What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

Book Notes – In this series, I share my insights, ideas, and reviews of my favourite books, whose topics are wide-ranging.

Rating – 7/10

Amazon Link

•  US – What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (Vintage International), Book Cover May Vary
• India – Buy What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Book Online at Low Prices in India | What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Reviews & Ratings

Book Compressed into 3 Points

• The book dives into how long-distance running affects the author’s daily life.
• It explores the author’s philosophy on how interlinked running and writing are.
• It is a training log in preparation for a marathon, but it shows how the training affects his thoughts and vice versa.

Who is it for?

• Long-distance runners (or potential runners) would like to see the different perks of running beyond the physical.
• Anyone looking to understand the psyche of a long-distance runner.
• Anyone looking for deeper meanings in long-distance running.
• Fans of Murakami’s distinctive writing style.

3 Favourite Quotes

• Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional
• My time, the rank I attain, my outward appearance—all of these are secondary. For a runner like me, what’s really important is reaching the goal I set myself, under my own power. I give it everything I have, endure what needs enduring, and am able, in my own way, to be satisfied. From out of the failures and joys I always try to come away having grasped a concrete lesson. And I hope that, over time, as one race follows another, in the end, I’ll reach a place I am content with. Or maybe just catch a glimpse of it.
• I didn’t start running because somebody asked me to become a runner. Just like I didn’t become a novelist because someone asked me to. One day, out of the blue, I wanted to write a novel. And one day, out of the blue, I started to run—simply because I wanted to. I’ve always done whatever I felt like doing in life. People may try to stop me, and convince me I’m wrong, But I won’t change.

Insights

• Murakami talks about journeys in his life, linking them to the calmness he receives through running.
• He talks about the physical and emotional pain he experiences in marathons and how overcoming them has moulded him as a person.
• He has his physical limitations and realizes that he cannot overcome them. So he graciously accepts his fate.
• He recognizes the toll age has on his body, seeing that his progress is hindered as he grows older. Nevertheless, he pushes on.
• He finds that running, just like writing, is a contemplative and meditative act. 
• He acknowledges that one cannot be a regular runner, as life can be busy at times.
• He does not care about beating others in a marathon; just like most runners, he is motivated by a personal goal.
• He connects this to writing; there is no winning or losing in writing. What matters is whether the writing attains the standards he sets for himself.
• He finds a particular joy in solitude, for he does not care much about group activities like team sports.

Review

• A very short read, this book can be finished in a few days.
• Written in Murakami’s distinct slow, deliberative style, the book is introspective and makes you think. The style is fairly easy to read, with no particular age bar.
• There were moments when it felt a little slow. The author likes to take his time when making a point. I won’t say it is to everyone’s taste.
• As a long-distance runner myself, I could relate to much of the meditative effects he described. Running positively impacts so many aspects of my life, from emotions to my thought process. It gave me a newfound appreciation for the reflective aspect of long-distance running.

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