The meaning of four years

Yesterday marked four years since my father’s passing. Anniversaries have always woken in me a confusing, unsettling mix of emotions, and this one especially so.

Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

I read this book after I started seriously preparing for the 2020 LA Marathon. I picked it up for two reasons. The first is that I wanted to continue cultivating my reading habit (I’ve read more than this list indicates, I promise). The second reason is that I wanted to get some insight into why other people run.

Murakami’s book gave me a lot of insight into why he runs, and I think his philosophy is a more thought-out version of many other runners’ philosophy. While reading this book, I began to view running as an opportunity embrace solitude, an opportunity to practice persistence. No doubt I had entertained similar thoughts before picking up Murakami’s memoir, but the book helped me transform my vague, passing thoughts into concrete realizations.