two hours at the Saturn dealership.....

ugh! They SAID it would only take an hour, but I knew it would be longer. Anyway, it gave me a chance to start What I talk about when I talk about running by Haruki Murakami. Wow! What a great book. I am 135 pages in (out of 179 pages). I suppose I COULD HAVE finished it at the dealership, but I began to get antsy and had to stretch my legs - then I realized how sore I was from the run yesterday. Also I started up a conversation with the grandma lady, also waiting for her car. She was funny in her grandma sweats and sighing every time the door opened.

But I didn't realize I would have so much in common with Mr. Murakami. He starts the book in Kauai and with, of course, running. I know what is like to see the "seasons" in Hawaii (summer is hot, fall is slightly less hot, winter is still hot, etc.). Also I know what fun it is, to have a quick rain shower, during a run.

Then the book jumps to Cambridge, Massachusetts and runs along the Charles River. Mr. Murakami lived there for a significant part of the year that he recorded in the book. Cambridge is where I began running. I remember those first runs, where 1 mile seemed a LONG way. I ran in the fall, because I was not coaching then. In the winter, nobody really can run in the cold and on the ice/snow....and in the spring, I fit in runs between lacrosse practice. I would also run around Fresh Pond. I remember having just one pair of running shorts.

But it is what Mr. Murakami said about running that made a impact.

1. He runs every day. Really, for more than 30 years (give or take that time he stopped running after a 62 mile race), he has run every day with no injuries. He averages running about 1 hour (6 miles). Some days it is 9 miles, others, it is just 3 miles.
2. He talks about how running maintains his weight, not really losing weight. I am well familiar with this concept as I have stayed the same weight for like FOREVER.
3. Finally, he makes all these comparisons between writing novels and running. How you have to run/write every day, yet always leave something in the tank for the next day. Run/write up to THAT point where you are finished, yet are not toast.

Can't wait to read the final chapter on the New York Marathon.

Anyway, it was the perfect read to encourage me to get out and run!
I did the exact same run as yesterday and it amazingly it felt easier....usually in my experience the second day is so much harder, maybe that is the mental part of the run.

What shall I do tomorrow?