Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the… (2009)

I did not want this wonderful book to end! There is no doubt in my mind that we were born to run and I intend to the rest of the way. ( )

I'm pretty sure this book will change my life as a runner and is immediately in the discussion for one of my favorite books ever. ( )

One of the most motivating books I have ever read. Not that is was necessarily written as a motivational book but the history and knowledge contained in this book from hundreds of years of human history is amazing and motivates me to run and use these proven principles to improve my running and my daily life in ways I would have not imagined ( )

This book came at the worst time for me. I've been running a few miles every day since summer started, but the day I started reading this book was the day my calves decided to give out after I went jump-roping/overrunning Monday/Tuesday. Imagine reading back-to-back passages about runners who could speed through dozens upon dozens of miles in one sitting (running?) while you're sprawled on the sofa, your legs feeling like they've been scooped out with a spoon, and that spoon is currently moving from the blueberry bowl and into your mouth.

Born to Run was super accessible: Fast, easy, and all the other adjectives Caballo used to try and make Christopher McDougall move his legs like the White Horse. His writing had "cool" scribbled all over it. So did his adventures in Mexico and the background ultramarathanoning research he so expertly narrated. I especially loved the biology chapter that explained why human beings really evolved, through a running lens, which is awesome.

Overall, I had few qualms with this book, too few and too minor to move it to a 4-star. I wish I could learn more about the narrator, Christopher, who seemed like too much of an enigma as a protagonist--more than the fact that he's an often-injured journalist. I also agree that he exaggerates way too much, and that it definitely serves as a flaw in the way we perceive him and his stories. However, I think the hyperbole also thrust the narrative forward in a pace I've rarely encountered in non-fiction like this. Definitely read this if you run and want to learn more about this habit of yours. ( )

very cool. it had been recommended to my by a bunch of people, but was much better than i expected, i wasn't expecting the whole great story and super-people.

I thought it was just another running book. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Excellent storytelling.