Haruki Murakami, an ordinary jazz café owner, suddenly decides to become a novelist while watching a baseball game.
It was an ordinary day, nothing special.
It was the same on September 19th, five years ago, when I encountered it.
On that day, which was nothing special at all, the door to the world of running opened.

--- p.13

If a morning run is a refreshing start, a night run is a sad ending.
If running in the morning is about listening to the vibrant sounds of the season, running at night is an experience of filling the space with only my footsteps and breathing.
If a morning run is an encounter with the vibrant outside world, a night run is a deep conversation with yourself on an empty road.

--- p.19

Running is more like writing a novel than poetry.
Rather than being a talent-intensive sport where genius explodes from the start, it is more about building your own race over a long period of time.
No one runs well from the beginning.
It's only natural that everyone at the starting line has an immature and sometimes ridiculous start.
At the same time, not running well doesn't mean those moments are unhappy.
True happiness doesn't come from doing something well, but from being able to dream of a better version of yourself.
I started running and every night I was caught up in my immaturity, but even as I rolled around on the floor, my eyes were fixed on a better tomorrow.
That in itself was enough of a justification to run.
It was shabby, but I was happy.

--- p.26-27

The capitalist fire that started with shoes quickly spread to the top of the head.
The area outside of running shoes is up to your taste.
Running socks, pants, long-sleeved and short-sleeved T-shirts, windbreakers, and even hairbands.
Each person can contribute to economic revitalization through their favorite brand.
Fortunately, however, running does not have a very high upper limit on consumption.
Unless you're really into limited editions, it doesn't cost a fortune to get a full set from head to toe.
Moreover, there is even a secret hill called Outlet.
For a hobby collector like me, this is a heart-wrenching experience.
How many times have I nearly lost my footing in an expensive hobby?

--- p.35-36

These days, I think consistency is another form of talent.
If talent is fertile soil, then diligence is the attitude of looking after the soil every day.
Just as it is not true that farming is impossible because the land is not fertile, and just as it is not true that harvests are abundant every year because the land is fertile, not all results depend solely on talent.
Talent doesn't determine everything, and there's no rule that says those without talent are eternal losers.
If there's one thing I've definitely witnessed in my past life, it's that there are limits to advancing solely on talent.
Those who believe in the power of repetition and persevere will inevitably reach a point beyond talent.

--- p.87~88

When you run, everything becomes simple.
No matter how heavy your worries are, they will gradually become lighter once you start running.
Because my body is so busy, I don't have time to think as complicatedly as I usually do.
As if pressing the priority sort button, unimportant things are naturally pushed out of your thoughts, leaving only the essence of your worries in the center of your mind.
If you face the essence directly like that, you can put an end to your worries more easily than you think.
It's similar to how, looking back, we realize that the worries that seemed complicated and difficult at the time were nothing special.
Whether through deep insight or the passage of time, if we can peel away the hard shell of our worries and face the core, everything becomes clear.
Running becomes a transition that easily sheds that shell.
This is a hidden feature of jumping that I never knew about before.
Even late at night, when I feel a heavy heart weighing down my entire daily life, that's why I always tie my shoelaces.

--- p.93~94

It is 'faith'.
A variety of beliefs lead us to the starting line of the marathon.
Mostly, it's the belief that I can overcome the limitations that have held me back, that I will run 42.195 km, overcome those limitations, and become a better person.
That belief is what sustains him through the grueling summer and winter training and enables him to run for over three hours.
That's why the marathon places more importance on completing the race than on the record.
Those who have achieved their beliefs by completing the race are applauded for that alone.
But sometimes I see people who go one step further.
People who run with beliefs that go beyond their individual size.
I was able to meet them at the Osaka Marathon, which I completed most recently.

--- p.143

I often ask myself how I want to age.
Every time, my answer is the same.
I hope to be a humble adult about the things I enjoy as a result of living.
I hope you don't think that everything you have in your hands is solely due to your abilities.
I want to grow old as a person who never forgets the time and process they went through to get to me, and the help I received from others.
I believe that the times I have remembered and not forgotten the process will lead me in the right direction to become an adult.

--- p.153