micke-midlife on December 22nd, 2009

23122009020I don’t read a lot, I’m not a book worm. Mostly it’s due to a lack of time and patience. Although I always enjoy a good read. If one asks whether a book’s good that let’s you fall asleep quickly at night (and you’re refreshed and feel good next morning) or a book is good because you can’t put it away and hence it won’t let you fall asleep. With all the consequences involved, I’m all for the latter. This one was doing a good job at it, it’s a good book. Pekka K. who joined a couple of runs earlier in Nov and Dec recommended it and handed me his copy, he got from the Helsinki city libraby. It wasn’t problem to get through it still during the standard borrowing time of 30 days, for both Pekka first and me afterwards. (Or was it Pekka?)

But with all this kudos upfront, let’s get to the book now. Born to Run is about long distance running and actually more ultra distances than standard marathons, about ancient native American tribes who keep up running as part of their culture, about barefoot running, about protagonists in the US ultra-distance running scene, about an ultimate race in the Mexican Copper Canyons and about the minor aspect that running made mankind to it has become and it still makes us better people. Read the rest of this entry »