Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

I just finished reading Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running," and enjoyed it. I can't really imagine someone getting anything out of it if they aren't a long distance runner (and/or a novelist/writer), but as a newly obsessed runner, I thought it was good (maybe not great, but good). I especially enjoyed it because of all his running in Boston and Cambridge - I'm a lot more homesick for my New England home of 4 years than I expected! (Murakami on the Charles: "The river I'm talking about is the Charles River. People enjoy being around the river. Some take leisurely walks, walk their dogs, or bicycle or job, while others enjoy rollerblading . . . As if pulled in my a magnet, people gather on the banks of the river.") Here are some of my favorite tidbits from the book:

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"Here it is: Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you're running and you start to think, Man this hurts, I can't take it anymore. The hurt part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand any more is up to the runner himself. This pretty much sums up the most important aspect of...running."

"I just run. I run in a void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void . . . The thoughts that occur to me while I'm running are like clouds in the sky. Clouds of different sizes. They come and go, while the sky remains the same sky as always. The clouds are mere guests in the sky that pass away and vanish, leaving behind the sky. The sky both exists and doesn't exist. It has substance and at the same time doesn't. And we merely accept that vast expense and drink it in."

"I'm struck by how, except when you're young, you really need to prioritize in life, figuring out in what order you should divide up your time and energy. If you don't get that sort of system set up by a certain age, you'll lack focus and your life will be out of balance."

"I think certain types of processes don't allow for any variation. If you have to be part of that process, all you can do is transform - or perhaps distort - yourself through that persistent repetition, and make that process part of your own personality."

"Most runner run now because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: thats the essence of running, and a metaphor for life."

I can't wait to get back to running in....48 more hours! My knee is feeling a lot better after 24 hours of complete rest, and I'm going to hit up the pool today and see how that goes.