Blythe's Book 6: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running seems like the type of title that suggests there may be an inside joke or a deeper meaning hidden within the novel. However, if you read this book, you will not eventually reach an "Aha! That's how the title fits in!" kind of moment. It really and truly is a book about running. Haruki Murakami is a world famous author (I'm not exaggerating) who typically writes quirky, intellectual novels. Here he takes a break from novel writing, however, to share his thoughts on long-distance running, which he has been engaging in for twenty-odd years. His topics on running run from why he does it and what the process entails to how this makes him a better writer.

So, by now, most people who know me (well or even slightly) will be wondering WHY on earth I, of all people, chose to read this book. I have never been a runner or even athletic. However, my friend and fellow blogger, Pam, and I have been on a long and somewhat sporadic mission to "get in shape" (only offput by my frequent binges into Chinese food and Q'doba and my inherently slovenly nature). Trying to become runners has been an integral part of our regime. I use the term "runners" loosely-- at best, we are joggers; at worst, the term "plodders" comes to mind, in my case especially. When Pam saw this book on a website, she knew it would be a good Christmas present, as it involved two of our common interests: Murakami and running.

So here I am, I've read a book about runnning, and actually enjoyed it. Stranger things have NOT happened. Turns out that what I like best about Murakami's nonfiction is also what I like best about his novels. He writes like someone who has just entered a new world and is blinking, slowly taking it all in, amazed and a bit overwhelmed. There's this certain formality and self-effacement he possesses that I have come to link with the Japanese in general. I went to Japan this past summer and found the people to be the most humble and modest I've ever met. Murakami is much like this; he is always downplaying his successes and accepting rudeness in others. For instance, when he is repeatedly kicked, intentionally, before a triathlon, he says this must be expected. No anger or resentment; just acceptance. When he accomplishes just about anything, he feels relief or appreciation-- never self-pride.

What I came to learn about Murakami through his memoir is that he is a workhorse, obsessed with whatever he takes on, singular in purpose, and extremely gracious towards others. Aboce all else, he seems to value focus, patience, and endurance. He is first a bar owner, then a novelist, then a long-distance runner, then a translator and lecturer and a triathlete. He never starts with a coach or a class, instead preferring to do something on his own first, learning by trial through fire, and continuing simply because he has decided to.

If you've never read Murakami, but are interested in giving him a try, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to start out with (unless it is the topic, not the writer, that you are interested in). His most popular works are probably Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood, and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle-- all good samples of his work.

I've decided to share some favorite tidbits:
- On why it's better not to be stick-thin (which could suggest healthiness even if the person is not): "Some of my readers may be the kind of people who easily gain weight, but the only way to understand what's really fair is to take a long-range view of things. . . I think this physical nuisance [being heavy] should be viewed in a positive way, as a blessing. We should consider ourselves lucky that the red light is so clearly visible" (42).

- After finishing his first marathon: "I sit at a cafe in the village and gulp down cold Amstel beer. It tastes fantastic, but not nearly as great as the beer I'd been imagining as I ran. Nothing in the real world is as beautiful as the illusions of a person about to lose consciousness" (66).

- On follow-through: "If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I'd never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished" (73).


I almost feel like lacing up and going out for a jog-- and there are few books that can inspire such a reaction in this gal.