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HappyG(rrr) Sep 2021 9:03am, 17 Sep 2021 39,725 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I don't think a "runner's high" is anything more than that ear to ear grin at the end of a run of some effort. I did a 27 min run with work colleagues on Tuesday and it was a bit quicker than I would normally go. The huffing and puffing and hands on knees at the end were accompanied by lots of grins, banter and general well being. I think that is instigated by endorphins / dopamine. I think that's all it is?
Sharkie Sep 2021 11:55am, 17 Sep 2021 18,623 posts	0 Sharkie Never having experienced it myself I'm not sure what the Runner's High entails. Canute wrote: 'Twice in my life I have experienced that amazing feeling of being in the zone, where running is effortless, during a race.' I think I'm familiar with this - and perhaps it's what is now described as 'flow'. Flow is very important in my events. I'm currently trying to make them more automatic, especially high jump, which as a titchy 68 year old can be a little daunting. Am currently investigating just how to blank out everything apart from the rhythm of the action - and that includes the bar which you ideally do not even look at once you start your approach. I managed it on Saturday - but I don't know how. I find that fascinating.
sallykate Sep 2021 12:05pm, 17 Sep 2021 8,253 posts	0 sallykate I have in the past had what I'd call a runner's high - a sense of euphoria. But certainly not every run; it was usually on longer runs, so maybe more a side effect of glycogen depletion!
Canute Sep 2021 12:08pm, 17 Sep 2021 2,433 posts	0 Canute HappyG Your description of runners high covers a list of things contributing to a positive mood at the end of an effortful session, including cognitive processes and (probably overlapping) biochemical processes. I do not disagree with the role of the things you describe as causes of positive mood, and I think that all of these things make running an enjoyable experience. However, as I understand it the experience that some people describe as the runners high occurs during effortful exercise and is probably explicitly related to biochemical processes (dopamine, endorphins and endogenous cannabinoids). However, the experience that I value most of all is what is sometimes described as being in the zone. That is simalr to the sesne of flow that Sharkie is describing. It is a sense of harmony between mind and body. As far as I see, it is similar to that transcendental state achieved mediation. Certainly in my memorable 10000m race, the magical experience was there from the starter’s gun and persisted until I breasted the tape. I cannot evoke that magical experience at will, though I can achieve something similar by conscious non-judgmental focus on the feelings, spontaneous thoughts and physical/physiological sensations while exercising. Perhaps because I have enjoyed the sensation of running ever since early childhood, the spontaneous feeling and thoughts generated by my subconscious mind are more closely related to images of a smooth, relaxed powerful gait than images of toil and stress. However I did once post a picture on the ARF thread that demonstrates that there are occasions when I do not appear at all relaxed.
Sharkie Sep 2021 12:12pm, 17 Sep 2021 18,624 posts	0 Sharkie No, not relaxed ...but maintaining excellent form. (Although angle of photo suggests a degree inward rotation I'm sure was not there!)
Autumnleaves Sep 2021 12:17pm, 17 Sep 2021 17,072 posts	0 Autumnleaves I'd agree with Canute - for me a runners' high is a bit more than the post-race glow. I've experienced it properly twice - first time during my first half marathon, it was during miles 6-8 - I felt strong, comfortable, picked up my pace and couldn't believe how good I felt after the miles already completed. The second was in my first track 3000m, when I set my PB of 13.28. I felt as if I just 'owned' the track and race, and hit that sense of flowing effort that feels easy. I've never run a 3k as well since!
Sharkie Sep 2021 6:47pm, 18 Sep 2021 18,628 posts	0 Sharkie My books have arrived: Why Buddhism is True -'brutally empirical' that'll do me! Also Viv Albertine's second memoir, which is probably just brutal if the first is anything to go by. And OH GOD it starts in Hackney! She follows me around! She has half my life. SPOOKY! (not really and has noting to do with this thread)
Canute Sep 2021 11:39pm, 18 Sep 2021 2,435 posts	0 Canute When I posted that photo from the now defunct ARF thread, I did so with tongue in cheek – if I habitually used icons I would have added a winky. I posted it to show that it is only on rare and magical occasions that I find running is effortless. I certainly have yet to find the trick to induce that mental state at will. However, the photo actually conveys two things about my running. I will now take my tongue out of my cheek and discuss that awful face seriously. First, the excess muscle tension in that picture reflects effort but not pain. I think it is worthwhile to distinguish between effort and pain. Fleecy is right to imply that we are hard wired to avoid pointless effort, but goal-directed effort can be satisfying. I find effort when running is usually exhilarating rather than unpleasant. The way you see effort is something that is under conscious control. A lot people, even coaches, talk about the pain associated with running whereas in many circumstances running fast more effortful than painful. Second, I employ conscious control of breathing to control my effort level when running. In a marathon (or half marathon, as in that photo) I aim to breathe comfortably at a rate of one breath every 6 steps (3 steps in, 3 steps out) until the final few Km. Relaxed, rhythmic breathing helps maintain good posture and effective coupling of the swinging of the arms and the legs. Then, as I need to increase effort in the final stages, I increase breathing rate to one breath every 4 steps. In the final sprint, I increase breathing rate to one breath every 2 steps, and maximise the depth of my breathing. As you can see in the photo, the accessory respiratory muscles in my neck (sternocleidomastoids and upper part of trapezius) are fully engaged and my mouth is wide open. That not only maximises air intake but also has profound psychological effect. It promotes a feeling power. Maybe it is like a NZ rugby player’s Haka.
DrPhleecingD Sep 2021 7:52am, 19 Sep 2021 53,172 posts	0 DrPhleecingD Fascinating!
Dvorak Sep 2021 4:18pm, 19 Sep 2021 23,445 posts	0 Dvorak ARF thread not defunct, just resting (after all, we've been short on races for a while fetcheveryone.com/forum/do-you-have-an-arf-49600/ ) I've had a proper runner's high a few times I reckon, nearly always in races: the only one I can specifically bring to mind is during the Lanzarote HM, between about km 15 and 18. It's not just flow, though I think you are quite likely to also have flow during it.