Chapter Seven: Autumn in New York Summary and Analysis

October 30, 2005 - Cambridge, Massachusetts

A long autumn rain ensued perhaps in protest to the loss by the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. After some real downpours, the rain let up. On October 9, Haruki ran a half a marathon. He was preparing for the New York Marathon. His time was one hour and fifty-five minutes. The reaction to running a half marathon is the feeling of "is that all" when crossing the finish line. More rain and a business trip out of town interrupted his training. On October 17, while walking down a flight of stairs, his knee buckled. It felt unsteady and he couldn't put any weight on it. Running especially on concrete is punishing on the knees. He had never suffered a serious injury before and he was sure his...