Dedication

Running takes dedication and at the same time a sense of abandon - a willingness to leave virtually everything behind and give ourselves to the singular sensation of motion. Of course these is a complicated and intimate communication of feedback going on between our minds and bodies. We don't want to dismiss the message of pain due to injury. We want to be an observer - to allow the feedback to flow unimpeded through our minds until there is a reason to respond. That's the trick to meditation - it's not to cease thinking altogether but to observe the thoughts flow through the mind without taking "ownership" of them. It's also a key point to peace of  mind - we simply don't have to believe everything we think just because we think it - let it go, let it go. Thoughts flow by and still we give ourselves to motion, to the ground and awareness to our surroundings without the need to "take issue" with whatever comes our way. A rock, a stick, a curb are all part of our run, all part of our awareness and we run with the faith that this magical flow of motion we are tapping into will handle each encounter with an innate wisdom bred countless miles inherited through the genes of those who ran before. We are born for this.
Dedication is getting out the door.
The rest is who we are.
Runners.