in the stacks | what i talk about when i talk about running

Synopsis
Renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami focuses his narrative inwards in a non-fiction, memoir-esque book of essays about his life as a runner and a writer. He says himself that he doesn't quite know what this book is other than a way to simply talk to his audience and fans about what it is that crosses his mind when he crosses the finish line at marathons, triathlons, and even an ultra-marathon.

Quotes
"So the fact that I’m me and no one else is one of my greatest assets. Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent."

"I've always done whatever I felt like doing in life. People may try to stop me, and convince me I'm wrong, but I won't change."

"I'm often asked what I think about as I run. Usually the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I'm running? I don't have a clue."

My thoughts... 
Melanie got me What I Talk About When I Talk About Running for my birthday this year, and what a great gift and how very thoughtful - it's about writing and running by a Japanese author, and those are three things that mean something to me. I'm ashamed to say that this is the first of Murakami's books I've read, but I can promise that it won't be the last. Murakami is a bit of a loner, humble, and also very confident. His essays seem flowing and uneventful, even, and then when I finished one, I found myself inspired to create routines that build on my talents, to utilize my time in ways that make better sense for my productivity, and to look at writing as a marathon instead of a sprint. I write in bursts, and Murakami says bluntly - that's not how to sustain writing talent. Talent he says, must be divvied out slowly and steadily, must be nourished every single day. He says, too, that the well of talent in many writers dries up, and when that happens, if they don't have discipline to fall back on, they're left with blank pages. On running, too, Murakami does it easier than I ever will, but I left the book inspired to be my own runner, whether that means running at my own pace, setting goals, or even ditching goals and doing it just because I am capable. Reading Murakami almost feels like he's lending an ear to listen to me, instead of the other way around.