Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher McDougall
Related videos
62:25
Author presents at Google with slides and audience Q&A
121K
558
Nov, 2009
Spoiler:
The author gives an in-depth account of his journey, from barely jogging one to three miles a day with pain to running 50+ miles comfortably and happily. His inspiration was an indigenous group in northern Mexico famous for their ability to run, either barefoot or in sandals, extreme distances at all ages. He also demonstrates, during the Q&A, how to properly run by stepping on the balls of your feet as if you are falling forward, which he says is the recipe for pain-free long distance running.
15:53
Author discusses our origins as runners in TEDx format
49K
535
Aug, 2013
Spoiler:
Two million years ago, the human brain exploded in size, requiring more caloric input, but the first edged weapons appeared only about 200,000 years ago. Our advantage in hunting with no real weapons is that we can sweat; that is, we can run long distances even in hot weather. The author paints a picture of how we evolved as a species that hunted in packs, women and men. We would have been barefoot, about which McDougall says there were no “running injuries” before running shoes existed.
4:19
Summary and review of the book in animated format
26K
225
Apr, 2016
Spoiler:
The video tells the story of the Tarahumara tribe, an indigenous group from northern Mexico that would end up inspiring the book. Known for their running skills but also famously isolated and private, two of them were convinced to run in the Leadville 100, a torturous high-altitude ultramarathon in the mountains of Colorado. They ran in sandals and finished first and third. The author would eventually adopt their barefoot style of running and organize a 50-mile race in the Tarahumara territory.
5:36
Author introduces book in talking-head format
5K
12
Oct, 2009
Spoiler:
Chris McDougall shares the origins of the book and the journey that took him from being unable to run three miles without pain to being able to run ultra-marathons. He says the problem is that running shoes have “taken over” instead of letting the feet give feedback to the brain about the body’s position. Once you learn how to run properly, you can wear whatever you want, although he prefers minimal footwear. McDougall would love to see people running with a relaxed, child-like enjoyment.
Follow the author
Other books by Christopher McDougall
Ask Albert:
Rate the book
⚡️ Find Out Even More Wisdom
"The gut microbiome plays a significant role in making our neurotransmitters, which control our thoughts and feelings and regulate mood and behavior."
"Instead of holding a vision of how sick your child could get, integrative pediatrics holds a vision of how well your child can be."
"While the reward-seeking parts of the brain mature earlier, the frontal cortex—essential for self-control, delay of gratification, and resistance to temptation—is not up to full capacity until the mid-20s..."
"We built a food system that poisons us—and then, to keep us away from the avalanche of bad food, we decided to inject ourselves with a different potential poison, one that puts us off all food."
“In short, anything and everything that was “wrong” with women could be attributed to hysteria—and was, with wild abandon.”
"First, Medicine 3.0 places a far greater emphasis on prevention than treatment."
"Movement is medicine, and the simplest acts of daily motion can have profound impacts on our health and longevity."
"Learning to let go of sexual shame can open up new possibilities for pleasure."
"I wanted to coach women to be the best in the world, but without subscribing to the dominant paradigm that athletes are disposable and that winning was worth just about any price."
"Shedding toxic myths of disconnection from ourselves, from one another, and from the planet, we can bring what is normal and what is natural, bit by bit, closer together."
"Over and over, the answer is the same, isn’t it? Love, love, love. The salve and the cure."
"I believe that if an Attention Rebellion begins, we will, sooner or later, have to take on this very deep issue: the growth machine itself."
recommends
"Addiction is not a sign of weakness or moral failing. It's a sign that we are human, with brains that are wired to seek out pleasure and avoid pain."
"Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day - Mother Nature's best effort yet at contra-death."
recommends
"Our behavior is shaped by a complex web of influences, including genetics, epigenetics, hormones, brain development, culture, and socialization."
"The meaning of life must be something that, beneath the surface, motivates the majority of what we do, makes us happy when we are in line with it and unhappy when we are not."
"Where you are is a result of who you were, but where you end up depends entirely on who you choose to be from this moment forward."
"The ideal of the local and the organic isn't an aesthetic decision. It's a moral and ethical decision."