I'm A Runner: Haruki Murakami

carrie

Why do you run, when did you start?
I began running on an everyday basis after I became a writer. As being a writer requires sitting at a desk for hours a day, without getting some exercise you'd quickly get out of shape and gain weight, I figured. That was 22 years ago. I also took it as a chance to quit smoking. You see, I became rapidly healthier since the time I became a writer. You may call it rather a rare case. But because of that, I weigh now just as much as I weighed back then.

Before I became a writer, I was running a jazz bar in the center of Tokyo, which means that I worked in filthy air all the time late into the night. I was very excited when I started making a living out of my writing, and I decided, "I will live in nothing but an absolutely healthy way." Getting up at 5 a.m. every morning, doing some work first, then going off running. It was very refreshing for me.

I have always liked running, so it wasn't particularly difficult to make it a habit. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you can do it anywhere. It does not require anybody to do it with, and so I found the sport perfectly fits me as a person who tends to be independent and individualistic.
您为什么选择跑步运动，从什么时候开始的呢？

我开始每天都跑步，是成为作家之后的事。作为一个写作者，通常需要一天伏案工作若干小时，而我发现，如果缺乏锻炼，你很快会增加体重、身材走样。那是22年前的事了。同时，我也借这个机会戒了烟。你知道，自从我成为了作家，我的身体迅即变得健康起来。你可以说我是个例。但正因如此，我现在的体重仍然保持和当初一样。

在成为作家之前，我在东京市中心经营一家爵士酒吧。那项工作意味着，我通常在乌烟瘴气的环境里工作到很晚。当我可以通过写作来维持生活的时候，我是相当兴奋的，于是我当即决定，“我要坚决过一种健康的生活。” 早上5点起床，天天如此，先处理一些工作的事情，然后就去跑步。这样常常使我精神振奋。
我一直喜欢跑步，所以并没有经过什么难关，它自然而然就成了我的习惯。你只需要一双跑步鞋，而且可以在任何地方跑。同时，你并不需要其他人一起才能进行，所以我觉得这项运动很适合我，因为我很喜欢独立的一个人的活动。
to be continued