The small pleasures
Time for our final visit of the week to "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami, who used to run every morning in Tokyo in the 1980s and often saw a very attractive young woman. "We passed each jogging for several years and got to recognize each other by sight and smile a greeting each time we passed. I never spoke to her (I'm too shy), and of course don't even know her name. But seeing her face every morning as I ran was one of life's small pleasures." Murakami became a serious runner and eventually ended up working out in Boulder, Colorado, with Yuko Arimori, the Japanese silver medallist in the marathon at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Another cherished memory: "This was just some light jogging, but still, coming from Japan and running all of a sudden at a height of ten thousand feet was very tough — my lungs screamed, and I felt dizzy and terribly thirsty. Miss Arimori, gave me a cool look and said, 'Is something the matter, Mr Murakami?' I learned how rigorous the world of professional runners is (though I should add that she is a very kind person). By the third day, though, my body had gotten used to the thin atmosphere, and I could enjoy the crisp air of the Rockies."
Time to put on the shoes and breathe in the warm air of Iberia. Life's small pleasures.
