Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
Even if you NEVER plan to run another step in your whole entire life, and especially if you enjoy jogging a mile or two on a regular basis, I'm confident that you will find this book fascinating.
A book I'm thoroughly enjoying now is called Run Like a Mother which is so full of tips and tricks to help make even the most difficult Monday morning runs more enjoyable.
{Don't ya love the cover?}
The authors suggest things like counting your steps to 100 when heading up a tough hill to take your mind off of your task, or taking smaller steps and striking the ground lightly with your feet (I still don't quite get this one, I'm pretty sure all of my pounds are hitting the ground every time my feet do!), and keeping your head up and shoulders back to allow more air into your lungs (this one I get!). Each of those tips has been extremely helpful as I plod along the streets of my running route.
The mantra of the "Mother Runners" is "don't think, just do it," meaning, if you take time to think about whether you should exercise or not, the battle has already been decided; it will be nearly impossible to get out the door and do what is best for your mind and body weather it be running or some other necessary exercise. While that line of thinking is very sound, I've another very reliable way to encourage myself to lace up my shoes and head out the door.
Here's what I do...I eat a full pint of mango sorbet at 11:30 on a Saturday night and fall promptly into a sugar induced slumber. I wake on Sunday morning and start gulping coffee as fast and as hard as possible then attend Sunday School and church services and then come home and bake two pies and a cake. Pay attention here, this part is important...I make certain after the baked goods are in the oven that I lick any involved beaters and use a rubber spatula to efficiently clean and eat any remaining batter in the mixing bowl.
Next, I sample a piece of one of the pies and generously offer some to the children. I feel that it is important to eat any pie that the children have left on their plates, especially the crust. Finally, I take pies (or what's left of them) and cake to evening church classes and share with others, all the while filling your own plate for the purpose of being sociable.
When morning dawns, I don't need to spend much time trying to convince my inner couch potato to hit the pavement. Thinking about all of my indulgences the day before is enough to haul my buggy out the door. Hitting the ground at my rusty jointed pace, I and am much inspired until that first hill looms large. It is then that I am nearly able convince myself to turn around and walk dejectedly back home but just as I've mentally turned around to quit, my path is blocked by a life-sized pint of that mango sorbet wagging it's finger at me and telling me that I've earned that hill so I'd better get it in gear and and start climbing.
I ascend snail-like up the hill and home again to begin a new day with my family. A new day that happens to involve a couple of baskets of chips and bowl or two or two salsa and cheese dip and... well, looks like I've found inspiration yet again to lace up my shoes. Wonder if it will be Speedy Gonzales who sends me up the next hill?
1 comment:
You may actually have me on the treadmill by the end of the month ;)
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