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Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

well.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#31

Post by hsitz »

js2 wrote: post #20

One possible if slightly disheartening lesson of the study could be, in fact, that we may need to cover considerable mileage in order to experience a runner’s high; the mice in the study, small as they are, averaged more than three miles every day on their wheels. I'm on track for 3000 miles this year. I ran over 2000 miles last year. My shortest run in the last few months is 4 miles, and that's on days when I double…

+1. I could have written that exactly. I'm on track for 3,000 miles this year, ran 2,200+ last year. Have been doing 80+ miles/week recently with upcoming marathon. Ran a 50 mile ultra back in July. I've never had any "runner's high". It's not something that any of my running friends ever talk about; it's something non-runners talk about. Closest I get is also "feeling in a groove", which for me is mostly a feeling of ease I get when running a moderately fast even pace on flat route with no interruptions (like on a bike path). But it would be really stretching it to call that feeling a runner's high. There can also be a nice feeling _after_ certain runs, when they're over. This is also not a runner's high, just a pleasant feeling of being somewhat drained and relaxed, similar to the way you might feel after a massage, or after some non-running workouts. The whole "running high" terminology is geared towards making people think there's some kind of mystical thing. People like to believe things like that, but no.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#32

Post by jamesxwatkins »

hsitz wrote: post #31
js2 wrote: post #20

One possible if slightly disheartening lesson of the study could be, in fact, that we may need to cover considerable mileage in order to experience a runner’s high; the mice in the study, small as they are, averaged more than three miles every day on their wheels. I'm on track for 3000 miles this year. I ran over 2000 miles last year. My shortest run in the last few months is 4 miles, and that's on days when I double…

+1. I could have written that exactly. I'm on track for 3,000 miles this year, ran 2,200+ last year. Have been doing 80+ miles/week recently with upcoming marathon. Ran a 50 mile ultra back in July. I've never had any "runner's high". It's not something that any of my running friends ever talk about; it's something non-runners talk about. Closest I get is also "feeling in a groove", which for me is mostly a feeling o…

I dont think you could have explained that any better. I usually hit around 1200-1300 miles per year and the closest I have ever come to a "runners high" is what you explained towards the end of your comment.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#33

Post by shiplet »

js2 wrote: post #20

One possible if slightly disheartening lesson of the study could be, in fact, that we may need to cover considerable mileage in order to experience a runner’s high; the mice in the study, small as they are, averaged more than three miles every day on their wheels. I'm on track for 3000 miles this year. I ran over 2000 miles last year. My shortest run in the last few months is 4 miles, and that's on days when I double…

In the 10+ years I've been running, I'd guess I've felt a "high" maybe 3 times? The first one was actually my first year running - a brisk 5-miler in the early Fall in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Another during the second 800 of my first fairly competitive mile (dropped 12 seconds off my PR). And the third during a late Fall run in Lexington, VA (another 5-miler). In each instance I felt this impenetrable happiness, lightness, and ease. My form, breathing, even the air-circulation allowed by my clothing, were all perfect. I remember not wanting to acknowledge what was happening for fear of it disappearing as soon as I "looked" at it. Whole-body tingles, no soreness afterwards.

I think, in each case there were a couple of prevailing influences to the sensation:

1.) Feeling alone. Even during my mile, surrounded by 10 other racers, I felt pleasantly alone. Everything was quiet, non-distracting, sublime even.

2.) I was also on the verge of a major breakthrough in my training. My first year running, my 5K went from 22:09 to 17:21, and that first high was probably two weeks before that new PR. Same for the run in Lexington. Luckily it came in the MIDDLE of my mile, because I'd run the exact same time the past 4 races in a row.

3.) The weather. In each case, the weather was extremely mild - cool, brisk, gentle breeze, but no wind.

I'm probably over-analyzing it. Also TONS of nostalgia. But still, I want to make that feeling a more regular part of my life as time ticks on :)

EDIT: There's a fourth.

4.) Running was joyful. Not something I was doing to rack up mileage, or beat a competitor, or "push myself to the edge." Yeah, those things happened as a consequence of training, but they weren't the goal. The goal was to enjoy going fast. And yeah, I got high from it. It's when the focus became about those other things that the best I could do was get in a groove.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#35

Post by kstenerud »

chipgap98 wrote: post #16
kstenerud wrote: post #15

Huh. This would certainly explain a lot. I can't get high from cannabis, and I've never ever gotten a runner's high despite doing a weekly 6 mile run for the past 3 years and training hard for boxing.

I've only hit runners highs on much longer runs. Like 10-15 miles. Totally anecdotal, but you might need to try going further. Also, what do you mean you can't get high from cannabis?

I mean that I've tried repeatedly, watched everyone else get baked on half the dose I was taking (deep, and holding in until I absolutely needed to breathe), and felt absolutely nothing except that nasty aftertaste.

Running itself is pretty damn boring, which makes it hard to do it for more than an hour. It is nice to get outside, though.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#37

Post by Glide »

Roodgorf wrote: post #36

This is pretty irrelevant to the actual conversation but, it's honing isn't it? Have I been saying it wrong this whole time?

Hone in is so common that it's now listed.

To hone is to sharpen or to perfect. You can hone a blade.

Home in is the phrase that has more widespread use. A missile homes in. It probably has roots to do with homing pigeons.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#38

Post by Roodgorf »

Glide wrote: post #37
Roodgorf wrote: post #36

This is pretty irrelevant to the actual conversation but, it's honing isn't it? Have I been saying it wrong this whole time?

Hone in is so common that it's now listed. To hone is to sharpen or to perfect. You can hone a blade. Home in is the phrase that has more widespread use. A missile homes in. It probably has roots to do with homing pigeons.

Ah, interesting, thank you.

I always thought that it should be home, but heard it more often as hone, so I figured there must be some etymological history I was unaware of. Apparently I just had a bad sample set.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#39

Post by ZeroFries »

js2 wrote: post #20

One possible if slightly disheartening lesson of the study could be, in fact, that we may need to cover considerable mileage in order to experience a runner’s high; the mice in the study, small as they are, averaged more than three miles every day on their wheels. I'm on track for 3000 miles this year. I ran over 2000 miles last year. My shortest run in the last few months is 4 miles, and that's on days when I double…

You probably have a high tolerance to the chemical concoction, so you get some pain-killing effects but not enough for a full-on high. I'm guessing the tolerance is both genetic and induced from the high amount of training you do.

Re: Homing in on the Source of Runner’s High

#40

Post by js2 »

hsitz wrote: post #31
js2 wrote: post #20

One possible if slightly disheartening lesson of the study could be, in fact, that we may need to cover considerable mileage in order to experience a runner’s high; the mice in the study, small as they are, averaged more than three miles every day on their wheels. I'm on track for 3000 miles this year. I ran over 2000 miles last year. My shortest run in the last few months is 4 miles, and that's on days when I double…

+1. I could have written that exactly. I'm on track for 3,000 miles this year, ran 2,200+ last year. Have been doing 80+ miles/week recently with upcoming marathon. Ran a 50 mile ultra back in July. I've never had any "runner's high". It's not something that any of my running friends ever talk about; it's something non-runners talk about. Closest I get is also "feeling in a groove", which for me is mostly a feeling o…

I'm in violent agreement with you. I'm running Richmond later this year. Which marathon are you runnning? (And good luck!)
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