What I Talk About When I talk About Running

I picked this up in Shakespeare and Sons, a cafe and book shop. I didn't know that Haruki was a runner. It was, naturally, nice to see him write a book about it. I had been thinking of running, as I recovered from my illness. It was a rough time.

Thoughts

Murakami, describes how the hour he spends on running is a private time, important to help him keep his mental well-being. I share this is my sentiment of running alone.

It's all about routines. (p. 78)

Quotes

1. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. (p. vii)
2. To keep on going, you have to keep up the rhythm. This is the important thing for long-term projects. Once you s/et the pace, the rest will follow. (p. 5)
3. Running without a break for more than two decades has also made me stronger, both physically and emotionally. (p. 8)
4. What's crucial is whether your writing attains the standards you've set for yourself. (p. 10)
5. ... you can't please everybody. (p. 38)
6. Life can be tough, but as long as you don't stint on the effort, your metabolism will greatly improve with these habits, and you'll end up much healthier, not to mention stronger. (p. 42)
7. If people who rely on a natural spring of talent suddenly find they've exhausted their only source, they're in trouble. (p. 43)
8. But I don't think it's merely willpower that makes you able to do something. (p. 44)
9. The most important thing we ever learn at school is the fact that the most important things can't be learned at school. (p. 45)
10. Doing it gradually is important so you don't burn out. (p. 51)
11. It's pretty thin, the wall separating healthy confidence and unhealthy pride. (p. 54)
12. I never take two days off in a row. (p. 71)
13. Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I'm not going to lay off or quit just because I'm busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I'd never run again. (p. 73)
14. I generally concentrate on work for three or four hours every morning. I sit at my desk and focus totally on what I'm writing. I don't see anything else, I don't think about anything else. (p. 77)
15. If concentration is the process of just holding your breath, endurance is the art of slowly, quietly breathing at the same time you're storing air in your lungs. (p. 78)
16. It's important to push your body to its limits, but exceed those and the whole thing's a waste. (p. 83)
17. You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what tomorrow will bring. (p. 104)
18. I run; therefore I am. (p. 113)