Catching Up to the 2011 Bandwagon

OK, so I have a confession. I really hated all of the people who read Born to Run and kept talking about how their lives were transformed by it and everything and then couldn't shut up about "barefoot" running. (Which I think is a ridiculous term because unless you are not wearing shoes, you are not running barefoot.)

This did not stop me from buying my own Vibram FiveFingers and running in them just to see what it was all about. I also, of course, bought Born to Run because it seemed like required reading for distance runners.

But every time I wore my Bikilas to a race I would inevitably get some guy (it was always guys, never girls) coming up to me, commenting on them. They would say inane things like "Ha! I've guess we've seen the light and will be running better than all of these idiots!" And "Looks like we're the smart ones in this corral." There's just some sort of arrogance about all of these Born to Run Born Again Runners. They just reminded me of all of the bikers who think they are Lance Armstrong (you know, pre-doping confession).

And I tried really really hard to read Born to Run. But I could only get a few pages into it before I kept thinking 'BORING!' or 'I DON'T CAAAAAARE!' And I really did want to like it.

So when my friend Maren suggested it for book club, I was like "Yes!" It would MAKE me read this thing.

And I'm so glad I made it past those 19 pages that I had read so long ago. It was SUCH a good book! (Yes, here is where I become one of those Born Again Born to Runners.) I mean, I love how its part training manual, part anthropological study, part inspirational biography, part cookbook, part tall tale that is actually real.

It made me want to try chia iskiate and pinole (I have chia seeds and limes at home but have not done this yet). And it made me drag out my FiveFingers and start running in them again (I did a five miler in them yesterday. Half with a stroller...ergh. Running with a stroller in a minimalist shoe is not easy.) And through that whole run, I couldn't shut up about the Leadville 100, and Barefoot Ted and Jen, and how we were actually born to run, and how it is easier than you think to chase down your meal in the woods. Bill was probably like 'Ok, crazy.' (Or he was probably more like 'Oh, here we go again.') :)

The other cool thing about Born to Run is that it validated a lot of things I was already doing that some people said were wrong. Like, I have an incredibly short stride, have my body almost straight up and down, and run on my forefoot. Yay! I guess I am built for endurance and not speed.

And one more thing before I end. Spoiler alert if you haven't read to the end: I loved the end of the book where they were all cheering on the slowest runners with great aplomb. I think it truly summarizes the whole shared experience distance runners have with each other. I've seen it in every race I've run and I think it is so cool.

So yes, I've turned into a fangirl. Ptttt.