I loved loved loved Born to Run.  I loved reading about the Tarahumara and the stories of all the great ultrarunners. I'm not a ultra runner but I have been running much more after reading this book.  

I got a pair of fivefinger sprints after reading the book. The underside of my big toe had been hurting for a couple of months. It wasn't unbearable, but not comfortable, and it has completely gone away after running in the fivefingers for 3 weeks. My calves were very sore after the first couple of runs but they haven't hurt since then. The longest I've run in them so far is 4.5 miles. I can't make myself put on my old running shoes, so I'm trying to build up longer distances so I can wear them in an olympic distance tri next month. I don't wear the socks with them, but I might when it gets colder.  I've washed mine in the washing machine and let them airdry and i think they smell fine. I live in Texas and was a little worried about how gross my feet would feel in them in 100 degree weather, but they feel great! Better than they ever felt in running shoes. 

Here's a link to the McDougall interview: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-18-2009/christopher-mcdougall

Speaking as a total n00b who read the book, I have to say the book is awesome.  I just started the C25K  program yesterday, barefoot.  I'm 280 lbs, 38 years old and the biggest thing I took from it was the JOY that should be found in running.  It reminded me of the days as a kid when we would run and play manhunt in the woods all day. 

Somewhere along the way  I fell into the trap  of thinking running was just to keep the weight down and  be healthy. It was just a necessary drudgery  which I was "lucky" to be too fat and big to be able to do safely. I had my "out"  because every time I tried it I hurt and my doctor said,  "your body isn't made for it"

But reading about the Raramuri, and Scott and Ted and Caballo  and Billy and Jenn.... and then following up with websites of some local trail running clubs near me... I see FUN. And I want in!

To me, THAT is the greatest message in the book.

I am about one third of the way through the book and I find it fascinating.  I mostly do road races but occasionally I will train off-road.  I think this book is good for any runner, not just trail runners.  The book has made me think about what little running the American population actually does.  We don't  grow up using our legs for transportation the way that people from countries with good endurance runners do.  The legendary running coach Arthur Lydiard believes that this is the reason that the US hasn't been successfull in longer distance races.  We just haven't built the same foundation.  Another thing that caught my attention is how the tarahumara elders are still able to run and climb canyons late into their lives.  They don't set the same limitations that we do when it comes to age.  I hope to be like this when I get older.  Retiring and settling down is just a state of mind.   

I have this as an mp3 audiobook (I have a long commute and use audiobooks a lot, and Born to Run was one of the less expensive ones I found that was rated well).  I'm a new runner (have been doing it for only a couple of weeks) and I absolutely LOVED the book.  It wasn't the reason I decided to start running, but the information in there was very interesting (especially since it's nonfiction) and I found the discussions of injury rates, barefoot running, diet, and anthropological data very compelling.  Also, if you look up the author on youtube, you'll find related videos - some of Caballo Blanco during/after one of the. U.S. races - and some with related content (though not related to the book).  One I found last night was a video that a professor or doctor had made that showed the exact same runner on a treadmill with & without shoes (frame by frame next to each other) and it was just amazing.  I'm not interested in running barefoot, but I do have more of a minimalist approach to running shoe selection now than I otherwise might've.  But then, I'm new, and admittedly ignorant. 

Sherry - age 32

Linden, VA

Thanks for the reply, Digler!  I appreciate the information more than you know. 

I have a pair of Saucony TR2 trail running shoes I bought exactly a year ago.  My thought then was that I was still hiking, but I was mixing running intervals in and I figured I should probably have a pair of true running shoes (my hiking shoes are by Merrell, and I swear by them.  Most comfortable shoes i've ever owned - no break - in, and I can wear them all day many days in a row with no pain and little / no fatigue).  Anyway, they were about 2 years old and I wanted to mix in a newer pair and figured I should get a running shoe to "protect" myself.  I just walked into Famous Footwear, picked out a pair I liked, and bought them.  They're comfortable for general wear.

Fast forward a year.  I've finished Born to Run, and I've just decided to start running on the C25k program.  I go down to my local Target and bought a pair of Champion running shoes.  These things are a special kind of ugly and remind me of the 1970's.  They were a whopping $24.  Virtually no cushioning - just a basic insole -but no extra springy heel or gel or air stuff.  Just a very basic shoe.  And I pledged that this would be my running shoe (because I'm not willing to try barefoot at this point).  I ran in them once, then the next time in my Sauconys.  What I found was that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to run in Saucony shoes the "right" way - with a midfoot strike instead of a heel strike - without pain.  And it took a lot of focus and concentration to even try it.  Somehow my body naturally knows when I'm wearing those comfy spongy things that my heel should go down first.  And to do it differently in those shoes, for me, is impossible and causes pain.  But when I run with my cheapo, minimalist, ugly Champion shoes, it's a simple matter to land properly and I have no pain (except for the usual muscle stiffness that comes with exercise and is very minor).

I attached a couple of pics of my (dusty) champions that illustrate what I'm talking about.  Also, anyone who's on the fence about running form, go to youtube and watch this video: 

In case the link doesn't come through, it's by njsportsmed and is titled "Is it the shoes?  It's gotta be the shoes."