Book Review - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami.

Isn’t it amazing, the power of words?

They can make us laugh. They can make us cry. The can impart wisdom or be the spark of imagination.

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”

Six simple words in themselves quite inate, but as a sentence, as a notion, stronger than any storm.

I was sat, book in hand, with the white noise of rain against the window as my companion. That, and a solid cup of tea (lemon and ginger, for those interested). As part of my training plan for an upcoming 32.5km race in the welsh mountains, I had a 25km run scheduled for today. Usually I relish the longer, slower paced runs I tend to do on Sundays - they are a great opportunity for a couple of hours on my own, not thinking of anything inparticular and just ‘being’. But today, after a long week of intesnse running training along with Gym sessions and Rugby training, my legs and body were tired. I found myself starting to talk myself out of the run, trying to rationalise reasons why it would be a good idea to not do it, hoping to convince myself. The rain really wasn’t helping matters. I could have very happily spent the next few hours reading this book and drinking tea in the warmth of our cosy lounge.

Then I read those six words.

Was this run going to hurt? Yes, that was inevitable. Did I have to let it stop me? No. I realised at this point that it is a choice, and it’s our mindset and our attidue that decides the outcome. I finished my tea, put on my running gear and got it done. And you know what, I loved every second of it. I felt an immense sense of satisfaction when it was done, a personal triumph of sorts. The distnace in itself for me wasnt extraordinary, nor the pace at which i ran it. But the reasliation of the power we have over our bodies, and just what we can achieve with the right mindset.

You don’t have to be a runner to enjoy this book. It’s a book very loosely about the mechanical act of running, and more so the philosophy of doing something painful and difficult in order to become a more resilient person. It’s part memoir of a novelist, part life-lessons and 100% engaging and inspiring.

Read it, you won’t be dissapointed that you did.