What I talk about when I talk about running – Haruki Murakami
- Shalini Prasad
- Dec 27, 2022
- 3 min read
As you may have noticed through the lack of posts in my blog I haven’t been reading as much, or at all at this point. I gave myself excuses that I was too busy at work, or I can watch a YouTube video to learn other things, or I should be planning my future, setting goals and systems on how to achieve them, or a myriad of other potentially “productive” things to improve my life. But, as I’ve come to realize, this is all a lie and bullshit that I keep telling myself. Reading made me happy and it’s impossible to be productive all the time. Quite often I am not. So, I decided to give myself a little goal. Nothing too time-consuming or dramatic. The goal was to read only when I commute to work. The 20 mins I spend on the bus will be the only time I read. It can even be one way, I don’t have to read it both times. This helped me read and finish a book for a long time. So, if you’re in a reading slump, just set a small goal and you’ll see progress in your reading soon.
Synopsis:
In this memoir, Murakami talks about his love for long-distance running and his motivations to keep it going for all these years. After he quit his Jazz bar to become a full-time writer, he chose long-distance running as a way to keep fit. In this book, he reminisces about various races and timelines of his life as a runner and a writer. He compares running to writing as they are both marathons that have to be run alone. What I talk about when I talk about running becomes a rich and revealing book of a private writer through funny and philosophical accounts of his inner workings.
Review:
If you are into long-distance running, you will love this book. If you don’t like running, you may still enjoy this book very much as Murakami talks about serious themes such as the importance of having a routine, enduring pain, and aging.
Murakami started running in the 1980s and has since completed over twenty marathons and an ultra marathon. In this memoir, he talks about his love for long-distance running. Physical fitness is very important to him and running seemed like the perfect sport as it did not require equipment or a partner, just him and the road. As a writer by profession, he has to be seated in the same position for hours every day and running keeps him active and gives him the energy he needs to write. He feels that one cannot exist without the other.
“The only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”
He set high standards for himself and beating his running time from the previous day was what kept him motivated to run every day. He loved to see himself improve. As he grows older, he finds himself unable to beat his old record, thus briefly losing his motivation for running. He talks about struggling to accept aging and the associated limits in his capabilities. I am not a runner, but I found Murakami’s inner voice and thoughts relatable.
“I just run. I run in void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void.”
We all have our own escape when dealing with life and reflecting upon ourselves, his is running. Throughout the book, you can see his consistency and dedication to the sport and I believe this is what helped him in other aspects of his life, such as his accomplishments throughout his career as a writer. I love how he doesn’t exaggerate running or tell us how it has transformed his life and why everyone should try it. He just shares his thoughts on running and provides some snippets from his life. He believes that consistency is the key to success, no matter what your dream. He concedes that there will be fears, delays, injuries, and other circumstances that may delay the process, but all that is part of the experience.
The quote that stuck with me for days after I finished this book was:
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore.’ The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.”
The pace of the book is very calm and incites self-reflection about one’s own life and motivations. It may even get you to try running. I’ve certainly thought about it. Even if this book may not be for everyone, I think everyone should give this book a try, just to get their inner monologue going.
Rating: 3.5/5
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