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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is perhaps Haruki Murakami's most personal work (I think he says so himself). Being a runner (as well as a writer) concerns his very being or essence, and he tries to explain to the reader what running (as well as writing) means to him.
I was intrigued by the book ever since I've first heard about it. On first glance, running is not the most substantial activity. You put on appropriate clothes, you go outside, and you put one foot in front of the other at the appropriate pace and for an appropriate time. How would this fill a full-length book?
Murakami posed himself the same question. He admits that he struggled to make up his mind on what he wanted to write about. In the end, it had to be as much about himself as about running (something he wasn't initially comfortable with). Actually, he even agrees that the act itself isn't really about anything at all. People often ask what he thinks about while running. Murakami then tells them that, apart from trivialities like the weather, for the most part he thinks about nothing.
Murakami addresses the idea (or cliché) that writers are prone to cigarettes, alcohol, and languishment. To be honest, this isn't too far from the image I had of Murakami, most likely derived from his prototypical protagonist. Before he became a writer and a runner this wasn't too far from the truth. During the writing of A Wild Sheep Chase he gained weight and smoked about sixty cigarettes a day. Now that's a proper writer!
Surprisingly, very un-writer-ly, it's the fitness aspect that drives his running ambitions. What fascinates him about long-distance running – and what makes him go out and run for an hour almost every single day – is the desire to continuously improve your own performance. At the time of publication, he had run a marathon each year for over twenty years. Later in life, he added triathlons to his repertoire. Once he even successfully participated in an ultramarathon, running – not walking, as he proudly recounts – the distance of 100km in less than twelve hours.
This is the aspect about the narrative that resonated with me deeply. I'm not a long-distant runner. Well, I'm not an even remotely successful athlete at all. But the idea of setting yourself physical goals and just stick with them. At one point he discusses how he finds the will to go on. To him for the most part it has very little to do with will power at all. It's just what he does. I think this is why I find it "easier" to do sports almost every single day. It's part of the day, and something I too still have a strong desire for.
In the introduction I've said that it's a personal sense, and I enjoyed reading about the details of his life. I was surprised to find that he started running only at the age of thirty-three. More surprising still, before he became a professional writer (and runner) he owned a jazz club for a couple of years. We also learn about the music he listens to while running. Among the artists he mentions are The Rolling Stones, Beck, Gorillaz, and RHCP. During the summer months he lives and trains on Hawaii and spends many months a year in Cambridge. He's passionate about baseball – for reasons I cannot quite fathom it was during a Tokyo Yakult Swallows match that the sudden urge befell him to write a novel (not necessarily to become a writer). The events are only loosely connected, yet it somehow all makes sense within the bigger picture.
At times it's screamingly funny. It's disheartening when Murakami talks about aging and how he isn't able to keep up with the times he used to run and at some points he's disturbed to find that a marathon took him over four hours. The chapters of the book follow an arc towards the New York Marathon and Murakami trains as he hadn't done in years. At one point he's sure he'll finish the chapter (of his life) gloriously. Of course, it all turns out to be a whole disaster. It's clear that he's genuinely bummed, but the way he tells the story is just too charming and funny.
I also loved how he tells us about his very first marathon, the real marathon from Athens to Marathon. Before his arrival the poor guy didn't realize that it would be along a highway with the sun burning relentlessly. Here we have a story of amazing commitment and success. It's an accomplishment and a story that impressed me greatly.
Rating: 5/5
I was intrigued by the book ever since I've first heard about it. On first glance, running is not the most substantial activity. You put on appropriate clothes, you go outside, and you put one foot in front of the other at the appropriate pace and for an appropriate time. How would this fill a full-length book?
Murakami posed himself the same question. He admits that he struggled to make up his mind on what he wanted to write about. In the end, it had to be as much about himself as about running (something he wasn't initially comfortable with). Actually, he even agrees that the act itself isn't really about anything at all. People often ask what he thinks about while running. Murakami then tells them that, apart from trivialities like the weather, for the most part he thinks about nothing.
Murakami addresses the idea (or cliché) that writers are prone to cigarettes, alcohol, and languishment. To be honest, this isn't too far from the image I had of Murakami, most likely derived from his prototypical protagonist. Before he became a writer and a runner this wasn't too far from the truth. During the writing of A Wild Sheep Chase he gained weight and smoked about sixty cigarettes a day. Now that's a proper writer!
Surprisingly, very un-writer-ly, it's the fitness aspect that drives his running ambitions. What fascinates him about long-distance running – and what makes him go out and run for an hour almost every single day – is the desire to continuously improve your own performance. At the time of publication, he had run a marathon each year for over twenty years. Later in life, he added triathlons to his repertoire. Once he even successfully participated in an ultramarathon, running – not walking, as he proudly recounts – the distance of 100km in less than twelve hours.
This is the aspect about the narrative that resonated with me deeply. I'm not a long-distant runner. Well, I'm not an even remotely successful athlete at all. But the idea of setting yourself physical goals and just stick with them. At one point he discusses how he finds the will to go on. To him for the most part it has very little to do with will power at all. It's just what he does. I think this is why I find it "easier" to do sports almost every single day. It's part of the day, and something I too still have a strong desire for.
In the introduction I've said that it's a personal sense, and I enjoyed reading about the details of his life. I was surprised to find that he started running only at the age of thirty-three. More surprising still, before he became a professional writer (and runner) he owned a jazz club for a couple of years. We also learn about the music he listens to while running. Among the artists he mentions are The Rolling Stones, Beck, Gorillaz, and RHCP. During the summer months he lives and trains on Hawaii and spends many months a year in Cambridge. He's passionate about baseball – for reasons I cannot quite fathom it was during a Tokyo Yakult Swallows match that the sudden urge befell him to write a novel (not necessarily to become a writer). The events are only loosely connected, yet it somehow all makes sense within the bigger picture.
At times it's screamingly funny. It's disheartening when Murakami talks about aging and how he isn't able to keep up with the times he used to run and at some points he's disturbed to find that a marathon took him over four hours. The chapters of the book follow an arc towards the New York Marathon and Murakami trains as he hadn't done in years. At one point he's sure he'll finish the chapter (of his life) gloriously. Of course, it all turns out to be a whole disaster. It's clear that he's genuinely bummed, but the way he tells the story is just too charming and funny.
I also loved how he tells us about his very first marathon, the real marathon from Athens to Marathon. Before his arrival the poor guy didn't realize that it would be along a highway with the sun burning relentlessly. Here we have a story of amazing commitment and success. It's an accomplishment and a story that impressed me greatly.
Rating: 5/5
But something else was pushing me on: You practiced as hard as you could in all that heat, didn’t you? If you can’t make this time, then what’s the point? You’re a man, aren’t you? Start acting like one! This voice whispered in my ear, just like the voices of the cunning cat and fox that tempted Pinocchio on his way to school.
Memoir + Inspirational read. I used to enjoy running and this book makes you rethink all the excuses you've made not to run today or now. Very simple read - talks about success, failure, suffering, goals, self-satisfactions and what not. I also enjoyed the philosophical lessons/messages in this book.
Memoir + Inspirational read. I used to enjoy running and this book makes you rethink all the excuses you've made not to run today or now. Very simple read - talks about success, failure, suffering, goals, self-satisfactions and what not. I also enjoyed the philosophical lessons/messages in this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Probably not everyone's thing but for the Venn crossover of folks who like to run long distances, are curious about a novelists thoughts, accounts, and memories of the time they spend running, and ultimately doing other things than writing their novels, then this is the book for you.
For me, it served as a reminder of the community of running (which, admittedly I've only recently joined). the thoughts M shares about the practice and the effort and the effect are all so relatable that it felt like I was sitting with a friend and having a conversation.
For me, it served as a reminder of the community of running (which, admittedly I've only recently joined). the thoughts M shares about the practice and the effort and the effect are all so relatable that it felt like I was sitting with a friend and having a conversation.
Needed a book for the drive home and this audiobook happened to be in the apl lucky day collection - and just saw rf kuang’s review ! Even if it was just a rambling of sorts I thought it was very insightful and good motivation to start running again. I have no desire to ever do a triathlon but this has perhaps put a marathon on the bucket list!
very inspirational sikit lagi kan berlari di jalan raya, to join marathons,
https://pingerowyklubksiazki.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/o-czym-mowie-kiedy-mowie-o-bieganiu-haruki-murakami/
Can you stop murakami from writing about books, pain, music and aphorism? This memoir is all about thoughts that overflow his mind and personal running, marathon, and triathalon experience. Myself, not runner, enjoyed his running experience narrations and liked the perspective he shared, "I run not to live long, but to enjoy the life to the fullest"
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced