If you’ve spent any time in runners’ circles, you’ve heard a quote by George Sheehan. He is perhaps the grandfather of running writers, the spiritual Obi-Wan Kenobi whose happy ghost looks over us all.
Many months ago, Rodale sent me "The Essential Sheehan" to review, and I’ve found it to be a treasure chest of running wisdom. It
took me a while to read only because I did so in snippets, which to me
is what makes the book work. It is a series of articles written
throughout his life, none of which take more than a few minutes to read,
but all of them with something that will make you think and add to your
running life.
I
knew Sheehan was a mind-body-spirit runner, with all sorts of quotes to
evoke emotions, but I had no idea that Sheehan was also a great source
of training theories that are practical and tangible. He heralded the
power of intervals, how to train muscles that need strengthening for
injury prevention, and running less junk miles. I was very happy to read
him write, in so many words or less, “I can comfortably run a marathon
on 30 miles a week” since that is about all I can get to these days. Some
articles were dated and wore their tube socks, but this added to the
charm. Other subjects included the communal nature of races, the role of
natural highs as opposed to alcohol use, and a goody bag full of
spiritual inspiration.
This
is a book which lends itself to hardcover, to be read many times over
and flipped open to random pages, and should have a place on your coffee
table, next to your bed, or perhaps the perfect toilet reader. Since
some runners may hesitate to buy a hardcover for themselves, this makes
it a perfect gift. Huge thanks to both Dr. George Sheehan for his words
and to Rodale for this gift.
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| The Essential Sheehan: On Amazon |
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