Day Forty-One

I tend to read several books at once, which I maintain is not nearly as weird as it sounds. I'm almost always reading at least three, six is the max, and I try to make sure I'm always reading at least one non-fiction book. To me, this makes perfect sense. I would no more read just one book at a time than I would eat only one food for every meal for a week. I think it's much more pleasant to decide if I'm in the mood for science fiction, deep thought, chick lit, or classics, and read accordingly.

In pursuit of Item #6 (read 10 books by authors who are new to me), my latest non-fiction book came to me courtesy of my friend Heather, who knows I am hoping to get more serious about running during the course of this project. The book is called "Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" (Christopher McDougall). It was, quite frankly, astounding. The author starts with the question, "Why does my foot hurt?" and ends up running with the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. The chronicle of his journey is inspiring, thought-provoking, and it challenged much of what I thought I knew about the human body and the art (and science) of running.

If you're a runner, go buy it now. If you're not a runner, go check it out from the public library ... and don't be too surprised if you decide to go for a run after you finish it.