Yellow Car Syndrome

** Note: this is a cross-post from my other blog – Active Mum**

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with getting fit.

It’s a case of the minute you buy a yellow car you see one every time you hit the road.
I have had this happen to me this past week and a bit since Christmas.  Mr Oh Waily has been supporting my goal of running for fitness by giving me some inspirational reading as Christmas gifts.  The first is a book of Jack Lovelock’s diaries and the second is a book called Born to Run.  It is the second book that is turning into my Yellow Car*.

It is a book about the Tarahumara of Mexico.  They are legendary for running ridiculous distances with just sandals and some pinole to eat on the way.  It is a very interesting book so far and I will be reviewing it over at Oh Waily Waily when I’ve finished.
The Yellow Car Syndrome comes from two experiences in the past week.  Last night “Weird or What?” featured a piece on the Tarahumara and interviewed a number of people who are quoted in Born to Run as well as it’s author Christopher McDougall.  I only caught the show because I saw a brief advert for it a night or two earlier and wondered if it was the same subject as the book.  It was.

Along with the television show, I had also been buying the local Runners World magazines for the past couple of months for inspiration.  In the latest issue there is a piece on the trend for minimalism in running shoes – and the increasing popularity of barefoot running.  Again it refers to a number of things talked about in Born to Run, with the Vibram FiveFingers standing out for me.  I saw the advert for the FiveFingers before I read the article and before coming across the mention of them in Born to Run.  I thought they were the oddest things I’d seen in a long time, but I am very intrigued by the idea of them.  I wonder if they may be the answer to making running more fun for me.

I have been rather taken with the fact that so many things conspired to pop up within a week of me starting to read about the renowned ultra distance runners.  If I was inclined to believe in fate or omens or the universe kicking me in the pants along the right path, then I think maybe I’m being sent a message.  Yes – running is the thing I should be doing.  Yes – I should be considering trying the barefoot option.  Hmm.

Or is it just Yellow Car Syndrome?

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* In fairness this is actually my metaphorical Yellow Car, as I do actually own a real Yellow Car.