Haruki Murakami - What I talk about when I talk about running

Fatigue has built up after all this training, and I can't seem to run very fast. As I'm leisurely jogging along the Charles River, girls who look to be new Harvard freshmen keep on passing me. Most of these girls are small, slim, have on maroon Harvard-logo outfits, blond hair in a ponytail, and brand-new iPods, and they run like the wind. You can definitely feel a sort of aggressive challenge emanating from them. They seem to be used to passing people, and probably not used to being passed. They all look so bright, so healthy, attractive, and serious, brimming with self-confidence. With their long strides and strong, sharp kicks, it's easy to see that they're typical mid-distance runners, unsuited for long-distance running. They're more mentally cut out for brief runs at high speed.
Compared to them I'm pretty used to losing. There are plenty of things in this world that are way beyond me, plenty of opponents I can never beat. Not to brag, but these girls probably don't know as much as I do about pain. And, quite naturally, there might not be a need for them to know it. These random thoughts come to me as I watch their proud ponytails swinging back and forth, their aggressive strides. Keeping to my own leisurely pace, I continue my run along the Charles.

Z téhle knihy bych sem nejradši opsala půlku, protože se z velké části odehrává ve světě, který žiju. Místa, která Murakami v Bostonu popisuje, tak tamtudy já taky chodím, běhám, jezdím na lodi po Charles river (někdy jí z legrace říkám Karel) - je v tom krásně zachycený ten Boston, co je taky trochu můj. Z druhé půlky se kniha odehrává na jiných místech a z třetí půlky je o psaní. A je povedená, Murakamiho každodenní prokousávání se prací, trpělivost, bušení pěstma do zatuhlých svalů - všechno to člověka inspiruje, i když se zrovna nechystá na maraton.