What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
by Cun Shang Chun Shu · first published 2008
72% recommend28% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Honest, introspective memoir linking Murakami's running habit to writing and discipline; motivates readers to start running or keep commitments, and suits writers and fans of his work wanting a non-fiction entry point.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…by Marcus Aurelius - 10% Human: How Your Body’s Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness by Alanna Collen - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami - Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger by Janet Lowe - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari - The Complete…
on “Ask HN: What are some interesting books you read in 2017?” ↗I believe this is a direct quotation from Murakami's memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. The whole book is worth a read, especially if you liked this article. If you want to read an actual novel by him, I highly recommend 1Q84, which is an engaging and somewhat surreal story.
on “The Running Novelist (2008)” ↗…sneaked Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love into my computer bag the other day. I haven't read him in a long time, but coincidentally was just very recently talking to a friend about What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, which is mostly unrelated to the Carver book, but also a really good read about his life of running.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗…K. Le Guin. Surprised at the amount of wisdom about life succinctly communicated on so many of the pages. Recommended. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…seriously impacted my psychological stability and self-confidence. Take care of your body, it will take care of you. Haruki Murakami has a wonderful book about body and mind, and their equilibrium, called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running [1], I very much recommend it. [1] http://www.amazon.ca/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/0385681...
on “Run to Stay Young” ↗What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I'm on at least my third reading and imagine I'll read it again. Also re-listened to Getting Things Done by David Allen. This could also be any number of times. Sort-of related,…
on “Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?” ↗Thanks for the list. Principles by Ray Dalio is next on my list. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami is one of my favorites ever. Murakami is such an amazing writer. Check out Kafka on the Shore and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murakami, great books.
on “Ask HN: What are some interesting books you read in 2017?” ↗…Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself As an example of how running has impacted, not a CEO, but an international award-winning novelist, short story writer, and essayist see: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. And, related to the topic in general, see: The Beauty of Discomfort: How What We Avoid Is What We Need Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for…
on “Run for Your Life” ↗…you are and what you feel in life? As a slightly lost teenager, it was oddly calming to know there was literature out there that wasn't so bland, and writers out there with a unique style of writing. What I talk about when I talk about running - Haruki Murakami
on “Ask HN: If you have to recommend one book to someone” ↗…the Yangtze" by Harmsen). I'm struggling to think of a top three list from audiobooks alone in terms of memorability and enjoyment, but I can list a few that had a measurable impact on my life. 1. "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami, narrated by Ray Porter (coincidentally, also the narrator for the Bobiverse book you mentioned). This was a major influence of increasing my running volume and moving on to a more…
on “Bookish Diversions: Do Audiobooks Count?” ↗If you enjoyed this article, there's an entire collection of Haruki Murakami's writing on running titled "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2195464.What_I_Talk_Abou...
on “The Running Novelist: Learning how to go the distance (2008)” ↗…way overweight. I started weighing in every day and writing down the number. Always knowing my exact weight was a motivator to change diet and start exercising. Around that time I also read Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". It was inspiring, and I started doing 5K runs each morning. Next few years a big motivator to work out was seeing my results improve in amateur bike races. In the biggest local cross country amateur…
on “Ask HN: What keeps you from exercising?” ↗If you enjoyed this article it's hard to imagine there exist other things on the subject you wouldn't enjoy much more. Read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which is mentioned in the article, for instance.
on “Neurogenesis linked to aerobic exercise” ↗Anyone else interested in running or keeping commitments should definitely read Haruki Murakami's book 'What I talk about when I talk about running. http://www.amazon.com/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/030726... Something about Murakami's writing style conveys great honesty.
on “Keep Your Commitments” ↗Highly recommend Harumi Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" if you wish to read more inner thoughts about running.
on “The Purity of Running ” ↗