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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Book by Haruki Murakami · 11 quotes · Running, Life, Life Lessons

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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Quotes

“Jedan trkač je govorio o magijskoj izreci kojoj ga je njegov stariji brat, također trkač, naučio i koja ga prožima još otkad se počeo baviti trčanjem. Evo te mantre: Bol je neminovna. Patnja je stvar izbora. Recimo da trčite i počnete razmišljati: "Ovo me baš boli, ne mogu dulje izdržati." Ta vrsta boli neizbježan je dio stvarnosti, ali o tome može li dulje izdržati ili ne, odluku donosi jedino trkač.”

“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”

“You have to continually transmit the object of your focus to your entire body, and make sure it thoroughly assimilates the information necessary for you to write every single day and concentrate on the work at hand. And gradually you'll expand the limits of what you're able to do. Almost imperceptibly you'll make the bar rise. This involves the same process as jogging every day to strengthen your muscles and develop a runner's physique. Add a stimulus and keep it up. And repeat. Patience is a must in this process, but I guarantee the results will come.”

“People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree.”