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141 of 146 people found the following review helpful:
Zen running, Zen writing
Haruki Murakami has run for his entire writing life, taking it up when he realised that the sedentary existence of a novelist was making him fat; he has eventually tackled more than twenty-five marathons, half-marathons aplenty, and even one gruelling 100 kilometre "ultra-marathon" whose odd spiritual benefits are described here in satisfying detail.
His...
Published on 10 Aug 2008 by emma who reads a lot
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Too much of a gentle jog
I've not read any of Murakami's novels, nor have I seen him run, but this gentle philosophical jog gives a good impression of both his art and sport. He draws parallels between running and writing, often in a simple zen-like style, which is pleasing to read, but surprisingly slight. Although the long distance runner's sweaty battle between mind and body are engaging (the...
Published 14 months ago by C. Young
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141 of 146 people found the following review helpful:
Zen running, Zen writing, 10 Aug 2008
Haruki Murakami has run for his entire writing life, taking it up when he realised that the sedentary existence of a novelist was making him fat; he has eventually tackled more than twenty-five marathons, half-marathons aplenty, and even one gruelling 100 kilometre "ultra-marathon" whose odd spiritual benefits are described here in satisfying detail.
His simple approach to running is set down on the page with great skill and grace. But is it a hobby? An obsession? A way to keep fit? Or something more spiritual and meaningful? You can't help plumping for the latter when you read this book, so evocative and powerful are his thoughts on the way in which running requires tenacity, persistence, and a willingness to make the mind and body do things they don't really want to do. Running becomes a way of talking about all the difficulties of life - self-discipline, lack of willpower, the need for consistency.
On the other hand, he's also fantastic on the joys and delights of running: a "very attractive" young Japanese runner who smiles at him everyday on his Tokyo circuit; the mists of the wintry Charles river in Boston; a quick turn around Central Park reservoir in the company of fellow novelist John Irving.
If you aren't even slightly interested in running the book still has something to offer. It goes into detail about his philosophy of life, and he gives his thoughts about being a writer, which is intriguing for anyone who's read his strange and delightful fiction. But in the end I kept thinking about Zen buddhism - not a subject he directly touches upon. But there is something Zen about the simplicity with which he is determined to live his life, eliminating people he doesn't really want to see, pursuing single-mindedly his time and distance goals as a running, admitting that he really prefers just being on his own. The book is charming, completely thought-provoking, and I think very profound. You might even put on your trainers and go for a run after you read it. I have to admit, I did.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Material for runner even non runners can benefit from it !! Very Inspiring !!, 10 Sep 2008
I found this book very inspiring and charming. When I started reading it, I found it hard to stop, literally read it from cover to cover ...not many books do that to me.
This book is very thought provoking, it makes you think about yourself, goals, its about achievement as well as doing something to live life to the fullest!! Its also about passion and lessons to be learned,and overcoming failure
I love running and this book has motivated me to keep going and set new goals not just in running but also helped drive my motivation to learn new skills and avoid procastination
He talks about how ''if something is worth doing, its worth giving it your best, even more than your best'' !!
I highly recommend this book to people who love running , and other sports. Even for the non-sporty, there is a lot to be learned from this book !!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
An examination of motivation; an honest and moving record of the highs and lows of long-distance running; ambitious; admirable.., 20 April 2009
This review is from: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (Paperback)
I thoroughly enjoyed and admired this book - both the subject and how it was handled. Unlike Murakami's novels which get too lost in fantasy for my taste, this is based totally in real life and records his thoughts and observations as he trains for the New York marathon, along with reminisces of past races. Now in his sixties, these feats of endurance are a matter of trying to maintain past performances rather than winning or breaking any records, a question of pride. The struggle is as much mental as physical.
Murakami's lifestyle as a writer and his success offers him certain freedoms but he still has to balance the many demands on his time with the need to train if he is going to preserve his fitness and avoid injury. So, under the practicalities of his preparation, is a treatise on where his motivation, and indeed dedication, comes from. Popular sport today seems to be readily swallowed up in professionalism and celebrity, so I think it is fantastic that someone `normal' can relate their experiences - I mean someone who is not a `winner' in the conventional sense but yet who emerges as a strong and healthy individual as a result of his own efforts.
Not that Murakami is trying to glorify his sport either - he does not gloss over the grinding effort involved in an almost daily basis, nor the sheer pain which races bring. This is a personal choice, there is no suggestion it is for everyone! Refreshing too, is the honesty when Murakami talks about his own personality, even to the point of saying he is not a very likable person! (Such disarming candour defeats some of my criticism for his novels - that they are too nerdy and pedantic.)
By turning storytelling conventions on their head Murakami is being brave and ambitious - here is the writing superstar pounding down the road every day at a very average speed... Gosh! - He is not a God, not a superhero, just a human being!
This is not as polished as most of Murakami's books, the build-up to the race and the tensions of the big events are broken as he jumps to past or future, or lapses into descriptions of clouds reflected in the river.... but I think this adds to the impression of being set in the real world.
Anyone who participates in endurance sports can easily relate to this book, they know there are no shortcuts, they know what reality does to plans and dreams!
Glad I read it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Too much of a gentle jog, 7 July 2009
This review is from: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (Paperback)
I've not read any of Murakami's novels, nor have I seen him run, but this gentle philosophical jog gives a good impression of both his art and sport. He draws parallels between running and writing, often in a simple zen-like style, which is pleasing to read, but surprisingly slight. Although the long distance runner's sweaty battle between mind and body are engaging (the book is something of a running diary), I would have liked to read more about the parallel struggles of the long distance writer. Nonetheless Murakami's dogged example encourages this intermittent runner and occasional writer to try a wee bit harder at both.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
what I talk about when i talk about books, 4 April 2009
I'm a great belieiver that there are certain books that you read at certain times in your life that change your life! I remember some from my childhood. There is no doubt in my mind that this book is a book that has changed my life. I started running marathons at 33 and attributed it to a mid life crisis. This book makes sense of the running. Haruki murakami has a gift to be able to describe the sensations, thoughts and experience of this running as well as his self awareness in his motivations. Even if I was not a runner, this book would have profound implications for me.
To anyone struggling to make sense of middle age and of running or of writing, this book is revelationary and I higly reccomend it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Wisdom for the short-distance reader, 12 May 2010
This is deeply personal exploration of the author's life, or at least the last 25 years in which he has been both a successful writer and runner. It weaves between accounts of running marathons, his need to run in his daily life and insights from his personal philosophy in the most wonderful way, shifting organically between writing and running, as if they were two sides of a coin. Indeed, he claims, the qualities he needs for writing are those he's learnt from running.
There are detailed descriptions of the physical trials he's voluntarily undertaken, and the narrative jumps around in a natural, contemplative "stream of life" way. It is written over a couple of years, as he looks backwards to understand the meaning of running in his life, and forwards as he comes to terms with ageing and decline of his abilities.
I found this an enjoyable, intriguing and thought-provoking little read. It is open, honest and full of self-accepting maturity and humble enquiry. It strikes right at the heart of how we organise our lives around what we value, or fail to. I've not had much chance, in my life, to speak to mature, insightful individuals who have been successful at what they pursued. So I found this immensely quenching for thirst I'm not sure I knew I had: wisdom on running a life.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Writing and running at its best, 17 Oct 2008
I enjoyed this book immensely, both as someone who has read all of Murakami's books available in English, and as someone who has just trained for and run a half marathon.
For the first time, Murakami publishes a unique insight into the man behind the vivid imagination that created all his legendary titles, explaining how he started running to stay fit while sitting at home writing, and how the discipline he attaches to writing is very much the same discipline it takes to run an average of 6 miles a day, every day, for the last 23 or 24 years.
Having just trained for a reasonbly long run for 4 months, and run "only" 3 to 4 times a week, I enjoyed finding that Murakami describes so well the thoughts of a runner - he sums up brilliantly how you overcome the fatigue and pain when running by stating: "pain is inevitable, suffering is not". Once you realise that, he explains it is a matter of how you manage your expectations when focussing on any task that requires stamina, dedication and a bit of pain, be it running, writing or anything else in life.
The other aspect of Murakami's personal life that comes out of this book is his sad realisation that you can not beat the ageing process; no matter how much he trains, he can not improve on his times any more, and he acknowledges with much pain the inevitability of getting older by the day. Alongside his diminishing running capabilities, he fears that his best writing years may be past him, though he takes comfort from knowing that a few writers produced their best works in their late years.
We will have to see what else Murakami has to offer - I certainly will continue to buy his books.
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
I know how he feels, 16 Aug 2008
Well I'm coming at this from he opposite direction from Emma (above), but I agree with her assessment of the book.
As a 50-something runner and lover of Murakami's novels I found this fascinating - read it in one sitting (well, lying - it was an overnight hospital stay).
Recmmended for runners and couch potatoes alike.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
The Lonliness Of A Long Distance Writer, 30 Sep 2008
Anyone who knows anything of Murakmi's work should be aware that a book about running written by him won't just be a book about running. Short, but never slight, the book muses on many subjects from memory, to why he started writing, perfecting a swimming technique, to some of the best music to run to. All written in Murakmi's own distinctive voice.
Whatever he writes about this is Murakami's voice you're hearing. There is insight into the kind of person he is and also the kind of person runners are. There is plenty of running here and at times it does almost feel like the book has been written at the pace of a long run as its energy is brisk yet economical. For anyone looking for a big novel, it's not here. For anyone who wants a look into the world of a man who likes to write and run and tell you about it there's enough here to keep you entertained for a while.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I like running and I like Murakami but this book was truly a chore, 17 Mar 2010
This review is from: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (Paperback)
I was really excited by this book as I'd read a couple of Murakami books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'd heard someone speaking of this book as finally capturing the moment of zen that is running.
Perhaps it does, but if so it is within a few tucked away sentences. The idea that the thrill of running could be communicated by over a hundred pages of monotonic, drab descriptions of yet another marathon is just depressing - surely there's so much more to it? There certainly is to Murakami.
I think this book had a lot of potential. Occasionally it turns autobiographical which provides us with a slight relief and you learn a fair bit about running. Ultimately, however, there is only enough content for a chapter of a book.
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