More thoughts on thoughts ...

... and a mini book review!

Thanks to Ryan Carney for his suggestion after last week’s post: “You should read Murakami! It’s a good, quick read.” He was referring to “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,” by Haruki Murakami, which was mentioned in last week’s “thinking” post.

Dutifully, I did as I was told, during a long track trip to Richmond over the weekend. It is, indeed, a “good, quick read” by an immensely popular and talented writer. And runner! I highly recommend.

Yes, the book is “about” running. But it is as much of a personal memoir of Murakami’s writing and running days during his “prime years” – his early 30s through his mid-50s.

It’s really neat how he weaves running and writing, as they are intertwined throughout the book and certainly during his career journey.

Murakami speaks about how writing and running provide him with internal validation. The acts of writing and running are the ends and not the means to an end – classic process over outcome, which is one of my favorite concepts.

When he first started writing novels – and the thought came to him came completely out of the blue, as he was lounging in the sun, watching a Japanese league baseball game – his stated goal was not positive reviews nor book sales. In fact, his first, hand-written manuscript was mailed to a publisher without his making a copy of it! Just the act of writing is what matters to him.

Of course, several decades later, Murakami is one of the world’s most famous, successful and lucrative authors. In the memoir, he credits running – which he started doing, shortly after his writing career blossomed -- for being a wellspring of writing ideas.

But make no mistake: This is a running book. Murakami talks about the ups and downs of his running training. He discussed his regular marathon habit – at least one per year for more than 20 years. And there are several “race reports” mixed in there as well.

Although the book was written about 20 years ago, and Murakami is still alive and writing, a recurring theme – especially toward the book’s conclusion – is the inevitable effects of aging on his running. He has some poignant moments. He talks about the “blessed right to grow old” and how “the honor of physical decline is waiting.”

One line that really stuck with me: “Learning something essential in life requires physical pain.” That came during one of his later race reports, when the effects of aging came into stark relief.

At times, Murakami became self-deprecating bordering on self-loathing, all the while insisting that no matter how slow he went, there would be NO WALKING (in fact, he wrote that he wants that on his tombstone!).

What does Murakami think about when he is thinking about running? A lot! He wrote a whole book about it!

You too, apparently, have a lot of thoughts and I appreciate your sharing them in the comments of the previous post. Please go back and check them, there’s some great stuff there.

The most surprising feedback on the post was from my (non-running) sister-in-law! She texted me: “It’s funny because when I’m on a walk I’m clearing the cobwebs in my head and I think about everything. It was an enjoyable read and it makes you think what do you think about doing anything.”

Thanks, Carol! And thanks to Dave and Paul for the idea for this topic, which is endlessly thought provoking!