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Overview

Haruki Murakami never expected to be a famous novelist or accomplished marathon runner, but he ended up doing both by following his instincts. He’s found that running and writing have many things in common, such as discipline, endurance, and determination to meet your own expectations regardless of outside forces. Without running, he could never have had this literary career.

Haruki Murakami is a prolific Japanese novelist who has written many surreal and dreamlike novels that critics have loved. He also runs marathons in his free time.

It may seem strange, but the long periods of time spent running are connected to Murakami’s artistic practice. He decided to keep a journal during his training for the New York City Marathon and that resulted in What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which documents how physical exercise affects his mental life.

This book-in-key points explores how running and writing are similar. It also describes how Murakami uses running to help him with his writing, as well as the training he does for running. This book will explain why both of these activities are important in his life.

In this article, you will learn how Murakami went from being a chain-smoker to becoming an ultramarathon runner. You’ll also find out what running and writing have in common and why ultramarathons are spiritual experiences.

Big Idea #1: Murakami runs to clear his mind.

On August 5, 2005, Haruki Murakami went for a jog on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The weather was sunny and warm with no clouds in sight. He saw many other people jogging as well. Some were fast while others were slow.

Murakami runs every day and tries to run for an hour, six days a week. He averages 156 miles per month. However, he can’t keep up with his youth record of running over 200 miles a month because he’s older now and not as spry as before.

Murakami, however, views running differently. For him, it’s not about winning or losing. Rather, he uses his runs to clear his mind and relax.

The author didn’t start running or writing until his thirties. In the fall of 1982, he sold his bar to focus on writing; shortly after that, he started running seriously. Since then, he has completed 23 marathons – one every year.

Running is a solitary sport, and Murakami takes pleasure in that. He focuses on himself rather than competing with others. Because of this, he doesn’t feel the need to impress an audience or anyone else; it’s all about satisfying his own desires. That’s why he continues running even though it gets harder for him as time goes by.

Author Haruki Murakami enjoys running because it helps him clear his mind. When he is on the trail, his thoughts are fewer and farther between. He describes this almost meditative state as “the void.” Every day, he runs toward this void to help him relax.

Knowing that there is a short distance away where you can be alone helps to relieve stress. Murakami has used this peace to help him deal with the problems in his life, even getting over small issues like being angry or sad. Running gives him time to think and make sense of things so he can move forward.

Big Idea #2: Running is a key part of Murakami’s lifestyle.

Murakami was not always a novelist. In fact, he had no dreams of becoming an author. He was content running a small jazz bar in Tokyo and playing baseball on the weekends. However, one day at a baseball game something changed his life forever. That day, Murakami realized that he could write novels because he loved to read them so much as a child and wanted to create stories of his own for others to enjoy. Within months after this realization, his first novel Hear the Wind Sing was published and received critical acclaim from readers everywhere who were surprised by how great it was considering it came from someone who wasn’t even trying to be an author when they wrote it but simply enjoyed writing as well as reading books like those written by authors such as Haruki Murakami himself.