I can’t run for the last 4 months so reading this book has been a bit annoying… but increases my desire to get to it.
To be honest I didnt have a clue about the book apart of running. It started to get hooked slowly and at the end, I was eager to know if the race was going to happen, who was going to race and how was going to finish.
The center of the book is about the Tarahumara and their tradition of long distance running with basic kit (sandals) and frugal diet (mainly based on corn and beans). Thinking coldly, all looks a bit too romantic but it is a hard life.
Things I learned:
Tarahumara consume a lot fo Chia seeds. It seems it easy to grow (other) but I think I would need a big space to produce enough quantity for one year consumption?
Benefits of barefoot running (Daniel Liberman) and it seems that endurance running was the key difference with Neanderthals when the ice age ended and things got warmer and it was the only way to hunt in the savanna: outlasting your prey. Arthur Lydiard is the father of modern running training. Supports barefoot running. It interesting the data showing the increase of injuries with the advance of running shoes technologies… And the history about Nike and Lydiard and Bowerman (his mentor). Still getting to that level you need to make a slow transition. Need to research about this.
The crazy stories about Jenn Shelton and Billy. Party ultrahard and then ultrarun: epic.
Scott Jurek diet is vegan: vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes. recipes.
Caballo Blanco died at 58 running.