What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

One of the covers
of the book

Before turning to writing Murakami owned a jazz club. The siwth from 'jazz club owner' to 'writer' came with a switch in livestyle as well.
The discipline required to write on a novell, day in, day out brought out the discipline to pick up running as a fysical exercise.
For Murakami those two do not differ that much.

Finding himself not very talented at either, it is the discipline that enables him to finish a novell and to run a (ultra)marathon each year. Being wel over fifty he still runs a marathon each winter and completes a traithlon each summer.

The book is a collection of memories and reflections mostly from the four month period leading up to his New York City Marathon of 2005. But these reflections go a long way (away) from running which makes the book a good read for runners and non runners alike.

The side steps give a good impression how running helped him in becoming the person he is, how it shaped him. Running is not only a fysical past time, it is a metaphore for the 25 years he has been a writer/runner at the time of writing this novell. for this reason Murakami himselfs calls this novell a memoir.

The book contains two quotes that are a perfect illustration of  how running is a metaphore for life.

1. His epithaph will be: "Writer (and Runner), At Least He Never Walked". Indicating that no matter how bad he felt during a marathon (life) he always kept on going.
2. "Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional". Indicating that it is up to you how you mentaly deal with the fysical pain your body feels. A nice mantra to remember the next time you are in the final stages of your marathon. 

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