--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter how much long-distance running…" description: "\"“No matter how much long-distance running might suit me, of course there are days when I feel kind of lethargic and don’t want to run. Actually, it hap..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/haruki-murakami-21_distance-running_no-matter-how-much-long-distance-running_2665985.jpg" --- # No matter how much long-distance running might suit me, of… ![“No matter how much long-distance running might suit me, of course there are days when I feel kind of lethargic and don’t want to run. Actually, it happens a lot. On days like that, I try to think of all kinds of plausible excuses to slough it off. Once, I interviewed the Olympic running Toshihiko…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/haruki-murakami-21_distance-running_no-matter-how-much-long-distance-running_2665985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/haruki-murakami-21_distance-running_no-matter-how-much-long-distance-running_2665985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/haruki-murakami-21_distance-running_no-matter-how-much-long-distance-running_2665985.jpg) > ““No matter how much long-distance running might suit me, of course there are days when I feel kind of lethargic and don’t want to run. Actually, it happens a lot. On days like that, I try to think of all kinds of plausible excuses to slough it off. Once, I interviewed the Olympic running Toshihiko Seko, just after he retired from running and became manager of the S&B company team. I asked him, “Does a runner at your level ever feel like you’d rather not run today, like you don’t want to run and would rather just sleep in?” He stared at me and then, in a voice that made it abundantly clear how stupid he thought the question was, replied, “Of course. All the time!”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even elite athletes admit to feeling lazy and making excuses, normalizing occasional lack of motivation. **In simple terms:** Even top runners feel lazy sometimes. Key Takeaway Accept occasional low motivation. Themes motivation humanity self‑compassion Mood reflective empathetic Type interview insight When to use this quote - training - daily routine - goal setting Key Concepts psychology performance self‑talk Questions to Reflect On - How to balance rest and discipline? - What excuses are most common? A Different Perspective Excuses can become self‑sabotage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distance running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-running/) [Interviewed Olympic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviewed-olympic-2464727/) [Kind Lethargic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-lethargic-2341756/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Retired Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retired-running-1575571/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running Toshihiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-toshihiko-2464728/) [Want Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-run/) ## Related quotes > [I'm kind of lethargic in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lloyd/i-m-kind-of-lethargic-in-real-life/) [Christopher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lloyd/) > [It probably won't sink in until I've retired from running but I'm a much better athlete than two years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-east/it-probably-won-t-sink-in-until-i-ve-retired-from-running-but-i-m-a/) [Michael East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-east/) > [“Everyone in life has a story to tell, and sometimes there are things in our past we spend our lives running from. This book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannika-dark/everyone-in-life-has-a-story-to-tell-and-sometimes-there-are-things/) [Dannika Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannika-dark/) > [The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-gareau/the-body-does-not-want-you-to-do-this-as-you-run-it-tells-you-to-stop/) [Jacqueline Gareau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-gareau/) > [“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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-not-totally-uncompetitive-it-s-just-that-for-some-reason-i-never/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I never cared all that much whether I beat others or lost to them. This sentiment remained pretty much unchanged after I grew up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-never-cared-all-that-much-whether-i-beat-others-or-lost-to-them/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I'm no great runner, by any means. I'm at an ordinary - or perhaps more like mediocre- level.But that's not the point. The point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at-an-ordinary-or-perhaps-more-2/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-long-distance-running-the-only-opponent-you-have-to-beat-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/for-me-running-is-both-exercise-and-a-metaphor-running-day-after-day/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-point-is-whether-or-not-i-improved-over-yesterday-in-long/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-drayton/to-describe-the-agony-of-a-marathon-to-someone-who-s-never-run-it-is/) [Jerome Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-drayton/) > [Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/everyone-is-an-athlete-the-only-difference-is-that-some-of-us-are-in/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [At least for soccer players, it comes down to a blend of two types of fitness - your base endurance, which comes from longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-reilly/at-least-for-soccer-players-it-comes-down-to-a-blend-of-two-types-of/) [Heather O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-reilly/) > [The way to get through anything mentally painful is to take it a little at a time. The mind can't handle dealing with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-de-sena/the-way-to-get-through-anything-mentally-painful-is-to-take-it-a/) [Joe De Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-de-sena/) > [Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have Nature, and that is much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juha-vaatainen/stadiums-are-for-spectators-we-runners-have-nature-and-that-is-much/) [Juha Vaatainen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juha-vaatainen/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Distance running quotes > [Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have Nature, and that is much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juha-vaatainen/stadiums-are-for-spectators-we-runners-have-nature-and-that-is-much/) [Juha Vaatainen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juha-vaatainen/) > [The way to get through anything mentally painful is to take it a little at a time. The mind can't handle dealing with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-de-sena/the-way-to-get-through-anything-mentally-painful-is-to-take-it-a/) [Joe De Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-de-sena/) > [At least for soccer players, it comes down to a blend of two types of fitness - your base endurance, which comes from longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-reilly/at-least-for-soccer-players-it-comes-down-to-a-blend-of-two-types-of/) [Heather O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-reilly/) > [Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/everyone-is-an-athlete-the-only-difference-is-that-some-of-us-are-in/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-drayton/to-describe-the-agony-of-a-marathon-to-someone-who-s-never-run-it-is/) [Jerome Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-drayton/) > [Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lovelock/big-occasions-and-races-which-have-been-eagerly-anticipated-almost-to/) [Jack Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lovelock/) > [A lot of people don't realize that not everybody gets high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringwald/a-lot-of-people-don-t-realize-that-not-everybody-gets-high/) [Molly Ringwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringwald/) > [The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-squires/the-long-run-is-what-puts-the-tiger-in-the-cat/) [Bill Squires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-squires/) > [“Distance running demands a brain-body connection that no other creature is capable of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/distance-running-demands-a-brain-body-connection-that-no-other/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [The mile has all the elements of a drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/the-mile-has-all-the-elements-of-a-drama/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [The real competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/the-real-competition-is-against-the-little-voice-inside-you-that/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [Being on a major network television show is like long-distance running: You have to pace yourself and maintain your energy level and your morale.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-erbe/being-on-a-major-network-television-show-is-like-long-distance/) [Kathryn Erbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-erbe/) > [I love sprinting, but I hate long-distance running. Isn't that funny?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-o-brien/i-love-sprinting-but-i-hate-long-distance-running-isn-t-that-funny/) [Dylan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-o-brien/) > [Distance running to a professional athlete in my day was five laps around the field. And you stopped each lap to take your pulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-swann/distance-running-to-a-professional-athlete-in-my-day-was-five-laps/) [Lynn Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-swann/) > [There's no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/there-s-no-such-thing-as-bad-weather-only-the-wrong-clothes/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) [Browse all 85 Distance running quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-running/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“No matter how much long-distance running might suit me, of course there are days when I feel kind of lethargic and don’t want to run. Actually, it happens a lot. On days like that, I try to think of all kinds of plausible excuses to slough it off. Once, I interviewed the Olympic running Toshihiko Seko, just after he retired from running and became manager of the S&B company team. I asked him, “Does a runner at your level ever feel like you’d rather not run today, like you don’t want to run and would rather just sleep in?” He stared at me and then, in a voice that made it abundantly clear how stupid he thought the question was, replied, “Of course. 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