SARAH'S MENTORS: DR GEORGE SHEEHAN (MD,RUNNER & PHILOSOPHER)

Palination ^ | Monday, July 20, 2009 | Alaska Shrugs

[curth]

* "Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience.You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them; And the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." -Dr George Sheehan

Sarah Palin is an avid runner.She grew up in a family of runners.Her parents were marathoners and H.S. track coaches. Sarah's father,Chuck Heath once ran in the Boston Marathon. Sarah herself ran Anchorage's 26.2 mile Mayor's Marathon. Before giving birth to Trig,Sarah was averaging 5-6 miles/day. Today she runs 3 miles every other day. As she has stated,"Running is my sanity." And,"I usually write my best speeches and letters (in my head) while out running."

* "When I run the roads,I am a saint. For that hour,I am Assisi wearing the least and meanest of clothes.I am Gandhi,the young London law student,trotting 10 or 12 miles a day. I am Thoreau,the solitary, seeking the union with the world around him.On the roads, poverty,chastity and obedience come naturally. I am one of the poor in spirit who will see God. My chastity is my completion in the true Eros,which is play. And the Ten Commandments are the way the world works." -Dr George Sheehan

* "I run because its so symbolic of life--You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles.You might feel you can't; But then you find your inner strength and realize you're capable of much more than you thought." -Arthur Blank

During an interview last fall,Sarah cited marathoner,Dr George Sheehan, as one of her inspirations. She said that Dr Sheehan, "was...very motivating--He was an athlete. I think that so much of what you learn in athletics about competition and healthy living that he was able to encapsulate has stayed with me all these years."

So just who was George Sheehan?...

[TXBlair]

From the current issue of Runner's World...

Click here for full RW Palin article--it's actually good! (and note ridiculous lib comments posted)