A thoughtful gift received by
one of the nicest visitors we’ve ever had in London. This book is one of the
few non-fiction works that I’ve read over the last few years and it was a nice
departure from my standard readings.
Short and straight to the
point, this is an easy read (maybe too easy, as it often feels like articles
from Runners’ World – and I believe one of the chapters was actually that!) but
extremely interesting, although in many ways for the wrong reasons: I am often
afraid of turning obsessive with my running (I mean, I have all my runs for the
past 5 years recorded on a spreadsheet…) and some of the things Murakami talks
about act as clear warning signs.
He often talks about his
weight (which I find bizarre), about his problems training when he has a lot of
work or when he is travelling (just chill!), about his determined attempts to
very marginally improve his technique, about his commitment not to ever walk in
a marathon (I walked six miles in my only marathon, and finished with a time
that was faster than most of his) etc. So yes, I am really glad I’ve read this
book, which I think should very much serve as a cautionary tale: have fun
running, but don’t take it (and yourself, unless you’re Mo Farah) too
seriously!
