2020 Q2 - Born to Run, All Gain No Pain, Thinking In Bets

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

This book sat on my shelf for a few years before I finally opened it up. I should’ve cracked it open earlier because it was a very fun read. The author is a journalist who happened to hear about the Tarahumara, a tribe in Mexico that enjoys running… a lot of running. Their marathon is our 5k! While they are most famous for joyously running 100+ mile races on dirt trails, they also have a very interesting lifestyle that puts running at the center of their culture. The writing is colorful, energetic, and (at times) riveting. 

This book is also touted as a mainstream read on barefoot running. Chapter 25 speaks to the many limitations of shoes. It is VERY thought-provoking. Chapter 28 dives a bit deeper into the anatomy of what allows humans the endurance to run long distances.

Here are some of my fav quotes:

  • “Antelope don’t get shin splints. Wolves don’t ice-pack their knees.”

  • “The Tarahumara geniuses had even branched into economics, creating a one-of-a-kind financial system based on booze and random acts of kindness.” (Jason: all of us could use more of this today)

  • “Come race day, the Tarahumara don’t train or taper. They don’t stretch or warm up. They just stroll to the starting line, laughing and bantering… then go like hell for the next forty eight hours.”

  • Korima: “It’s your obligation to share whatever you can spare, instantly and with no expectations: once the gift leaves your hand, it was never yours to begin with.”

  • “Know why he could do it? Because no one ever told him he couldn’t.”

  • The craziest line in the entire book: “For five years, Leadville’s reigning champion was Steve Peterson, a member of a Colorado higher-consciousness cult called Divine Madness, which seeks nirvana through sex parties, extremem trail running, and affordable housecleaning.”

  • “Don’t fight the trail” [...] “Take what it gives you. If you have a choice between one step or two between rocks, take three.”

  • “Running shoes have only been around about as long as the space shuttle; before that, your dad wore flat rubber gym shoes and your granddad was in leather ballet slippers. For millions of years, humans ran without arch support, pronation control, or gel-filled pods under their heels.”

  • Dr. Irene Davis: “I think perhaps the widespread plantar fasciitis in this country is partly due to the fact that we really don’t allow the muscles in our feet to do what they are designed to do.”

  • “Wilt Chamberlain, all seven feet one inch and 275 pounds of him, had no problem running a 50-mile ultra when he was sixty years old after his knees had survived a lifetime of basketball.”

All Gain, No Pain by Bill Hartman

This book had some major positives and some very annoying negatives. Overall, I think this book is beneficial to clinicians more than the general public.

First, the negatives:

  • The author was trying a bit too hard to brand his book

  • The actionable portion of the book is in the appendix toward the back of the book. The problem with this is that most readers would be fatigued by the time they reach the appendix.

  • Advice on nutrition is fair, but not great.

Now, the positives:

  • Very nice review of how stress impacts breathing which, in turn, impacts posture and prolonged stress & strains.

  • Nice introduction on how breathing can be used to impact positive change.

  • Good integration of current pain science.

  • Great references for research articles - clinicians would do well to dig into this

  • Another nice clinical reference: the series of tests mentioned are worth thinking about

  • Advice on sleep is good

Additionally, I loved his words on resilience which he divided into 3 components: variability, adaptability, and recoverability. I have been independently reaching the same perspectives regarding health and well-being.

His list and explanations of “No Pain Principles” is well-thought. Here they are:

  1. Know Thyself

  2. Better Breathing = Better Movement

  3. Push the Reset Button

  4. Rebuild Your Capacity

  5. Use Supportive Nutrition to Stay Lean and Pain-Free

  6. Take Control Through Self-Regulation

The author is also a big advocate of the clinical utility of assessing infrasternal angles in all his clients/patients. It’s something that I should look into. Unfortunately this topic is covered in a very superficial manner in the book. The book is a worthwhile read for most clinicians. It will require a bit of homework to get more out of the content: reading the research, testing the contents, and applying it to your pre-existing skill-set. 

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

I absolutely loved this book for the insights it offered on sound decision-making. Annie is the only woman (as of when this book was released) to win the World Series of Poker. She amassed $4 Million in winnings before retiring in 2012. She is also an academic and consultant in decision-making under pressure. This excellent book is all about making better decisions by recognizing & embracing uncertainty, exploring the value of explicitly stating your certainty in order to make better decisions. She also dives into the value and mechanics of having a “truth seeking group” to keep you honest by sifting out emotional responses in favor of deliberate action toward better outcomes. The final chapter, Adventures in Time Travel, is easily my favorite chapter in the book. It speaks to the value of having conversations with the past and future versions of ourselves in order to reduce regret and make better long term decisions. For a fantastic preview of this book, check out her excellent podcast interviews here, here, and here. I learned a lot from her book and podcasts.

Links!

Jason Boddu