Mind and Body

One of the main themes that emerges from "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" is the importance of a balance between mind and body in all of one's pursuits. Murakami describes how his running conditioned him not only to take on the challenges of marathons and triathlons, it conditioned him to face the monumental task of beginning to write a new novel.

The conditioning gave him the ability to have a clear mind and an ability to focus on milestones and ultimately on the finish line. In writing, the finish line was the publisher's deadline. In running, of course, it was literally the finish line. But in both pursuits, Murakami stressed that his goal was about winning for himself - not for someone else. His biggest and life-long competitor was Murakami himself.

As a young boy, Murakami preferred to read alone in his...