Book review: what I talk about when I talk about running

While Murukami is a modern writing genius, and obviously from the title a seasoned runner, if you’re looking for an insight into garnering mental resilience, this is a book for you. Haruki invests a lot of time and energy in this activity to overcome the physical pain and mental challenge associated with running and the sheer feeling of being alive throughout WITAWITAR, where he talks as runner and as novelist, giving us the sense that he cannot be one without being the other.

(Non-runners should not be put off by the title of the book, a play on Raymond Carver's “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”, because while the neuroses of the runner leap from every page, along the way we learn little things about Murakami the writer and Murakami the man as a metaphor even for our own lives).

His greatest quote in the book that speaks the loudest to me is simply:

“I stop every day right at the point where I feel I can write more. Do that, and the next day's work goes surprisingly smoothly. To keep on going, you have to keep up the rhythm. This is the important thing for long-term projects. Once you set the pace, the rest will follow … I let the exhilaration I feel at the end of each run carry over to the next day.”

Murukami feels that “every shave is a philosophy", suggesting that even seemingly mundane tasks can hold deeper meaning or be approached with a mindful, philosophical attitude. This idea is often linked to his personal philosophy of habit, routine, and the importance of daily practice, both in writing and other aspects of life.

As you can tell from the title, Murukami really likes running. Majoring in the mundane as daily practice by stopping at the point where you can always do more, keeping up the rhythm and the exhilaration of achievement and creativity carrying over to the next day … that’s my definition of healthy and of lifestyle, both of which are intertwined.

Thankyou Murukami.