I’ve just finished a book about running. It’s funny that something as seemingly simple as putting one foot in front of the other repeatedly, quickly and for a specific amount of time seems to give people so much to talk about. I noticed this book in Waterstones, entitled “What I talk about when I talk about running” by Haruki Murakami, I thought that it might be interesting to see what other people talk about when they talk about running.

The author has written a semi-autobiographical account of how he started to run, his preparation for races and the competitions he has taken part in. Although not a traditional athlete in the traditional sense, Murakami enjoys running for the pure sake of running, something which we are mostly familiar with. He explains methodically about his thought processes throughout his training and whilst competing, it’s written in a simple chatty style which makes it very accessible and appealing. He puts across the agony of his body fighting against him in the heat of the Greek sun while trying to run the original marathon route, he explains quite clearly what we often struggle to put into words following a touch race. The author, who is now in the 50s, is struggling with a body which no longer responds to training and is gradually slowing down. He explains how reluctantly accepting he is of the passage of age.

Murakami states midway through the book that he does not intend his book to advocate running or encourage people to take it up, this adds to the person charm conveyed throughout – you never feel like you are being told that his way is the right way. I really enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it to runners. Although I am tempted to use it as an explanation to non runners as to why we put ourselves through “hell”. Massive recommendation.

"What I talk about when I talk about running" by Haruki Murakami is available from Amazon.co.uk and is currently part of the 3 for 2 offers in the Darlington branch of Waterstones.