Born To Run.

I have never been a runner.
Ever.


In fact, running may well be one of the few things that I have truly loathed most in this world. But, and I can't believe I'm actually admitting this, for the first time in my life, I actually want to run. I'm physically craving the satisfaction of my feet pounding pavement. I want to feel the wind in my hair. I want to get those endorphins pumping and work up to riding out one of those natural runner's high. I've been inspired.

                                        Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Earlier this week, I casually picked up a copy of Christopher McDougall's national bestseller, Born To Run, during a long layover that I had en route home from a work trip in St. Louis. I'd seen the book ages ago and was admittedly more intrigued by the gorgeous cover art than the actual content, but I had a long day of travel ahead of me and figured I might as well invest in something other than the latest magazine trash. Well, I can't tell you how happy I am for doing so. Once I started, I literally could not put this book down. Between McDougall's witty, self-depricating anecdotes and the truly jaw-dropping stories of human achievement documented within this book, the pages practically flew off the spine I was turning them so fast. Whether you are an avid runner who has been a loyal fan for years or you're a skeptic, like me, who never thought that the word running would ever escape your lips unless preceded by "Ugh, I absolutely detest...", you need to read this book.

As the book's description relays: "Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong"

Here's a little preview to whet your appetite:
"Distance running was revered because it was indispensable; it was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldn't live to love anything else. And like everything else we love-everything we sentimentally call our 'passions' and 'desires'-it's really an encoded ancestral necessity. We were born to run; we were born because we run."  
                                                                                      -- Christopher McDougall

         Source: etsy.com via Liz on Pinterest