My ode to Running inspired by Haruki Murakami’s “What I talk about when I talk about Running”

I’m preparing myself for a 16K run early next year. And I’m also thinking of climbing another mountain or two in the summer. So to inspire myself again, I read Haruki Murakami’s “What I talk about when I talk about Running”. I have read this book before when I just started running, still in my early bout of 5Ks and have not set foot on a mountain. It had been inspiring then so to psyche myself up for a longer and harder endeavor next year, I read it again.

Hopefully, I’ll be more fit when that time comes. Lost some weight and more agile hauling myself up a steep slope and have enough endurance to get down without my husband or a guide assisting me. I also hope to be running the 16K with no walk breaks and cramp free. Tough goals, I know.

This book by Haruki Murakami had been an inspiration to me not only because of the author’s running experience but also because he talked about the role of running on his life as a novelist. As a writer, it was interesting to see what his thoughts were on running because for me, running had been a good distraction to my often needless fretting caused by concerns beyond my control. It had also been my metaphor for life, making me feel that if I can survive a couple of kilometers, I can survive anything.

Running also developed a mental toughness in me that wasn’t there before. I was never athletic, I’m more of a bookworm, I still am and have no sports whatsoever. Now, I run not only to clear my mind but to have a semblance of an exercise routine that includes the outdoors. Last May, I credit it big time for helping me down a 760 MASL mountain, when my heart was beating so fast and scared of cramping my foot in a forested area. Because I almost did get cramps, especially getting down the mountain, I controlled each step and tensed my foot muscle in the process . Without the training of running 10Ks, I’m not sure I could have made it down.

Of course, I’m not saying that I’m a superb runner. I could have a way better personal time but my goal for now is simple, to reach the finish line running, no walk breaks, no throwing in the towel. Of course, one day, I hope to run longer and faster if I have the time to train. But despite my not so stellar running goals, running has become part of my life. It had been my inspiration to finish something at all cost, be it a project or an essay. Like exhorting myself to cross a finish line whether limping from cramps or running like a fast wind, wow, that I haven’t done yet. And of course, to train hard, not to be a proud fool even if I ran a couple of 10Ks already.

Like an excerpt in Murakami’s book:

“For a runner like me, what’s really important is reaching the goal I set myself, under my own power. I give it everything I have, endure what needs enduring, and am able, in my own way, to be satisfied.”

“Most ordinary runners are motivated by an individual goal, more than anything; namely, a time they want to beat. As long as he can beat that time, a runner will feel he’s accomplished what he set out to do…Even if he doesn’t break the time he’d hope for, as long as he has the sense of satisfaction at having done his very best -and possibly made some significant discovery himself in the process -then that in itself is an accomplishment, a positive feeling he can carry over to the next race.”

What also struck me in this Haruki’s memoir is how he credited running in helping him deal with a toxin that supposedly writers battle in the process of writing.

“Basically, I agree with the view that writing novels is an unhealthy work. When we set off to write a novel, when we use writing to create a story, like it or not a kind of toxin that lies deep down in all humanity rises to surface. All writers have to come face-to-face with this toxin and aware of the danger involved, discover a way to deal with it, because otherwise no creative activity in the real sense can take place…”

“To deal with something unhealthy, a person needs to be as healthy as possible. That’s my motto. In other words, an unhealthy soul requires a healthy body…”

“Some writers who in their youth wrote wonderful, beautiful, powerful works find that when they reach a certain age exhaustion suddenly takes over. The term literary burnout is quite apt here…This results, I believe, from their physical energy not being able to overcome the toxin they’re dealing with. The physical vitality that up till now was naturally able to overcome the toxin has passed its peak, and its effectiveness in their immune systems is gradually wearing off. When this happens it’s difficult for a writer to remain intuitively creative… If possible, I’d like to avoid that kind of literary burnout”

I also liked the way he described writing as climbing a mountain. I also feel that way at times, when I have to  struggle at every sentence and grab for each appropriate word until I reach the end of the piece’s summit or conclusion.

“For me, writing a novel is like climbing a steep mountain, struggling up the face of the cliff, reaching the summit after a long and arduous ordeal. You overcome your limitations, or you don’t, one or the other. I always keep that inner image with me as I write.”

And how running like writing is not about impressing people but reaching personal goals.

“In the novelist’s profession, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as winning or losing. Maybe number of copies sold, awards won, and critic’s praise serve as outward standards for accomplishment in literature, but none of them really matter. What’s crucial is whether your writing attains the standards you’ve set for yourself.”

I’m sure I will re-read this book again when I want some inspiration on my writing and running. Hopefully, I can have his tenacity and joy for both. Murakami wrote this book while preparing for the New York Marathon, one of the 24 marathons he had participated in and while training for another triathlon race. An amazing book from an amazing man.