This book will not only entertain you, but inspire you to run for the sheer joy of it.

Before picking up Christopher McDougall’s Born To Run, I was training for my first 5K. I finished the book last night with my right leg elevated and an ice pack on my knee and all I wanted to do was go out and run an ultramarathon.

Born To Run starts with McDougall’s quest to run without pain and it leads him to the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. The tribe is the keeper of a lost art — running for hundreds of miles without rest or injury and loving every minute of it.

Whether you are a runner or not, it’s a fascinating and funny tale about runners and the art (and science) of running. While the book builds up to the greatest 50-mile race you never heard of, I really enjoyed the science part. McDougall takes you to the research labs of Harvard seeking an answer to the theory that humans were in fact born to run.  And it takes a modern-day rabbit to unlock our understanding of Homo Erectus and why we survived and the stronger Neanderthals didn’t.

The book also dives into the shoe vs. barefoot debate and shows how today’s running shoes actually increase your chance of injury. Thanks for that Nike!

It’s a great, fun read that shows you that happiness is right at your feet, literally.