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If there’s one thing to take away from Chris’s conversation with Joe, it’s to stop thinking of exercise as something you have to do and start finding ways to make it something you want to do. The key to that, says Chris, is remembering how you thought about exercise as a kid. “Most people have this correlation that exercise equals punishment,” says Chris. “You know, ‘If I ate some pizza last night I’d better punish myself with exercise the next day.’ As a kid, I was always on the move, but play was always fun. I grew up with the mentality that when I was outside that was playtime.” He says we should remember when “exercise was just freedom, liberty and having a blast.”

2. Consider thinner-soled shoes

This tip comes with the caveat that it’s something Chris believes in but may not be safe or practical for everybody, especially street runners. Chris is a big proponent of running barefoot or as close as possible to that. “Anyone who really wants to control their body takes their shoes off,” he says. “A guy in a karate dojo isn’t showing up in cushioned shoes… even boxers wear the thinnest shoes possible. Why? Because they don’t want their feet squishing down in a bunch of mush. They want absolute control and mobility.” He talks about the Tarahumara, an indigenous people in Mexico who run great distances barefoot or in very thin sandals. Barefoot running obviously won’t be practical in most circumstances, but there are running shoes that try to mimic the feel of being barefoot. “If you’re constantly testing the machine and using the natural resources in your body, the body will respond… Rather than hoping some thick piece of foam is going to absorb the impact, they just use the natural compression of their own legs.”

Chris learned a valuable lesson from a runner called “Barefoot Ted” (you can guess why). He would run 100 mile races and end them looking delighted, not exhausted. “He said, ‘I’m not interested in the limits of what’s painful. I’m interested in the limits of what’s pleasurable. I just test pleasure.’ I kind of rolled my eyes like, ‘Ah, what a hippie idiot.’ But then I thought this dude was on to something. He’s constantly at the point where it’s still fun.” So try not to think of how you can push yourself beyond what you’re capable of and instead see how long you can actually enjoy it.

Christopher McDougall

4. Help others

Running can be a very solitary activity, even when you’re running in a huge race. You’re focused on your own time or your own ability to get to the finish line. Chris says he’s learned that running feels better when you think of others too. He observed Scott Jurek, a very successful ultra-marathon runner. “When he crosses the finish line he turns around and starts cheering for everybody else,” says Chris. “It’s kind of genius. At the finish line, he’s not looking ahead to the next challenge. He turns around and he’s looking back to see who he can help… His satisfaction comes from clapping and cheering. Imagine how good you’re going to feel helping somebody else across the finish line.”

5. Turn it into an adventure

Chris sometimes runs with his wife, Mika, a ballet dancer. She didn’t approach running in the same way he used to. “At first I felt kind of frustrated when we’d go for a run,” he says. “She’d stop to pet a dog… she’ll say ‘hi’ to the neighbour or pop into a shop. I mean, we’re not really running that much… Then it clicked in my head: she’s looking for a way to turn this into an adventure.” You don’t have to be pounding the pavement solidly for it to count as exercise. You’ve just got to keep moving.

6. Run on the ball of your foot

Chris favours a short, quick running stride, running on the ball of the foot. “Think about any boxer you’ve seen skipping rope. Those guys look like they could skip rope until the end of time. The reason why is they’re basically bouncing on the ball of their foot and letting the natural elastic recoil of the body [do the work]. Your body is absolutely packed with rubbery tendons… rather than try to muscularly move that big hunk of leg around, just let that leg compress and bounce.”

If you want to perfect your running form, Chris’s advice is to put on The B-52s. “For perfect running form you should be running at 90 strides per minute,” he says. “Turns out the song Rock Lobster by The B-52s is a perfect 90 beats per minute.” To test it, Chris suggests standing with your back against a wall, to stop you over-striding, and running in place to Rock Lobster. “Find a way to turn it into a dance game, something you associate with pure joy, then take it from there.”

8. Run with a friend

Wherever possible, Chris recommends running with another person. “I think nobody has ever run with a friend and run worse,” he says. “Every run you’re going to have with a friend is always going to be the best run of your week… You run with a friend and you’re happier, you’re gonna be a little quicker, you’re gonna be sprightlier and you're gonna finish feeling more refreshed.” He says running alone goes against our deep-rooted instincts. “Throughout human history, we were never alone. You would never go out into the wilderness alone and run for 15 miles. If you did you would not come back.”

9. Or run with an animal

And if you can’t regularly link up with a running partner, run with a dog. You don’t even have to have your own dog. “If you’ve got a neighbour with a dog, borrow your neighbour’s dog,” says Chris. “If you know there’s a dog down the block you know isn’t getting enough exercise, take that dog out for a run. The dog will flip out and lose its mind and you will feel that joy of companionship.” Chris likes to run with donkeys, but you might find donkeys harder to come by in urban areas.