I have suffered just about every overuse injury known. In 2004 I injured my knee in Iraq and have had 2 surgeries. After that I could not put in the milage to train for Ironman triathlons nor marathons. My knee could not tolerate the long distance runs. I tried many shoes and had inserts made. I spent a lot on shoes hoping to “protect” my knee. After reading “Born to Run” I started barefoot running in Vibrams and focused on the running techniques and posture presented in the book. Today my knee feels normal and my milage is increasing. I am currently training for IM Japan 70.3 and my knee is holding up fine. And my run times are almost back to what they were before my knee injury. A great book that has rejuvenated my running.
John LaBanc, DDS, MS
CAPT, DC, USN
3d Marine Division Surgeon
Okinawa, Japan
Right on target. A fascinating book that teaches you a lot about proper running form, in an entertaining narrative that is inspiring for anyone who is interested in human achievement.
I have read the book and I own Vibrams but did I miss a chance to chime in on the explosion of a fecal bomb?
Still time to jump in
Mike
first- you are doing some things wrong if you are getting elbow pain. While I am happy to get you bending, I do not want you to get hurt.
galvanizing is used to stop steel from rusting. I think it is a zinc coating or something. It certainly does not make the steel any easier or harder– usually soft steel is used for nails in that size. Grade 2 bolts are also really easy, but they vary in strength (not hard, but some are easy, some are really easy)
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