I'm a die hard fan of Haruki Murakami's work and so after I had been running for a while and remembered that he had written a book about running I knew I had to read it.
This is the first non-fiction book of his that I've read and I have to say I was not disappointed.
I don't know what I expected him to be like, considering his writing I thought he himself must be slightly eccentric, but to my surprise he seems more like your every day person. Just one that happened to start running as a means to keep fit while writing and happened to enjoy it enough to keep going.
I don't want to give too much of the story away - but I read it over a few commutes, it's a quick read but within it is packed so much that many of us runners will be able to relate to, and seeing the life of Murakami, for me, was really interesting. It made me think that maybe if he can do some of the things he has, I can too, and I think anything that can inspire you to do bigger better things is invaluable.
After reading the book I was surprised to see that Runners World had mentioned many of his quotes in an article, and since I've seen a few scattered around. I don't know why I found this surprising as there are some brilliant quotes throughout the book that I think would strike a cord with most runners, but as I came across Murakamis book from the point of a fan of his fiction writing for some reason I thought it would be less well known.
There are so many quotes in the book that I love but my favourite two quotes that resonated 100% with myself have to be these:
"I'm often asked what I think about as I run. Usually the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I'm running? I don't have a clue."
"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."
To find more of the quotes, I guess you'll have to read the book ;) (or just google them, but risking not getting the most out of them - your choice).
Long and short - if you're a Murakami fan, a runner, or just someone that's intrigued by the world of runners you won't be disappointed. 'What I talk about when I talk about running' is an honest portrayal of a man, who acknowledges the fact that he is ageing, not in a necessarily negative way, but without glossing over any of the truth of the fact. He talks about his writing, his career, his love for running and his need to strive, like many of us, to push himself to test what he's capable of.
In that sense, it is a very relatable memoir of life, running, the inevitable ageing process and the passage of time that we all must face.
Who knows, even if you're not a runner, I think this book might have the potential to even spur you to start lacing up yourself.
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To keep updated with my blog follow me on Bloglovin and twitter or for more regular updates from me and my running follow me on Instagram.
I don't want to give too much of the story away - but I read it over a few commutes, it's a quick read but within it is packed so much that many of us runners will be able to relate to, and seeing the life of Murakami, for me, was really interesting. It made me think that maybe if he can do some of the things he has, I can too, and I think anything that can inspire you to do bigger better things is invaluable.
After reading the book I was surprised to see that Runners World had mentioned many of his quotes in an article, and since I've seen a few scattered around. I don't know why I found this surprising as there are some brilliant quotes throughout the book that I think would strike a cord with most runners, but as I came across Murakamis book from the point of a fan of his fiction writing for some reason I thought it would be less well known.
There are so many quotes in the book that I love but my favourite two quotes that resonated 100% with myself have to be these:
"I'm often asked what I think about as I run. Usually the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I'm running? I don't have a clue."
"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."
To find more of the quotes, I guess you'll have to read the book ;) (or just google them, but risking not getting the most out of them - your choice).
Long and short - if you're a Murakami fan, a runner, or just someone that's intrigued by the world of runners you won't be disappointed. 'What I talk about when I talk about running' is an honest portrayal of a man, who acknowledges the fact that he is ageing, not in a necessarily negative way, but without glossing over any of the truth of the fact. He talks about his writing, his career, his love for running and his need to strive, like many of us, to push himself to test what he's capable of.
In that sense, it is a very relatable memoir of life, running, the inevitable ageing process and the passage of time that we all must face.
Who knows, even if you're not a runner, I think this book might have the potential to even spur you to start lacing up yourself.
------------------------------
To keep updated with my blog follow me on Bloglovin and twitter or for more regular updates from me and my running follow me on Instagram.
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