What I Talk About Running Summary

In his memoir “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,” Haruki Murakami details his life as a runner. Sure he also ventures into his life as a club owner and his evolution as a writer but foremost it’s a book about running. Even though it’s the first running book I read, all these years later I still consider it my favorite.

When I revisited Murakami’s book for the first time in a decade, I wondered if my impression would change. After all, I read countless other running books, finished dozens of races and logged thousands of miles over those years. As a result, my perspectives evolved, my perception of running has changed and, dare I say, I’m no longer the young pup, but the wise old battle worn wolf. Like any positive experience given the benefit of time, I
The first is the nonfiction account of an elite’s life or historical accounts. Biographies and autobiographies fall under this heading. The second group includes training books on how to run, eat, stretch or recover. These including coaching books and anything followed by “for runners.”

Naturally, the first category is hard to relate to. Elite and pro-runners present different perspectives from average runners. The time they dedicate to practice, the places they compete, their goals, their accomplishments, their abilities and even their failures separate them from the rest of the running world.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading about the pro’s and I’m grateful for their advice. Moreover, I appreciate the chance to share in their experiences. These books have let me join elite college running programs, put me in the shadows of running’s greatest rivalries, let me experience the thrills of Olympic victories and the agonies of defeat at the world stage. These are places I’d never see or go otherwise and video cameras can’t do justice. Nevertheless, these athletes transcend into the realm of the superhuman and their feats feel