What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

by Haruki Murakami

A personal favorite author of mine is once again represented in an RA book pick, and I’m glad to say I haven’t read it - until today.  Haruki Murakami’s memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, is a really fun read.  The author describes how he improved as an author through his commitment to running starting at age 33.  Between the time he started running and the book’s publishing date, he had run 23 marathons and averaged over 30+ miles a week!  After the marathons, he started focusing on triathlons. In one of the book's chapters, he discusses how he overcame his inability to swim through a personal trainer.  Like all skills, Murakami suggests that it is practice and talent that gets one to be good. He first perfected his skills as an author, and now we learn he’s a great runner as well!  He provides helpful hints and even a training regime in the book.  He doesn’t suggest that everyone should become a runner but that it has to be something you are internally motivated to do.  He shares stories from races, how to get through that last mile, and his 2005 journey to run his first NYC Marathon.  While he is not a pro, he has talent and believes he has vastly improved through his daily ritual of running.  This is a “tell-all” book about his rise as an athlete and his realization that, today, he couldn’t live without running.  I always enjoy reading books from novelists who show a new side to themselves, and surely Murakami has done so in this short book.  This is a great read for anyone who wants to excel at something and knows that physical exertion can bring calm, good health and clarity of mind.  I admire him more and more just thinking about his commitment to push himself to a new level.  Good book!