Last night, I received a recent New York Times article from my friend, Richard, about the science claims supporting the best-selling and critically-acclaimed book, "Born to Run." Everywhere I bump into running and triathlete friends, people are talking about trying out some of the ideas from the book, including running in more basic shoes, including sandals. Author, Chris McDougall has tapped into the contemporary running zeitgeist: people are tired of dealing with multiple injuries while spending hundreds of dollars for running shoes each year. Mr. McDougall adopted the running style of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, which includes short and smooth strides, landing lightly on forefoot (rather balls of the foot), relaxing your legs and kicking your heals back on each step; the proof is in the pudding, with this big guy running injury-free for three years now. Maybe more important to me, from this book, are the two psychological secrets of Tarahumara when it is comes to running: the absolute joy of the running experience (as opposed to the grimaces you see on many US joggers) and compassion for their fellow runners (yes, love does work!) I suspect that these two traits don't just apply to running, but to all aspects of life. I intend to practice joy and compassion throughout my work today. And exercise in the same way.
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