I have been curious about this book for years already but have never gotten around reading it earlier because I wasn’t sure whether I would find it interesting enough, not being a runner myself. It ended being much more generally philosophical, speaking a lot about the process of writing, similar to Murakami’s latest book, “Novelist as a Vocation”. It was the last book I read in 2022 and the third within the category of being written by or being about Murakami during that year. Having dived so deeply into the author’s world, I am now equally interested in both his novels and his general thoughts, ideas and understanding of the world.

The end of the race is just a temporary marker without much significance. It’s the same with our lives. Just because there’s an end doesn’t mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker, or perhaps as an indirect metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence.

p. 115

If you’re looking for a book to read towards the end of the year (I finished it on the last day of 2022), this one here might be a great pick. It touches upon topics of growing old, of the significance of the mundane, the daily tasks and the importance of regular exercise in one’s life (not just running). Whereas briefly touching upon how Murakami became an author, the book made me see the profession of a writer in a completely different light. The high amount of physical perseverance it takes to stay focused on the task of writing and sitting down for long periods of time while growing old became very apparent.

The whole process – sitting at your desk, focusing your mind like a laser beam, imagining something out of a blank horizon, creating a story, selecting the right words, one by one, keeping the whole flow of the story on track – requires far more energy, over a long period, than most people ever imagine […]; and for the novelist that process requires putting into play all your physical reserve, often to the point of overexertion.

p. 79

The book felt like sitting down for a conversation with the author, speaking about the little things that make up our existence and absorbing the lessons Murakami has gathered throughout the years. It gave hope that it’s never too late to start a new habit (the author only having started running regularly from the age of 33 years on himself) and it put emphasis on the importance of following one’s own personal journey without comparing oneself to others.

For me – and for everybody else, probably – this is my first experience growing old, and the emotions I’m having, too, are all first-time feelings. […] For now all I can do is put off making any detailed judgements and accept things as they are. Just like I accept the sky, the clouds, and the river.

p. 18

After finishing the book, I had a better understanding of people’s fascination with running, the importance of the community of joggers, the benefits of this type of sport and the interest in running marathons. I’d suggest “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” to those, who are curious about Haruki Murakami as a person and to those, who are interested in the philosophy of what regular movement means to us and what it can contribute towards for us as human beings. It has been a little highlight of a read: short, pleasant and extremely enjoyable.

★★★★★ (5/5)

_{Edition: ISBN 978-0-09952-615-5
Penguin Random House, Vintage, 2019 (Originally published in 2007)}