The second part, about running and thinking, is good stuff. The first three paragraphs are a turn-off because they're about you and not your topic. They feel

The second part, about running and thinking, is good stuff. The first three paragraphs are a turn-off because they're about you and not your topic. They feel tacked-on. I'm just guessing here, but maybe when you got the idea for this essay you didn't quite know how to lead into it?