What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

A Memoir

By: Haruki Murakami

Narrated by: Ray Porter

From the best-selling author of Kafka on the Shore comes this rich and revelatory memoir about writing and running, and the integral impact both have made on his life. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers Murakami's four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon.

Settings range from Tokyo, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston, among young women who outpace him.

Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a cornucopia of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after age 50, of having seen his race times improve and then fall back.

Translated by Philip Gabriel.

©2007 Haruki Murakami (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone....An early section recounting Murakami's transition from nightclub owner to novelist offers a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A brilliant meditation on how his running and writing nurture and sustain each other....With sparse, engaging prose....Murakami shares his runner's high." ( Sports Illustrated)
"Provides a fascinating portrait of Murakami's working mind and how he works his magic on the page." ( The Plain Dealer)

just what I needed

Thanks to this, I kickstarted my running habit after 3 years of set back.
thank you

Had higher expectations

A must if you like running, found boring segments, listed twice. Definitely not my favorite but a good book

You can't judge a book by it's title either...

Although the title was misleading, the book wasn't that bad. I enjoyed the narrator's voice. The book did give me motivation to be active as it will lead to an active mind. At times, I felt like the author discussed writing more than running but I didn't mind as one of my resolutions is to start writing again.

Touching, and So Familiar

One of my favorites, I listen to a couple times a year. Such a contrast to his novels, Murakami comes across as someone I might run with and call my buddy.

Keeps me running!

I believed I could and after reading Haruki's memoir I found I could. Running is the great reset button in my life. It started with this book!

Poor narration

Enjoyable musings on running, but I found the narrator to be arrogant and pompous at times.

Perfectly captured the flow of running thoughts

I listened to this - where else? - over the course of a few runs. The standout quality was the manner in which its stream-of-consciousness style perfectly mimicked the rhythm my own thoughts take when running - focusing on one subject for a while, then segueing smoothly into the next, and generally circling around a few different themes. Murakami's analogy of the mind as the sky and thoughts as clouds that pass through was beautiful and apt.

Content wise, the author's main thread of the centrality of running to his identity and lifestyle was totally relatable for me. The evocative language made me laugh out loud a few times when Murakami discussed the mental agony of long runs, and the efficiency and succinctness of the writing was a pleasure. Ray Porter was a very good narrator, and his wryness was particularly effective.

I doubt that I would have enjoyed this book so much if I'd read it as a non-runner. But it was a lovely introduction to Murakami's work, and I will definitely be reading/downloading more by this running author.

Mildly Depressing

As a runner who recently turned 40, I'm able to related to many of the observations here. That said, I came away with very little inspiration or positive messages from this one. While there's much passive acknowledgement that positive EXISTS and the author is thankful for the experiences, the majority of the words seem to dwell on inevitable disappointment associated with aging.

Great book about the mindset of runners

I actually listened to this book as I ran. It was interesting to listen to something that was connected to what I was doing. In actual fact I'm really a cyclist and was training for a Triathlon and someone at an airport suggested I pick this up. Lots of great little bits about running and how this author reacts to it. This not teach you how to run , but it certainly gives you a perspective from this authors point of view.

An excellent meditation on creative practice

Read wonderfully and with clarity, What I Talk about When I Talk about Running is a must for those interested in the ethos of a truly disciplined creative practice. Combining pointed vignettes with pearls of wisdom, Murakami's memoir leaves you fulfilled and yet wanting in all the right ways.