Chris McDougall: Why Should Runners Care About Parkour?

One of our previous guests, Chris McDougall, is back to talk about his new book, parkour, diet, and how it all relates to master runners, as well as to runners in general.

After a career in international journalism, Chris, who is fascinated by the human body, wrote Born to Run, an international bestseller that is being made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey.

His most recent book, Natural Born Heroes, is a national bestseller. Chris is a fascinating speaker, and I’m sure you will love every minute of today’s episode.

Some of the topics that we cover include:

What Chris has been up to since the last time we talked, about a year ago.
Lessons Chris has learned from writing Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes.
Chris’s interest in parkour.
His thoughts on diet, and why eating fat for fuel is beneficial.
What’s next for Chris, whether there’s a new book in the works, and his favorite book, food, and advice in the “final kick.”

Questions Chris is asked:

3:35: What have you been up to in the last year since we talked last?

9:00: How did you do in Boston?

10:10: When you are running, do people tend to recognize you?

13:45: How’s it going with Natural Born Heroes?

16:50: How’s the movie Born to Run coming along?

19:20: What is so exciting about parkour, and why should runners care about it?

23:30: What would you say to master runners who are concerned that they will put something out if they participate in parkour?

25:50: What about the fear of hurting yourself?

28:30: What does it mean to use your fascia to free energy?

33:10: Can you share your thoughts on using fat as fuel?

39:50: What’s your advice for people who don’t want to give up carbs?

45:00: What are your tips on running in the heat? Should we use sunscreen?

53:45: What’s next? Is there a new book in the works?

[bctt tweet=”Another awesome interview with @mcdougallchris on the @Runners_Connect podcast” via=”no”]

Quotes by Chris:

“I had an epic race — epic in both the good and the bad sense.”

“One thing I learned from Born to Run is that it’s nonsensical to be standing around a bookstore talking to runners.”

“I’m more of a book guy in general. Movies come and go; books are everlasting there on your shelf.”

“What [marathon] runners do is unnatural. It serves no evolutionary purpose whatsoever.”

“[Parkour] is accessible to everyone…. Big or small, some are heavier, some are thinner. When you do an activity that humans have evolved to do, everyone can do it.”

“You’ll find your range of motion skyrocketing; you’ll become much more nimble.”

“Parkour is an antidote to fear.”

“For a two-week test, remove all variables from your diet. Remove all fast-burn foods…. At the end of two weeks, eat some hummus. You’ll have a reaction — or you won’t.”

“We need to chuck out the idea of sacrifice or limitations. You can stuff yourself til you’re sick… with something that’s going to be beneficial and make you feel satisfied.”

“Your body is a machine that has been fine-tuned to process certain things.”

“Thirst is a fantastically useful impulse.”

“There’s a battle between what we should do and what we feel like doing.”

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