Marathon Training — George Sheehan and Rest Day

Brian Martin
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

I wanted to go out for a run today despite it being my day off. Some poor decisions made at lunch gave me the motivation to do so. Halfway through my run though I got the sense that I was not going to need to finish the distance I had set out for myself (a quick 2 miles), in order to get the full benefits of my workout.

Thankfully I was right, I came back and felt just as good mentally and physically as if I had run 4 miles instead of 1. The next 3 days I will be running 3 miles each day, so I am sure that by the time Thursday rolls around, I will be happy that I did not continue to push today given the heat and general fatigue felt from yesterday’s long run.

When I got back from my run I was greeted by a package at my doorstep, a book that I had ordered and that had showde up a little bit earlier than Amazon had previously predicted. It was as if Dr. Sheehan himself had interrupted me and told me to come back and put in more mental work today instead of physical work.

The book waiting for me was The Essential Sheehan, a lifetime of Sheehan’s best running-isms collected throughout his time as a writer for Runner’sWorld and several other publications.

Now I am not sure how familiar you might be with Dr. Sheehan, but his mark is felt all throughout the Jersey Shore running community. There is no other individual that I can think of who is truly as revered as George Sheehan within the distance running community. At the age of 45, Sheehan discovered running, and was a runner from then on.

His explanation of running and the way it relates to everyday life, the struggles and challenges we all face, is certainly worth a read for anyone who wonders why some may find distance running so intoxicating.

And so on this day off, I leave you to read more words from Dr. Sheehan. Rest Days are just as important as long runs and shorter workouts. The mental part of a run is half the run.

Keep running —

Brian Martin

In training for the Philadelphia Marathon. I like to run, write and talk about fitness. ACE Certified Personal Trainer. 🏃 Instagram: bmart692

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