George Sheehan quotes

George Sheehan is kind of a legend in the running world.  He was the first 50+ year old to ever run a mile under 5 minutes (4:47).  He was also a writer, and for 25 years, he wrote a weekly column in his local paper.

I just recently discovered him. ( i know, i know... where have you been, Mike?)  I am really enjoying some of his quotes.  Maybe you will too:

About running the Boston Marathon:

" Everyone who finishes the Boston Marathon has their own great moment in sport.  Each of us on this day has achieved greatness. "

This quote below can be found in this great short essay here: 

""The runner is not in a game; he is in a contest. … When you race, you are under oath.

When you race, you are testifying as to who you are.  

The distance runner understands this. He is the mildest of men. Quiet and even-tempered and rarely given to argument. He avoids confrontation and seeks his own private world, but in a marathon he becomes a tiger. He will go to the end of his physiology to find who he is and what he can do. Put himself deeper and deeper into a cauldron of pain. What is necessary becomes possible, however absurd the effort may be."

and this one is from that essay too:

"marathons can make memories like no other event in your life. And that could be an argument for running one every month. When the rocking-chair time comes, you'll be all set."

Some more: 

"Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach."

"Life, like it or not, is a handicap event, and the winner may finish deep in the pack."

And the ending of "The Beauty of the race" is so good:

"... And now comes Cemetery Hill with its easy winding approach. And then 100 yards straight up. The legs are gone, the breathing impossible. Your face is at your knees. Your thoughts turn to survival. But finally there is the crest. But not before an additional rise not seen below. The incredible oxygen debt is finally paid off in a halting downhill stagger.

           The flats once more. The finish in sight but you are beginning to come apart. Pain is now your companion. It warns you to a point that must not be passed. So you wait and endure until the moment for the final drive to the finish. Now! Now there is no tomorrow. The world and time have narrowed to this agony. Where the legs hurt, you hurt them more. But the chest can't be helped. The light is starting to go out. And then you're over the line.
           Ten minutes later, you wonder why you didn't push harder going up Cemetery Hill."

You can read many more essays and excerpts here.