I thought I lost it but it’s back, just a little taste but enough to leave me reflecting on past running joys and longing for more. It sounds like the words of an addict, some would argue they’re in the same league, I’m referring to a runner’s high, the chemical reaction that happens in the brain.
It’s a rare euphoria that happens on or shortly after a run. It’s a mystery to me but when it consumes me I’m on top of the world. I suspect it’s the result of endorphins released by the brain to combat fatigue or pain. A survival mechanism with a primitive past. Something to keep us going when other parts of the brain insist on stopping. Personally it’s an Utopian state that I’m thankful every time it happens.
Research has recently confirmed as reported in the New York Times that endorphins are responsible for the elevated state. The problem was that it would take a spinal tap (something I’ve experienced at a personal level, not fun) to confirm this theory. A test requirement that’s both expensive and not something that most research subjects are willing to volunteer for. The process can be painful and time consuming as it makes the subject immobile for upwards of 24 hours. Recent advances in neuroscience using PET scans combined with recently available chemicals have reveled that the endorphin theory is in fact true. Running long distances results in our system being flooded with endorphins resulting in mood changes, an altered state of euphoria that brings out the addict in the best of us.