Reflections on Runner's High

There have been many times when I've reflected on why I run. Some such introspection, I think, goes with the territory. When you're running, you quite naturally spend at least some time thinking about what you're doing and why. One of my personal favorite answers to the 'why I run' question is, because it feels good when I stop. But there are plenty of others. The physical health benefits, the mental health benefits, the social aspects, and the joy of competition are a few. Another is the fact that running simply makes you feel good.

Feel good, how, you ask? Lots of ways, and this gets into the physical, mental, and emotional reasoning, of course. A lot of people assume that it's the endorphins produced by intense exercise that keeps driving runners back for more. Perhaps. But according to a Healthline article, a "runner's high" is not caused so much by endorphins as by endocannabinoids. Like endorphins, exercise releases endocannabinoids into the bloodstream. If you feel euphoric or deeply relaxed after a run, these molecules may actually be the responsible party. (Alert readers may have noticed that the name includes 'cannab'. The molecules act on your endocannabinoid system. This is the same system that’s affected by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis. Now you know.)

The article goes on to say that a runner's high is a state of deep euphoria caused by lengthy or intense exercise. Not all runners get it, and even those who do may not get it often, consistently, or for very long. I think I've been lucky enough to achieve such nirvana (I'm never entirely sure) but it's been exceedingly rare.

I'm going to relate this to marathons because it's where I've got the most experience, but I'm sure it may apply to other distances (or to non-races) for some runners. Perhaps 60-80 percent of my marathons end badly. This is because I got tremendously tired or possibly even injured during the run, and I had to slow down. It's a downright lousy feeling. 

But then there are the others; that small percentage of races that do end well. They do so because I suddenly found another gear in the final miles. I've said this before: there's no feeling in the world like being able to run strong at the finish of a marathon. All cylinders firing, feeling invincible, passing other runners, achieving some time or other goal, euphoria; all these things happen at once. Although I may have experienced it at other times, these are the runner's highs that I remember best.

And even though these experiences are so rare, they make all the other times - the runs that don't end so well - worth it. This isn't the only reason why I run, but it sure helps.