The 5k vs. The Marathon

The 5k

Not too long. Not too short. Just right.

The Marathon

A bit too long and chaffy on the nippies

Image of The 5k
The 5k
Image of The Marathon
The Marathon

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Related Content & Alternatives

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Related Content & Alternatives

  1. 4
    Image for What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
    2.What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by Haruki Murakami where he talks about two things that define a big part of his life: running and writing. Murakami didnโ€™t always plan on being a novelist. He was running a jazz bar in his twenties when, while watching a baseball game, he suddenly thought, โ€œI could write a novel.โ€ He gave it a shot, it worked out, and he eventually sold his bar to focus on writing full-time. But sitting at a desk all day, smoking and not moving much, wasnโ€™t doing his health any good. Thatโ€™s when he picked up running. For Murakami, running is more than just exerciseโ€”itโ€™s part of his routine and, in a way, a metaphor for writing. Both take endurance. Both are long hauls where you push yourself day after day, even when you donโ€™t feel like it. The book follows him as he trains for marathons, competes in triathlons, and grapples with the slow decline of his physical abilities as he ages. He talks a lot about acceptanceโ€”accepting getting older, accepting bad race times, and accepting that sometimes you just donโ€™t do as well as you hoped. His attitude is basically: Thatโ€™s life. You move on. The writing style is straightforward, like heโ€™s just talking to you over a coffee. He doesnโ€™t dress things up. Sometimes he rambles, mentioning things like cycling habits or going off on tangents about global warming. At one point, he describes running the original marathon route in Greeceโ€”sun blazing, salt stinging his eyes, everything uncomfortable. But through it all, thereโ€™s this calm acceptance. Heโ€™s not trying to convince anyone to run; he just shares what it means to him. By the end, what sticks isnโ€™t just the running or the writing, but the way he embraces both the highs and the lowsโ€”the post-race blues, the joy of finishing, and the satisfaction of something as simple as a cold beer after a long run. Itโ€™s a book about effort, routine, and learning to keep going, no matter what.

  1. 1
    Image for Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
    3.Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

    Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiography by South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela, and it was first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years spent in prison If you're new to South African history, as I was, this is a great starting point. Why not hear from the man who played a key part in it?

  2. 1
    Image for Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
    5.Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

    Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is William Finneganโ€™s story about growing up obsessed with surfing. Itโ€™s not just about catching wavesโ€”itโ€™s about a whole way of life thatโ€™s demanding, addictive, and sometimes dangerous. Finnegan started young, learning to surf in California and Hawaii, and kept chasing waves into adulthood, traveling through places like Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, and Africa. Along the way, he mixes adventure with self-reflection, talking about friendships formed in the water, the culture around surfing, and how it all fit with the timesโ€”especially during the social changes of the 1960s and '70s. The book isnโ€™t just about the thrill of surfing; Finnegan dives into the technical side of waves and the patience it takes to master them. Heโ€™s honest about his youthful recklessnessโ€”like taking LSD before surfing a massive wave in Mauiโ€”and the risks that came with his travels, from malaria scares to navigating shady markets. Still, surfing pulls him along, even when heโ€™s juggling a career as a war reporter and later, family life. At its core, Barbarian Days is an old-fashioned adventure tale mixed with a thoughtful look at what it means to be hooked on something so completely. Finneganโ€™s writing captures both the beauty and the grind of surfing, making you feel like youโ€™re right there with himโ€”whether on a remote beach or paddling out into icy waves off Long Island.

  1. 0
    Image for A Wild Sheep Chase
    5.A Wild Sheep Chase

    A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami is a strange, offbeat novel that blends a detective story with surreal, dreamlike elements. It follows an unnamed, easygoing narrator who gets pulled into a bizarre search for a mysterious sheep with a star-shaped mark on its back. The story kicks off when a powerful figure in Japanโ€™s underworld pressures the narrator into finding this sheep, which seems to hold some kind of mystical influence. The book is set in late 1970s Japan, moving from urban Tokyo to the cold, isolated landscapes of Hokkaido. Along the way, the narrator is joined by his girlfriend, whose unusually perceptive ears give the story an added touch of the weird. They meet a cast of quirky charactersโ€”a shadowy secretary, a reclusive professor obsessed with sheep, and a man in a sheep costume who speaks in riddles. What stands out is how ordinary thingsโ€”bars, hotels, quiet townsโ€”become strange and otherworldly. Murakami mixes humor, loneliness, and philosophical musings, all wrapped up in a plot that meanders like a road trip with no clear destination. The novel touches on themes like identity, power, and the search for meaning, but it never hits you over the head with them. Things just kind of unfold, sometimes making sense, sometimes notโ€”and that seems to be the point. Itโ€™s not a fast-paced thriller, nor is it a typical mystery. The journey is more about the odd encounters and the narratorโ€™s inner reflections than solving a straightforward puzzle. If youโ€™re into stories where reality feels slippery and the line between the ordinary and the surreal is blurred, this one might stick with you.

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