George Sheehan was a popular running writer and speaker for many years (1970’s thru 90’s). I read a number of his books, and have a copy of a Runner’s World article he wrote titled “If Thou Wouldst Discover Thyself, Tread the Road Alone”. Unfortunately, I did not write on the copy the date of publication or page number. In any case, he was speaking at a seminar before a big running race, and the speaker before him had spoken on “How to Improve Your 10-Kilometer Time”. Sheehan said he agreed with the training program, but wondered if it was worth the effort. At this time in his career he had evolved into an advocate for the mental health benefits and creativity of slow long distance running at a pace that allowed quiet concentration, and problem solving. He states that “My correspondence contains instances of lawyers who write briefs, physicians who make diagnoses, even coaches who devise game plans – all during their daily miles on the road”. “Our finest hours are during those easy, comfortable miles on the road”. “We should not be willing … to sacrifice all of that to a stopwatch”. So he became an advocate for an intrinsic, slow, enjoyable form of running.
He inspired many people to become fit. For motivation and understanding of Dr. Sheehan’s popularity go to http://www.georgesheehan.com