In 2009, journalist Christopher McDougall wrote his book "Born to Run" after hearing about runners from the Mexican Tarahumara — or Rarámuri — tribe competing in an American ultramarathon. McDougall then followed them back to Mexico's Copper Canyon and ran a 50 mile footrace with the Rarámuri, all while attempting to learn how they ran so far, so effortlessly.
He also wanted to understand why as a runner himself he was plagued by injuries.
Thirteen years after its publication, McDougall has joined forces with coach Eric Orton — who appears in the first book — to co-author a follow-up, "Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide."
"At the time I wrote 'Born to Run', I was writing it from the perspective of an injured ex-runner who had been sort of coached back to health by this traditional lifestyle approach. But I didn't have enough miles on the vehicle to know if it really worked. And now, 15 years later, I can look back and see, yeah, that approach really worked, and I thought it was time to share with other people," said McDougall.
Unlike the first book, the sequel takes the form of a more practical training guide. It's peppered with narratives and photography that both highlight individuals who've found purpose and joy in their running — as well as the nuts and bolts of how to master running the "run free" form.
In 2009, "Born to Run" challenged the idea that more cushioning in running shoes — and the ever-growing running gear industry — held the key to fewer injuries and better performance.
"I think a major revelation for me was something that coach Eric Orton told me at the very beginning, and to me it was a revelation but looking back it should have been so obvious. He says, if you change the behavior, you change the outcome," McDougall said. "Most of us are always looking for a patch or a fix or a product."
After he ran a 50-mile footrace in the punishing Copper Canyons of Mexico with the Rarámuri, McDougall wanted to share the group's remarkable running capabilities, often done wearing thin sandals or barefoot.
"Running is not the shoes on your feet. It's not about the watch that you're monitoring. It's all about how you are physically moving your body. You learn to move your body differently, and you will run better, and more happily and with fewer injuries," McDougall said.
But if the book inspired new runners to try to start running, or retool their form after injuries, there wasn't much in the way of practical instruction.
"After 'Born to Run' came out, a lot of people felt, OK we'll just buy a minimal shoe, and that will solve our problems. Then we'll run like ancient people. But Eric [Orton] always said, it's never about the shoes. It's about the running form. It's about how you move your body. That is the secret to running success."
To empower those inspired by the first book but not sure how to proceed, "Born to Run 2" includes training guides, recipes, shoe recommendations and step-by-step (no pun intended) instructions on running form and strength exercises.
"I think run form is kind of the big foundation. In the book, we talk about how we can really fix your run form in five minutes. And it's so easy to learn," Orton said.
The technique is this: Stand in front of a wall, listen to the song "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s, and run in place barefoot to the beat of the music.
"Just doing that simple exercise, you're going to know how to strike the ground, where to strike the ground and have perfect form in a matter of five minutes."
Orton curated a "Run Free Playlist" for the book that also includes some other music options, each around 90 beats per minute. The Ramones' "Listen to My Heart," Taylor Swift's "ME," Emmylou Harris' cover of "Born to Run" and The Beatles' "Help" are also suggested.
McDougall and Orton will hold a virtual author event with Warwick's at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
