Tap into a powerful mind-body connection to optimize performance & boost happiness-on & off the running trails. What if the key to improving your running, shaping your body, & boosting your happiness was all in your mind? In Mindful Running, lifelong runner, coach, & fitness journalist Mackenzie L. Havey recounts her personal practice of meditative running & the influence it has had on her life. She taps a wide range of sources-from weekend warriors to Olympic runners, from coaches & sports psychologists to neuroscientists & meditation experts-to examine how training mental fitness through mindfulness can enhance your running practice & lead to a more contented existence. The research is clear: Mindfulness changes the very structure of the brain. Paired with physical training, mindful running has the potential to give you an edge when you`re out logging miles, as well as help you hone the ability to exist in the present, endure challenges & hardship with ease & find greater happiness in all things big & small. Mindful running is a total body & mind fitness regimen with serious benefits that continue even when the race is over. Regardless of your fitness level, the Mindful Running process is the same: We focus in on the body, mind & surroundings & begin to notice what thoughts, feelings & sensations exist in that moment; we fathom that information, consider how it all fits together from a holistic standpoint, & decide if we need to make adjustments; & by following these steps we enter flow, a state that embodies present moment awareness, concentration, confidence, optimal performance & joy.