So I've started running (again). 

I picked this book up the week that I turned 30 as one of the many audiobooks I listen to on the treadmill, cause that's my thing now. And it was exactly what I needed. 

This is a series of essays in which Murakami talks about what running means to him, draws parallels with other endeavors (relationships, aging, writing, etc), and meditates on the passage of time and what we do with it. 

I've always seen myself as an awkward nerd, so it's odd to now think of myself as an athletic person. Someone who climbs, runs, and even goes through patches of doing nightly yoga. Listening to this book helped me reconcile some of that and also give voice to some of my own feelings about what these individual non-competitive sports for me. And this book kept me motivated to keep moving one foot in front of the other, even when my calves ached, I was a puddle of sweat, and my heart rate broke 160 bpm. 

While being a runner helps in appreciating this book, I recommend it to anyone interested in activities that involve being uncomfortable, overcoming their own limitations, and carving aside large chunks of time in ways that may be futile but are nevertheless important. 4.5 stars on SG, rounded down to 4 on GR.