Born to Run

As seen in the title, the focus of this book is to show people that we are born to run and not to hate it. So many people associate running with injury and exhaustion, yet that is not how the human body is designed. When done properly, running is extremely natural and enjoyable according to the author. To prove his point, he highlights some of the best runners in the world and explains to the reader what it is about these individuals or groups of people, in the case of the Tarahumara, that makes them unique. He explains how they are able to not only run for long period of time, covering great distances, but how it is that they are able to enjoy the running process.

The author makes a case for the fact that it really isn't a few super athletes that have the natural-born ability to run with joy, but it's actually something all humans are capable of. Some of the most downtrodden and mediocre runners have become some of the world's greatest runners. The author surmises that what it really boils down to is a joy of life and the ability to see running as a connection to nature rather than as a sport in which one constantly has to beat down other competitors.

To illustrate his point, the author uses his own circumstances. At the beginning of the book, he experienced excruciating foot pain when he tried to run. Throughout the book, he learned to become more natural with his running, leaving fancy shoes and techniques behind. By the end of the book, he learned the true joy of running and was able to run without any pain.