Customer Reviews
I know how he feels - By: M. J. Mooney, 16 Aug 2008 
Well I'm coming at this from he opposite direction from Emma (above), but I agree with her assessment of the book.
As a 50-something runner & lover of Murakami's novels I found this fascinating - read itin one sitting (well, lying - it was an overnight hospital stay).
Recmmended for runners & couch potatoes alike.
Zen running, Zen writing - By: emma who reads a lot, 10 Aug 2008 Haruki Murakami has run for his entire writing life, taking it up when he realised that the sedentary existence of a novelist was making him fat; he has eventually tackled more than twenty-five marathons, half-marathons aplenty, & even one gruelling 100 kilometre "ultra-marathon" whose odd spiritual benefits are described herein satisfying detail.
His simple approach to running is set down on the page with great skill & grace. But is it a hobby? An obsession? A way to keep fit? Or something more spiritual & meaningful? You can't help plumping for the latter when you read this book, so evocative & powerful are his thoughts on the wayin which running requires tenacity, persistence, & a willingness to make the mind & body do things they don't really want to do. Running becomes a way of talking about all the difficulties of life - self-discipline, lack of willpower, the need for consistency.
On the other hand, he's also fantastic on the joys & delights of running: a "very attractive" young Japanese runner who smiles at him everyday on his Tokyo circuit; the mists of the wintry Charles riverin Boston; a quick turn around Central Park reservoirin the company of fellow novelist John Irving.
If you aren't even slightly interestedin running the book still has something to offer. It goes into detail about his philosophy of life, & he gives his thoughts about being a writer, which is intriguing for anyone who's read his strange & delightful fiction. Butin the end I kept thinking about Zen buddhism - not a subject he directly touches upon. But there is something Zen about the simplicity with which he is determined to live his life, eliminating people he doesn't really want to see, pursuing single-mindedly his time & distance goals as a running, admitting that he really prefers just being on his own. The book is charming, completely thought-provoking, & I think very profound. You might even put on your trainers & go for a run after you read it. I have to admit, I did.
