In his memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami relates long-distance running with writing. The solitary individual meeting the world through toil is the reality of both undertakings. Each must be confronted deliberately, bit by bit, with quiet dedication. Murakami’s many marathons and steady, all-weather training are outlined in the book and they are impressive. Perhaps not as unique as his triumphs as a writer, but anyone who has run a few miles can attest, his achievements in sneakers are no small things. Geoff Dyer, writing in the New York Times, was not impressed with the famous writer’s literary exploration of his hobby. It felt hollow to me as well; if you love his writing it might be worth missing and if you love running, it probably will not reveal too many new perspectives. However, if you are the bird that enjoys both Murakami’s novels and also runs, then the book seems worthwhile. Memoir was an appropriate space for him to explore feelings about running. Being such a personal sport it is unsurprising that the book’s strong autobiographical tone reveals a very human face. It is the face of someone who must get up day after day to make small advances towards a larger goal. The self-control this demands is admirable and the many miles in Murakami’s legs and the many pages left by his pen are testaments to an iron will. In this sense it seems that Raymond Carver would be honored. While certainly individual, writing lives through readers. Without eyes, the words are ink on a page. Reading transforms a writer's lonely act into something social; an interaction that never ceases to be individual for both the author and the person reading. For runners this is the race. It's the moment where one continues to be individual, but does so in a group of people doing the same. Is this a metaphor for something bigger?
On Sunday my feeble legs will try their second half marathon here in Boston. One foot in front of the other…
Here is Murakami’s interview with Runner’s World.
Some motivation from one of the internet’s increasingly well-known film makers (and admirable runners):
On Sunday my feeble legs will try their second half marathon here in Boston. One foot in front of the other…
Here is Murakami’s interview with Runner’s World.
Some motivation from one of the internet’s increasingly well-known film makers (and admirable runners):
