#86 - Runners High: Feeling Addicted to Long Distance Running
Have you ever met someone so obsessed with running it seems like an addiction? Besides the obvious health benefits and happy energy we get from endorphins, there’s another big motivator: runners high.
Read on to learn about this amazing feeling you’ll want to experience for yourself!
What Does Runners High Feel Like?
If you’re curious about what runners high feels like, you might imagine a blissful state of excitement or a deep state of relaxation. You may associate it with feeling buzzed from alcohol or the exhilaration of intimacy.
According to the more advanced members of our Run To The Best You Online Accountability Group, here is what a runners high actually feels like:
My adrenaline shoots through the roof! - Lisa Keating
Runners high puts a smile on your face like no other. You feel this sense of accomplishment that makes you feel like you can conquer anything! - Chris Ballard
When I PR’d in a half marathon, I was overcome with emotion with tears for what I had just accomplished. Not a better feeling than that runners high when reaching a personal record. -Traci McCoy (Tennessee)
It’s like flying a kite, it may take some time to get it high, but once it’s flying, it takes a while before it comes back down. I reach runners high during long distance runs around mile 4 and I stay high the rest of the day. - Coach Tadris
We also asked other experienced runners from around the world and here is what they had to say:
When running feels effortlessly...if that's a word? - Monica Demps
When you say extra cheese at Chipotle... And they actually listen to you and load that thing up... Yeah. It feels like that. 🥴 - CT Thomas
Unstoppable, a feeling of euphoria, and happiness, you just can't stop. At the same time you feel relaxed, like you can accomplish anything! - Sarahi Rios (Nebraska)
Sometimes if I get a runners high while listening to music it almost makes me feel overwhelmed with emotion and like I’m going to cry. - Rose Contreras (Santa Cruz, CA)
When the heart, lungs and mind are in sync...feels like you can run forever anywhere. - Shaheen Orrie (South Africa)
4 Benefits to Achieving a Runners High
According to Coach Tadris, runners high is good for not only helping you in your present practice or race, but springboard you to future heights. After or during your runners high, you may just sign up for that next goal race.
Whether you’re lacing up your running shoes for the first time or you’re running marathons around the world dressed as Wonder Woman like Claire Thomas, the benefits of achieving runners high will motivate you to go further in your fitness journey.
Long term benefits of runners high, according to Johns Hopkins, include the following:
Relaxation that lasts - Runners high brings a lasting state of relaxation that will benefit you if you’re experiencing high stress levels or anxiety
Improved working memory and focus - Helpful for professionals and students, a long term benefit is a sharper memory and better ability to focus
Better task-switching ability - Also called multitasking, runners high equips you for juggling multiple tasks and projects, to help with mental balance when you’re wearing many hats
Elevated mood - While exercise in general is a temporary mood lifter, runners high can be a form of lasting therapy to help combat sadness, apathy, and depression
Grab a copy of Mental Training for Runners by Jeff Galloway for specific plans on how to overcome anxiety and excuses that keep people from staying committed to a workout routine.
Biological Explanation for Runners High
In a medically reviewed article posted on Healthline, we read the scientific side of achieving a runner’s high. While it’s common knowledge that consistent exercise is rewarded by higher energy levels and happiness, thanks to endorphins, a runner’s high takes it to a whole other level!
Surprisingly, the euphoric runners high feeling isn’t even related to endorphins like many people would expect. It’s actually about molecules called endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes.
Endocannabinoids - smaller molecules than endorphins - cross the blood-brain barrier to cause this deeply relaxing state that we call a runners high. While it’s a healthy and natural reaction to long distance running, the biological effect on the brain is similar to the body’s response to THC from cannabis products or marijuana. Hence, “runners high” is a very appropriate description for this great fitness perk - with no down side!
Lab-Tested Insight on Runners High
The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America published their findings on a runners high study conducted on 234 male mice using running wheels. They discovered improved behavior and increased pain tolerance according to how long the mice ran, when compared to the control group that only ran for half of that length of time. There’s an awful lot of data in those articles, graphs, and abstracts - but the key takeaway is that long distance running leads to natural chemical reactions in small animals and human beings alike.
Test Yourself to Achieve Runners High!
You could do a similar test on yourself using a treadmill in a controlled environment. See how long it takes for you to achieve this euphoric feeling and experience the coveted feeling that motivates most athletes to run farther and push harder. Set a goal to increase your running time a little bit each day, but make sure everything else is consistent such as the time of day, your water intake, and sleep patterns. This way you can accurately see how long YOU need to run to enjoy the benefit of runners high.
Work Your Way Up to Feeling Runners High
Need help getting into a great running routine? Let Coach Tadris help you START THIS WEEK. Work with our team to get into the best shape of your life and FEEL GREAT physically and mentally.
Sign up for our Run a 5K program designed to help beginning and returning runners break into a fun and sustainable running routine!