Christopher McDougall's Blog, page 11
April 13, 2011
Naked Boston Updates
We've got 3 big events cooking with the wildest lineups on the tour. It's going to be a blast, but remember: many of you have a marathon on Monday. Pace yourselves.
Friday, April 15: Naked Cabaret at Harvard University. This is a free event, but seating is limited to about 300. Doors open at 6:30, event kicks off at 7. Come as early as 6pm and hang with us out in the Yard. I'll be there before the event with Scott, Lee, Dr. Lieberman and John Durant.
Saturday, noon: Naked Run starts from Boston Public Library. We'll be meeting on "the sunny, Dartmouth Street side," as our recon scout, Barefoot Preston, was careful to remind us.
Preston not only mapped the course, but ran every step of it to make sure it was barefoot-friendly (it is). But don't worry about footwear — strap as much or as little on your feet as you like. The full loop is five miles, but we'll also have shorter options of 2, 3, and 4 miles.
Saturday, 2pm: Fresh from the Naked Run, we'll head inside Boston Public Library for the Naked Cabaret, featuring opera singers! Cavemen! Barefoot Professors! Ultra-gods! Tattoos! Free minimalist shoes! (If you win the raffle, that is). Stick around after the Cabaret for one-on-one chats with me, Scott, Lee, and everyone else.
April 5, 2011
Master the Skill of Barefoot Running
The No. 1 question I'm always asked is "Where can I learn how to run properly?"
Well, here is the answer.
And here is how I found out.
Come see for yourself: Lee Saxby is going to be working his magic during our two days of Naked Tour events on Boston Marathon weekend. Come see him at Harvard on Friday, April 15, or at Boston Public Library on Saturday, April 16.
I can tell you firsthand, he's a life-changer and a leg-saver.
April 4, 2011
Naked LA update: BKB gets dirty
Barefoot Ken Bob, the living archivist of all things barefoot and fast, lives right outside LA in Huntington Beach. He kindly volunteered to take the Naked Run in hand and not only scouted our route in Griffith Park, but shot quite the stylish video preview to boot.
April 3, 2011
April 4: Born to Run at "the sweetest place on earth."
First stop on the Naked Tour was supposed to be Boise, but thanks to the persistence of Josh Glick and the Nittany Runners and their promise to feed me, I'll be driving up to Hershey on Monday, April 4, to speak at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Doors open at 6pm. Books will be available for sale, meaning you can come home with the first signed paperbacks of Born to Run available anywhere in the country and a giant sack of the greatest antioxidant ever created.
I also have exactly one Born to Run slap-on tattoo on hand to give away. The first person to hand me one of those antioxidants gets it.
Additional info is here. Next up: Boise, San Fran, and LA.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Monday April 4
6pm
Junker Auditorium
500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033.
April 1, 2011
If you're very good, here's where you go when you die
Tell me this isn't the definition of the afterlife supreme: Running wild through Hawaiian rainforests with Scott Jurek and Billy Bonehead, especially if you end up looking like either one of them. Scott's wonderful girlfriend sent me this update of their reunion this week with Billy, who's been wandering Hawaii for the past few years:
We have been running all over the Maui trails and shores with Billy
Bonehead and it's been amazing! Yesterday we ran inside the Haleakala
crater and it was such a treat for me to watch those two bomb down the
lava slopes howling with sheer delight and freaking out the horses and
the tourists.
Free Stuff, and lots of it
Born to Run comes out in paperback today, so the publisher is firing off the Roman candles with a pretty opulent celebration giveaway. Check out the shirt — I don't even have one those beauts yet, so you might be fighting me for the grand prize.
5 Minutes with Brian Metzler
Brian Metzler lives and breathes backcountry running and was taking a Skilsaw to running shoes long before anyone else began questioning shoe company claims, so a chat with him is always an honor. He'll be at our mountain-top Naked Cabaret in Boulder on May 1, and hopefully joining us for a run around Back Bay on April 16 before the Cabaret on Boston Marathon Weekend.
March 31, 2011
Naked Tour, LA: April 10
Yes, running through a canyon with Barefoot Ken Bob AND Scott Jurek is too much to ever wish for…
unless you make it to Griffith Park on Sunday, April 10. Not only can you run with the legends, but also get your barefooting tuned up by Eric Orton, endurance coach extraordinaire.
And that's just the knuckle-cracker. After the run, it's Naked Cabaret time at Book Soup. I know, hard to believe it's all one day.
• Naked Run and Demo
Featuring: Scott Jurek, the legendary Barefoot Ken Bob, Eric Orton, and Christopher McDougall
When: 1:00 p.m.
Where: A Runner's Circle Running Store
3216 Los Feliz Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca 90039
323.661.8971
Fantastic location, right across from the hills and canyons of Griffith Park. We'll meet at A Runner's Circle for a barefoot running workshop with Barefoot Ken Bob and coach Eric Orton. Try out a great selection of the latest in minimal footwear, including Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot, New Balance Minimus, Merrell Barefoot, Vibram FiveFingers and more. Then we'll head into the park for a run in the hills. Don't worry about pace or distance — Barefoot Ken Bob is personally scouting out a variety of interlocking loops, so you can pick your distance and still stay with the group. Come barefoot, nearly barefoot, or laced and cushioned to your heart's content.
• Naked Cabaret
When: 5:00 p.m.
Where: Book Soup (310.659.3110)
Featuring:
Christopher McDougall
Scott Jurek — The ultra-god who has won just about every really hard race in the world on a vegan diet.
Eric Orton — the coach who first persuaded me I could transform myself, and then he made it happen. He'll be with me in Boise, San Fran and LA, leading naked runs and teaching the same technique that got me down to the Copper Canyons. Like this:
Marshall Lewy — The screenwriter working with actor and debut director Peter Sarsgaard to adapt Born to Run for the screen.
Naked Tour: San Fran updates
New events added in SF on April 8-9, including a Naked Run right to the doors of the bookstore:
Friday, April 8: Naked Demo
5-8 pm
Zombierunner
429 S California Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone: 650-325-2048
We'll have product experts and special guests to explain what it means to run minimally (or even naked). Get a signed copy of Born to Run and hang out with the Zombie crowd. ZombieRunner has a great selection of the latest in minimal footwear, including Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot, New Balance Minimus, Merrell Barefoot, Vibram FiveFingers and more!
Highlights:
Try out the latest barefoot-style footwear
Learn proper technique from coach Eric Orton
Celebrate the paperback release of Born to Run
Meet author Christopher McDougall
Ask Sunny Blende about endurance nutrition
Get free samples and product demos
Saturday, April 9
• Naked Run
3 p.m.
Meeting point: Book Passage, Corte Madera
Join Christopher McDougall, Eric Orton, and Sunny Blende for a run before the Born to Run event at Book Passage. Come barefoot, nearly barefoot, or laced and cushioned to your heart's content. Don't worry about pace or distance — you can go as far and as comfortably as you please.
**UPDATE**
The Naked Run will take place on the beautiful bike path right outside Book Passage. Rather than running to the store from Presidio, as we'd contemplated, we'll minimize the logistical hassles and do and out-and-back run which begins and ends right at the bookstore.
• Naked Cabaret
When: 4 p.m.
Where: Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA (415.835.1020)
Space is limited, so click here to reserve your ticket now.
Featuring:
Eric Orton — the endurance coach extraordinaire who trained McDougall for the race with the Tarahumara and still coaches him today.
Sunny Blende — the endurance sport nutritionist, Marin County masters athlete, and every bonking runner's best friend
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