I don’t know a lot of people that still read regularly. I have been very lucky to marry a fellow bookworm. We probably own thousands of books. When we first moved in together, we had to look over our duplicate copies of classic books and decide whose was better (it was mine). When I am actively training I like to read books about running, on very long runs I love to listen to books about the endurance of the human spirit or techno music…..
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe ,Super athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall is the book you rant and rave about after you have read it only to be looked at as some kind of freakish weirdo. I have not only read this book numerous times and listened to it on long runs more than once, I am a nerd so when I get into a subject, I willingly throw myself down the rabbit hole to find out more and more.
Born to Run is very relatable especially to anyone who has first-world problems. Christopher or Chris as I like to call him, has a problem with his foot. He runs, he gets pain, his docs tell him running isn’t for him and he needs shots. I feel like we all have been there. So he gets s writing assignment in Mexico and hears about this tribe of people called the Rararumi who are rumored to be the greatest long-distance runners in the world, oh and they run in sandals.
Born to run is a great book to read or listen to if you think running isn’t for you, but be aware he does go on this kind of fairy tale view of these indigenous people. To be fair everyone feels pain but some people are more badass than others simply because their lives are hard. If I had to carry 5 gallons of my drinking water a mile every day just to live, I would be freakishly strong too. If I had to walk my goats 5 miles to the pasture every day, I would have better endurance. These people have a hard life and sometimes they suffer greatly. So do I still recommend this book? Hell yes I do, read it, look up the cited works, learn more about the Raramuri, go down that rabbit hole, I promise you won't regret it.