How running made Haruki Murakami a successful writer

Haruki Murakami owes most of his writing knowledge to his daily running regime. Sound a bit far-fetched? The connections he draws between them make more sense than you’d expect…

Murakami started running seriously in 1982, at the age of 33. He eventually worked his way up to covering six miles a day and taking part in over 20 marathons. Along the way, he also became one of the most celebrated novelists in the world.

When Murakami decided to become a writer, he needed a way to stay fit. Sitting at a desk led him to pile on weight and lose energy. He took up running because it seemed like the simplest option: you don’t need tuition or equipment, just a pair of running shoes and some open space.

Murakami is the kind of person who gains weight easily, which is why he makes a point of exercising every day. It’s the same with creativity: he’s not the kind of writer who gets floods of inspiration. He has to consistently hammer away at a story before getting it into shape.

When he’s out running, Murakami reminds himself that he’s just a piece of machinery and that he must keep going: one foot after another. It’s the same with writing: if he stops, the rhythm will be lost, and everything will fall apart. If he keeps pace, the progress takes care of itself.

Whenever he feels frustrated, Murakami uses running as a release. The exhilaration he gets from a longer run will carry over into the next day. And guess what? He does the same with writing: making sure to end every session on a high is what gives him the momentum to keep going.

Nobody can force Murakami to do anything. If he can do something he likes on his own terms, on his schedule, he will give it everything. This is what running and writing have in common for him: they can both be done with a sense of complete independence.

Runners and writers need three qualities to be successful, says Murakami: #1 talent, #2 focus, #3 endurance. #1 is non-negotiable; #2 and #3 can be developed. But if writing feels exhausting, quit now. It may seem like a mental activity, but finishing a book is closer to manual labor.

Being busy is no excuse not to run or write. If it was, Murakami would be doing something else. He has a mountain of reasons not to run every day, and only a few to keep going. The trick is to keep your motivation “nicely polished” so that it never gives out under the pressure.

Ultimately, nobody asks you to become a writer (or runner). The drive has to come from within – and if you can practice it daily, everything becomes clearer. Murakami doesn’t even consider himself a good runner, but that’s why he puts the effort in without fail: to raise his own level.