I had always heard about the ‘runner’s
high.’ It is that point in a run when
the adrenaline takes over and the endorphins give you a feeling that is hard to
describe. That feeling is what keeps a
lot of runners going. I know that after
the first time I felt that rush I became addicted to running. It was the hunger for that rush that kept me
going through injuries, it still does.
For me it usually happens on a
slower run about 7-8 miles in, during a faster run I might get the runner’s
high during Mile 3. The reason I know
this is because I am very aware of that feeling now when it comes upon me. It is like someone flips on a ‘happy switch’
in my head. Does the runner’s high give
you that sort of feeling? Are you able
to notice when the endorphins kick in?
It is the runner’s high that much
like any other drug leads to addiction. Granted,
a running addiction is far healthier than most other addictions, but it is one
nonetheless. I have been fortunate
enough to not suffer a major injury in my running time. That being said, I have had injuries which
have forced me to the sidelines for a few weeks. The running addiction really shows itself
during that downtime, it’s like suffering from withdrawls.
My most glaring example of the running addiction is the following story. Last June I had a bad case of
jumper’s knee, along with a sore Achilles in my opposite leg. Common sense said to rest, the running
addiction said to find a way around the pain.
I bought a brace specifically for the jumper’s knee which didn’t
help. Then I bought a regular knee brace
to use along with an ankle brace which doubled as an Achilles brace. I padded that with a sock on the inside, the
brace, and a sock on the outside. All I
kept thinking was how Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had the sutures put in to
keep his ankle tendon in place during the 2004 World Series. Obviously my injury was not that serious, but
I was doing all sorts of odd remedies to speed up my recovery.
I would run slowly warming my legs
up and slowly picking up speed just so I could feel that rush. It was just so I could satisfy that addiction. Part of me thinks that the addiction actually
helps me heal faster because I am willing to do whatever it takes to get back
to running full-time. Do any of you find
this to be true? Do you enjoy that
feeling of the runner’s high so much that it in a weird way helps you recover
from injury faster?
I love that moment that I realize
that the endorphins have kicked in. I
was running in Hull, Massachusetts, an hour from me on Cape Cod, last week and
was able to pinpoint that moment. It was
just over 7 miles in and I was running back to the beginning of my 9.5 mile
loop at Nantasket Beach when that ‘happy switch’ was turned on in my head. I couldn’t stop smiling and enjoyed waving to
a bunch of little kids playing at a playground too. I often wish I could bottle that feeling.
I am sure that every runner is
different as far as how long it takes to get that feeling or whether you can
pinpoint when it happens. However I am
pretty certain that it is the runner’s high that leads to the running
addiction. It is an addiction I don’t
ever plan on getting help for!
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