What inspires my writing? Nietzsche once advised, “Of what is great one should either be silent or speak with greatness.” If my running were expressive of more, I wouldn’t risk degrading it with my words. But my own running will never be the best advertisement for running and for the running life. To speak of running with greatness, which is what George Sheehan did for decades, is the next best way of recommending it to others. What made Sheehan’s running journalism great? Most running journalists write to the runner within the human being. Sheehan wrote to the human being within the runner. Sheehan never limited himself to the use of sanctioned “running quotes” and references. He fearlessly mined all media and all literature–Classical and modern–for apropos supporting material. Sheehan understood that while running for sport is relatively new, living boldly is not.