Just Plodding Along

If you haven't read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running  by Haruki Murakami please do! I really liked this memoir. Based on the author's training journal while preparing for the New York City Marathon it is engaging with reflections on getting older and running, and running being more than a way to stay fit. It made me think my training journal with mileage, time, and for the past two months, constant whining about the heat could be taken up a notch with some lyrical prose. Favorite quotes: ...I don't think we should judge the value of our lives by how efficient they are (50). Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I'm not going to lay off or quit because I'm busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I'd never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and  a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep   those  few reasons  nicely polished (73). People sometimes sneer at those who run every ...

Not only do I run and talk about running and sell running things and blog about running....I also read about running. I just finished Marathon Man by Bill Rodgers and love it. I highly recommend checking it out if you love running, are intrigued by marathons or just like a good story in general. Some of my favorite quotes from the book: My earliest ancestors ran in search of food and to escape predators. I no longer run for survival like them, but perhaps the traces from the past lived on in my DNA. I believe this biological need to move is felt more intensely in some than others, but I believe it's within us all (14). We were suddenly reminded how running, perhaps more than any other sport, is a celebration of life. It makes your world a brighter place. It gives you this lift, a confidence to stand tall and feel good. Better than good. Boundless (207). ...running was not an escape from the real world. It was a necessary, life sustaining passion,...