what talk about when i talk about running

In his memoir, Murakami reflects upon his relationship with running, as well as the influence the practice has on his writing. Despite beginning his running journey in his early 30’s, by 1996 (14 years later), Murakami had not only competed in dozens of races, but also finished an ultramarathon of 62 miles. That’s also one of my favorite things about Murakami - that he owned a snazzy jazz bar. At the time, he recently sold his jazz bar to become a full-time writer and needed to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle after having to sit at a desk for most of the day. He says that he began running when he was 33 out of necessity. There’s an addictive laser-sharp meditative state I find myself in after a really good run, and for a few moments, I swear that there’s no need to give into any vice ever again. But the individualistic quality of running - of knowing that the only reason why you’ve crossed the finish line is because you convinced yourself that you could, is incomparable. Because running is such an obviously mental game - most sports are. But, besides writing, I don’t think there’s any other activity I get such an immense gratification from upon finishing than running. I think my fastest mile time in high school hovers around 8 minutes. My body, my height, and my natural stamina were not made for me to run far or run fast. The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.”

Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore. Particularly, I am reminded of a line where he says, “Pain is inevitable. It is during these awful runs that I think about author Haruki Murakami’s 2007 memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Every month I have a handful of terrible runs - the kind where my legs feel detached from my body and my brain powerfully persuades me that if I go an extra block I will not find strength and resilience, but rather a horrible and painful death (jeez stop being so dramatic!).

What talk about when i talk about running