High on Running?

This past weekend I trotted the longest run of my training: just a tad under 9 miles. Somewhere between mile 6 and 7 I began to feel oddly comfortable. Not only was the aches of muscle stiffness gone, but I felt like I had actually gained energy. This got me thinking. I've always heard stories about runner's experiencing some sort of "high" or euphoric feeling during their training. I've always dismissed these stories as nothing but urban legends. Rarely do I see a runner with a look of pure satisfaction on his/her face to ever suggest that they are enjoying euphoric bliss. Most have a look suggesting anything but.

So why was it that after an hour of running and 6-7 miles of pounding on my legs, did my body start to feel like I could easily go another hour? Was I just having a good day? Was their something funky in my Fruity Pebbles? or could it be that I was actually experiencing this mysterious "runners' high." Again, I employed my trusty research assistant to help sort this out.

I learned that there are actually biological and psychological aspects of this feeling that can be explained with scientific mumbo jumbo. Years removed from both biology or psychology, I'll do my best. Apparently, when the human body is put under physical stress the mind naturally reacts. When a person runs, obviously, the body is put through a certain degree of stress. The discomfort that I initially feel upon beginning a lengthy run causes my brain to release a naturally produced opiate protein called "endorphins." (See Tim Noakes, MD, Lore of Running, (Champaign, Illinois: Leisure Press, 1991). The more stress I put on my body, the more endorphins my brain begins spitting out. A higher resistance to pain and a more sedated emotional state are affects of this natural narcotic. I guess the chemical properties of these endorphins is similar to those present in morphine. (See Medical Dictionary) Morphine? No wonder I was feeling good. Now if I can only figure out how to bottle this endorphins stuff, I could become a very popular member of Team In Training. If not more popular, at least a heck of a lot less grumpy.