Running and other philosophical thoughts

  Late in my 20's, I've decided to give running another chance, my sometimes-achy knees nothwithstanding. I'm four months into it now, and even on days when i think I don't love it, I love it. I finally picked up again on the joys of running: running to get away from myself, from thinking too much. Running towards the feeling of feeling every inch and bit of my body.
  It's really easy to be afraid of doing so many things wrong, and of hurting myself again. I asked my friend Phil for some tips, and he waxed poetic. "I'm stoked that you're running now! I hope that the experience will help you discover yourself, pain, and life! There [are] so many philosophies to running and how it affects everyone and would love to hear your stories of self discovery. No matter how many miles you put, you will experience some sort of pain...If you can embrace this reality, then you'll be able to push so much more and understand that it's part of running and what makes you feel alive... Pain, you can endure through and it will only make you better... If you have a legit injury, then back off. Other than, enjoy the journey of training and self discovery, because the race is only temporary." I didn't know that surfers could be so lyrical.
  But it got me to thinking, all this past week, about the deeper meaning of running in my life, the philosophy of conquering the miles with my legs, and my body with my mind. This is what I've come up with so far:

  Poise, poise, poise. After you've pounded the ground with your joints for a while, only willpower and excellent carriage will carry you through to the end. Running a marathon, or a half marathon or 5K is no easy thing when your body is screaming at you for using it so unnaturally. What keeps you going when you get tired-- and you will get tired- is the willpower and the experience that this race is do-able. You know this because you've done it before, but sometimes the only person holding you back is yourself. So throw your shoulders back and stand up straight. Carry yourself erectly and proudly, find and use the strength in your core, and you will also find new wells of strength within yourself to carry you to finish line. You. Can. Do. It.
  Take your days of rest. Taking your days off is just as important as the days that you're out on the road or up on the treadmill. You're using vast amounts of energy to get you moving, to move you forward to the next goalpost. Guess what? You need to rest. It's okay to acknowledge your limits, to accept that it's okay not to work for one day, to give your body the attention and care it deserves. To take a step back from the constant frenzy of movement and, instead, to find yourself at rest. And hopefully with it, some peace.
  Don't hurt yourself. In the last month, I've made the extra effort and educated myself much more about my diet, my shoes, my running form. I've analyzed it all to death, and tried a variety of gaits and routines and recipes. And I've found out that there are many ways that you can hurt yourself. To weaken yourself, or curse your weak will, your weak body and spirit.  It's okay to try new things until you find the way that works for you. Just don't try the wrong thing for too long, or you might cause much more damage than you can recover from. Your body is forgiving, and time is healing. Take some time off, analyze, recuperate, then put your running shoes back on and hit the road. The path already creates many difficult conditions against which you have to battle; be aware of yourself, take care of yourself, respect yourself, and the miles and minutes and days will take care of themselves.
  Running really is a beautiful activity that allows you the time and space to reflect  and relax, and it's one of the easiest and most joy-giving of pursuits (literally, that runner's high is no joke). I'm looking forward to what I'll discover in the next few months, blue sneakers on my feet and sweat on my brow.