Timeless Wisdom
In the Marathon Handbook feed on November 13, there was an article by Amby Burfoot, entitled “Timeless Wisdom” that took quotes from George Sheehan, Haruki Murakami, and Eliud Kipchoge. Burfoot was executive editor of Runner’s World when Sheehan wrote his popular monthly column and was able to entice him into an interview just before his death in 1993, during which he offered some final advice: “All we can do is the best we can do with what we’ve got.” A perfect Sheehanism: simple, complete, profound.
Readers of George Sheehan, which I expect is most of us who were running back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s were used to having him drop a gem or two in each column and then many in his eight books. One quote Burfoot lifted was “…mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you become the person you are meant to be.” Running was a central theme in Sheehan’s life after he rediscovered his love of it at age 45. He aimed to empower us to celebrate and build upon our individual “experiment of one.” I always find when I reread his books, things I missed the first (or second) time around.
Haruki Murakami’s connection to running is quite different from George Sheehan’s. Perhaps like most of us, running is a backdrop to other life pursuits, in his case writing novels. Though for him, running is not necessarily less meaningful. He suggests: “most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest.” In his memoir, he leaves no doubt that his successful writing career has been fueled by daily runs and occasional racing. Burfoot quotes Murakami: “The longer the distance you run, the more introspective you become.” Suffice it to say Murakami did almost all his running solo. It was his time to process and generate thoughts.
Eliud Kipchoge is someone we probably all pay attention to. Hard not to, considering what he has accomplished. But what stands out to me is how comfortable Kipchoge is in his own skin, which enables him to avoid self-aggrandizement and promotion. He is not profuse in his advice, but when it occurs, it’s worth taking note. Some that Burfoot included: “Discipline is freedom, and consistency is power”; “… to win … to be successful is not important. How to plan and prepare is critical and crucial.” And one that might speak to us older set: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
We can come up with our own quotes. Don’t we all have something to say? For those of us who run, these quotes are likely informed, in part, by that key part of our lives. Here are two, I’ve just crafted:
” I don’t always enjoy running but I always appreciate that I am able to do it.”
” The day may always be 24 hours long, but it seems longer when I take an hour to run.”