Let's get physical...

I'm currently reading Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". I bought the book some weeks ago but have only recently started reading it. I'm not so sure I like his style of prose (perhaps it's just a case of getting used to him) but I like his content. And before starting Murakami's book I'd been reading the 2nd volume of Michael Palin's diaries, "Halfway To Hollywood". A keen runner, Palin writes frequently in his diaries about running; about the thoughts he has whilst he runs and the effect running has on his thoughts.

In his book, Murakami writes, "Even if the skill level varies, there are things that only runners understand and share." I believe there's a truth in this; I think that the psychology of running is so central to what and who we are as humans. Anyone who runs regularly (even to the extent that I do) will understand this.

There are anthropological theories that argue we are born to run. We once had to run in order to survive; chasing down prey and scavenging. We don't need to do that today but those of us who do run do it because it turns on the same pleasure centres in the brain. It's part of our genetic make-up.

I guess both Murakami and Palin were influential in finally getting me back into blogging; I wanted to record the thoughts that I have when I exercise. Ever since I started running five years ago, I have realised that running (and, by extension, exercise) is so much more than just a physical thing. I wrote in one of my earlier posts about it being a bridge between work and home life - that is certainly one of the functions it fulfils. It's both a time of focus and of dissapation. It's a time where I can process the day.

I certainly didn't want this blog to become an exercise log where I simply recorded times and laps and diet along with injuries and personal bests. No, I wanted to capture the hundred and one thoughts that float through my head (including times and laps and diet along with injuries and personal bests) and how my thoughts affect my exercise and how the exercise affects my thoughts. I wanted to record the narrative behind the running, swimming and cycling.

Has it got legs? Is there any mileage in it? This blog is in its infancy and I'm still finding my voice. We'll see...