When documenting one’s love for sports, the 2009 memoir by Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, is a great book to read. Murakami’s inclusion of personal details about himself adds to the book and the inclusion makes it the first go-to place when searching for inspiration. Murakami gives an eye-opening encounter on his journey, and this offers a decisive metaphorical meeting that illustrates his personal experiences. As someone interested in documenting my experiences, I find the book very inspiring since I can realize the confidence and power associated with narrating the incident by borrowing from Murakami. Based on the book, I have been thinking about how in documenting my experiences, I can describe my trials and tribulations with training for a bodybuilding show.
The book gives an account of how Murakami embraces his old running habit and transitions to running long distances. The details gives the publication its primary theme, running, and is intended for audience interested in documenting their experiences. Murakami shows that all he cares about is achieving a certain distance in his aim to increase running distance. The pace does not matter as long as he completes the set distance (Murakami, 22). Running fast or slow does not seem to be a factor to Murakami. Notably, he realizes that running faster minimizes the time taken to run, “the point being to let the exhilaration he feels at the end of every day carry over to the next day” (Murakami 22). Murakami acknowledges that how he runs influences his writing since he uses the same tack in his novel. Murakami believes that “I stop every day at the point where I feel I can write more” (Murakami 22). By realizing his weaknesses and strengths, Murakami is better positioned to carry out the next day’s activities with no hindrances.
A compelling narration of one’s experiences goes beyond the activities associated with the main event. Murakami presents a balanced view of events in his tendency to take notes revolves around everything that sticks in his mind and his feelings. With such a detailed understanding of Murakami’s surrounding, the audience gets profound knowledge of the environment the writer lives in and what motivates him to write about running. Murakami is keen on illustrating how his body reacts to the elements he has no control over, like the weather and the landscape, in the events he takes part. Taking the example of his marathon encounter in Athens, Greece, Murakami narrates how his concentration was on running the 26.2 miles. However, he fails to acknowledge that the heat can be unbelievable during summer in Athens. To the locals, “unless they cannot help it, they don’t do anything, just keep cool in the shade to conserve their strength…Even the dogs just lie down in the shade and don’t move a muscle” (Murakami 59). According to the locals, Murakami’s idea of running alone from Athens to the Marathon is insane.
Murakami did not know how hot it gets in Athens during midsummer results in him stripping off his running shirt only four miles into the run. He narrates that while it felt good taking off the running shirt, he realizes that later on, due to the heat, his body will have terrible sunburns from his waist up (Murakami 61). When running, several thoughts cross the athlete’s mind, particularly when involved in a long-distance run. Through first person and linear narrative, Murakami takes his time to recall the Athens Marathon events, and through his narration, he can give a different experience that makes his book speaks volume. It would have been easy to get lost in the conditions that caused the run difficult, but he remembers the details of the environment surrounding the event. Murakami’s account gives any aspiring writer the challenge that writing from personal experience entails a detailed recall of the challenges and the victories.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running presents enough research for me and plays a significant role in helping me realize what I wanted to write about and present to my teacher. In my search for a topic, I found myself leaning on my experience about my trials and tribulations with training for a bodybuilding show. Despite the challenges encountered in arriving at the topic to write, read, and re-read, Murakami’s book helped determine what I considered appropriate for my teacher. My longing to learn about my passion for fitness led me to several internet searches and how what I had in mind would contribute to my future as a writer. Learning from Murakami how significant it is to illustrate every detail of the writer’s environment and body, I felt the need to point out that my body has a tattoo that says family fast. The understanding associated with reading the book contributed to my final choice. It gave me the freedom of thought that guided me to realize that one’s experiences can be a narration point.
Murakami’s work is a great reminder that in life, one has the opportunity to acknowledge what she or he wants to do and pursue it. Every impact attributed to the small interactions people make play a significant role in how one’s life is defined at the end of it. Thinking on this, the significance of the tattoo I have, family first, impacts what I have to do in terms of the people I hold dear in my life. Not only does this define how I relate with my family but also gives me a constant reminder what they mean in my life.
Reference
Murakami, H. (2009). What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (First International Edition). essay, Vintage.