What I talk about when I talk about running

Haruki Murakami

"The thing is, I'm not much for team sports. That's just the way I am. Whenever I play soccer or baselall -actually, since becoming an adult this is hardly ever- I never feel comfortable. Maybe it's because I don't have any brothers, but I could never get into the kind of games you play with others. I'm also not very good at one-on-one sports like tennis. I enjoy squash, but generally when it comes to a game against someone, the competitive aspect makes me uncomfortable. And when it comes to martial arts, too, you can count me out.
Don't misunderstand me -I'm not totally uncompetitive. It's just that for some reason I never cared all that much whether I beat others or lost to them. This sentiment remainded pretty much unchanged after I grew up. It doesn't matter what field you're talking about- beating somebody else just doesn't do it for me. I'm much more interested in whether I reach the goals that I set for myself, so in this sense long-distance reunning is the perfect fit for a mindset like mine.
Marathon runners will understand what I mean."