Mediation isn’t running and running isn’t meditation for the simple reason that one involves stillness and the other revolves around motion. Look at it this way: When you go for a run, you put on your shoes. When you sit down to meditate, you take them off.
While running and meditation are not the same thing, they are often linked because they both require discipline, consistency, and resilience. In both activities, you’ve got to stay the course even when the path appears blocked.
Given all that conflicting evidence, perhaps it’s fair to say that running and mediation are two sides of the same coin. Heads you run, tails you sit. When you combine the two practices, you engage in something more enriching than merely running or sitting.