Long awaited new book by
Haruki Murakami.
"
What I talk about when I talk about Running: A Memoir" is a collection of essays about Murakami's experience in long-distance running. Aha! Learnt something new about Murakami. We know he is into Jazz, he used to own a Jazz club, he likes music, he has a wife but no children, he translates English books and is a fan of F Scott Fitgerald, especially "
The Great Gatsby", but running, that's new to me.
And he isn't just any ordinary runner. He trains seriously for marathons and triathlons, taking part in races in the States and Japan; and he's been doing this for decades.
In this memoir, Murakami talks about the joys and pains of running, and how running helps him to excel as a writer. In his account of how he started writing, I learnt that he is not at all like what I imagined. I had imagined all writers to be somewhat erratic in temperament, and write only when a rush of inspiration hits them. But here, Murakami explains that he is actually a very disciplined person. He wakes up early every morning, to run and to write, running and writing are in fact daily workouts for his body and mind in his disciplined lifestyle. In fact, his lifestyle is like any one of us - which is, normal, unexceptional, except that he is perhaps more disciplined than most.
I can't say I understand what he describes since I am not a runner. In fact, I dislike running. I guess I am just not built for running, I remember those days when we had to run 2.4 km as warm-ups in secondary schools and I hated every minute of it. I only come alive in the water when it comes to sports. But I can understand a little bit when he talks about muscle aches and body pains, and the joy of seeing your body transformed after an extended period of exercise.
I
mentioned before that I am a very lazy person when it comes to exercise, and I relied mostly on my good family genes to stay slim. I have not exercised continuously for like more than 10 years. This year, out of the blue, I have a strong desire to get fit. I signed up with a gym and enlisted the help of a personal trainer to help me, knowing what a weak-willed person I am when it comes to exercising. I had serious doubts about myself, in fact, I didn't think I would be able to keep it up. But I surprise myself truly. I not only exercised continuously 3 times a week, I enjoyed the exercise too. This may not sound like much to others, but to me, it is a personal victory and an achievement of sorts, considering how unfit I used to be. I am now happily more toned-looking and is satisfied with better strength and stamina.
I remember asking a friend who is into marathons and triathlons why she keeps at it even though it causes her injuries and plenty of muscle aches. She replied that the muscle aches doesn't bother her as she is used to it. I couldn't understand how anyone can get used to muscle aches at that time. Now I understand, and in a perverse way, the muscle aches makes me more aware of my own body and feel somewhat more alive than I ever felt in the past, even though I was younger then. I just hope I can continue to keep this up as part of my lifestyle and not go back to the past again. Wish me luck.
Goodness, I digressed alot. Murakami's new book would appeal to his die-hard fans, and people who are into running and marathons.