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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Three things:
1. This made me want to take up running again, if only for its mindfulness aspects.
2. I love his ongoing analogy between running and writing.
3. The importance of consistency in anything worthwhile.
1. This made me want to take up running again, if only for its mindfulness aspects.
2. I love his ongoing analogy between running and writing.
3. The importance of consistency in anything worthwhile.
My guess is people who enjoy running will enjoy this book. Maybe I thought it would inspire me? Nope. I’m still in the camp of people who only run when either 1) there’s a clown chasing them with a bloody knife and the promise of a cupcake later or 2) their friend or sister talks them into it.
reflective
fast-paced
I picked up What I Talk About When I Talk About Running again, years after my first read, and this time, it hit differently. Back in 2019, I was hoping Murakami would inspire me to run. This time, I’m already running, not necessarily well, not particularly fast, and with no guarantee, I’ll keep at it, but running nonetheless. And somehow, that makes all the difference.
Murakami says he runs to acquire void, and I felt that. Like anything that takes you into a flow state, running doesn’t fill your mind - it empties it. Thoughts tumble in and out, loosely connected, if at all. That’s also exactly how this book reads: wandering reflections tied together by a thin thread of movement, whether forward on the road or forward in time. It’s less about running and more about persistence, ageing, and doing things that make sense to you, even if they don’t to anyone else.
I relate to his take on endurance: I work hard and can take a lot, and that has always been my strength. Something is reassuring about seeing that trait reflected in someone else. It’s not about talent or innate ability - just sheer stubbornness to keep going.
Murakami believes that people become runners because they’re meant to be. This feels… true. I’ve never been one, never wanted to be one, never stuck with it. And yet, here I am, running. Maybe it’s a gateway to something else. Perhaps it is the thing. Either way, it feels like some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy where if it is meant to stick, it will, and one day, I’ll call myself a runner. But maybe I will never.
Then there’s the part about running slower with age, about noticing the next generation outrun you and realising time is winning, whether you like it or not. It made me wonder if running is just a metaphor for gracefully accepting change, adapting, and slowing down but still moving with purpose.
The title of this book is perfect. It’s not about running, not really. It’s about what your mind does when it’s in motion. It’s about the thoughts that come and go, the ones that settle and dissolve. The way they loop back out of nowhere and form something new. The book felt like a run.
In 2019, I wrote that I liked the book because I was about to visit Japan and recognised some of the places Murakami mentioned. That was the hook, then. I’ve been to those places, and I like them better because I recognise something else - my mind is moving, and just as unsure about running as I am.
Maybe that’s enough to keep going. Maybe not. But for now, I run.
Murakami says he runs to acquire void, and I felt that. Like anything that takes you into a flow state, running doesn’t fill your mind - it empties it. Thoughts tumble in and out, loosely connected, if at all. That’s also exactly how this book reads: wandering reflections tied together by a thin thread of movement, whether forward on the road or forward in time. It’s less about running and more about persistence, ageing, and doing things that make sense to you, even if they don’t to anyone else.
I relate to his take on endurance: I work hard and can take a lot, and that has always been my strength. Something is reassuring about seeing that trait reflected in someone else. It’s not about talent or innate ability - just sheer stubbornness to keep going.
Murakami believes that people become runners because they’re meant to be. This feels… true. I’ve never been one, never wanted to be one, never stuck with it. And yet, here I am, running. Maybe it’s a gateway to something else. Perhaps it is the thing. Either way, it feels like some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy where if it is meant to stick, it will, and one day, I’ll call myself a runner. But maybe I will never.
Then there’s the part about running slower with age, about noticing the next generation outrun you and realising time is winning, whether you like it or not. It made me wonder if running is just a metaphor for gracefully accepting change, adapting, and slowing down but still moving with purpose.
The title of this book is perfect. It’s not about running, not really. It’s about what your mind does when it’s in motion. It’s about the thoughts that come and go, the ones that settle and dissolve. The way they loop back out of nowhere and form something new. The book felt like a run.
In 2019, I wrote that I liked the book because I was about to visit Japan and recognised some of the places Murakami mentioned. That was the hook, then. I’ve been to those places, and I like them better because I recognise something else - my mind is moving, and just as unsure about running as I am.
Maybe that’s enough to keep going. Maybe not. But for now, I run.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
reflective
medium-paced
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
This gets mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it.
Murakami is best known for his novels, but this is a memoir, though very narrowly focused on his life as a marathon runner (and later triathlete). His life as a long-distance runner neatly overlaps his life as a writer, with him taking up writing and running roughly the same time, in his late 20s and early 30s. He notes that some of the same skills and mindset needed to run a marathon overlap with those needed for the "marathon" of finishing a novel.
Notwithstanding a really snarky review from the NY Times I recently ran across, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I knew Murakami would probably write some about his writing process, and he does, but the bits about running are great, too. He talks about how he got started and some of the memorable races he ran, including the original route from Athens to the town of Marathon that inspired the name of the 26.2-mile races. He has lots of interesting insights about writing, life, and aging.
I thought it was interesting that he knows that his personality is something of a niche preference and that he doesn't expect that many people to enjoy it. That seems so un-American to me, but possibly a healthy way to look at things, especially if you're an introverted loner whose pastimes include shutting yourself up in a room to write for 3-4 hours a day and running for an hour or more a day.
I had this feeling that the book was written just before he published his novel "1Q84", and when I looked up their publication dates, it looks like I was right. I recognized that he used his own personal experience of winning a new writer's prize in parts of "1Q84" that involve the charactger Tengo winning a similar prize (if I'm recalling correctly - it's been a while since I read "1Q84"). I enjoyed this a lot and was tempted to pick it up and read it a second time right after finishing it -- and I rarely feel that way about a book. I'd recommend this to runners, Murakami fans, and anyone who enjoys books about the writing process.
Murakami is best known for his novels, but this is a memoir, though very narrowly focused on his life as a marathon runner (and later triathlete). His life as a long-distance runner neatly overlaps his life as a writer, with him taking up writing and running roughly the same time, in his late 20s and early 30s. He notes that some of the same skills and mindset needed to run a marathon overlap with those needed for the "marathon" of finishing a novel.
Notwithstanding a really snarky review from the NY Times I recently ran across, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I knew Murakami would probably write some about his writing process, and he does, but the bits about running are great, too. He talks about how he got started and some of the memorable races he ran, including the original route from Athens to the town of Marathon that inspired the name of the 26.2-mile races. He has lots of interesting insights about writing, life, and aging.
I thought it was interesting that he knows that his personality is something of a niche preference and that he doesn't expect that many people to enjoy it. That seems so un-American to me, but possibly a healthy way to look at things, especially if you're an introverted loner whose pastimes include shutting yourself up in a room to write for 3-4 hours a day and running for an hour or more a day.
I had this feeling that the book was written just before he published his novel "1Q84", and when I looked up their publication dates, it looks like I was right. I recognized that he used his own personal experience of winning a new writer's prize in parts of "1Q84" that involve the charactger Tengo winning a similar prize (if I'm recalling correctly - it's been a while since I read "1Q84"). I enjoyed this a lot and was tempted to pick it up and read it a second time right after finishing it -- and I rarely feel that way about a book. I'd recommend this to runners, Murakami fans, and anyone who enjoys books about the writing process.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Very disappointing. It was like listening to a long distance runner talk about long distance running and their workout routine for 5 hours. Ugh.
What I talk about when I talk about murakami:
This book is about running-obviously from the title-and I'm not a fan of running but I'm a fan of haruki. I always say that you don't just read his books you drown in them; you just leave the world behind and step into his world. It's an inspirational book but not the cheesy YOU CAN DO IT way. It's the real deal. It's not just about running ; it's about following your passion, being happy with your choices, accepting whatever comes in your way but as I said not the cheesy way.
What I liked that he prefers running on team sports. Liked that he has a passion besides the writing. And the most important thing that you get a glimpse on the person haruki is. In some parts it got a little boring - he's talking about preprations for NYC marathon and running stuff. But you just can't leave the book.
so many great phrases in this book that you can hang on your wall. I can't deny I got a little heart broken in the end. But I think it's the right ending- the perfect one. The perfect anticlimax . You just enjoy this amazing person from the start to the end, this amazing writer, this amazing runner ......
at least he never walked
This book is about running-obviously from the title-and I'm not a fan of running but I'm a fan of haruki. I always say that you don't just read his books you drown in them; you just leave the world behind and step into his world. It's an inspirational book but not the cheesy YOU CAN DO IT way. It's the real deal. It's not just about running ; it's about following your passion, being happy with your choices, accepting whatever comes in your way but as I said not the cheesy way.
What I liked that he prefers running on team sports. Liked that he has a passion besides the writing. And the most important thing that you get a glimpse on the person haruki is. In some parts it got a little boring - he's talking about preprations for NYC marathon and running stuff. But you just can't leave the book.
so many great phrases in this book that you can hang on your wall. I can't deny I got a little heart broken in the end. But I think it's the right ending- the perfect one. The perfect anticlimax . You just enjoy this amazing person from the start to the end, this amazing writer, this amazing runner ......
at least he never walked