Runner's High

created: 2023.10.23. 14:51 · modified: 2023.10.25. 07:23 ·  · license

This post was automatically translated and has not yet been reviewed by me. Please read with discretion.

[Runner's High]

Runner's high is the feeling of euphoria that runners can experience. The term was first used in a 1979 paper by American psychologist A. J. Mandell. It refers to a feeling of happiness brought on by the physical stress of exercising amid stimuli from the surrounding environment.

For the past week or two, I've been going on long runs outdoors regularly. I've tried to make running a habit several times before, but each attempt fizzled out when I made excuses about the weather or my other workouts. This time feels different. Lately I've discovered a kind of enjoyment in running that I hadn't felt before, and I think it might become part of my daily life, like going to the gym.

The biggest change is that I've slowed down and started running farther. I used to go out aiming for 2 km and run as fast as I could manage. That was only somewhere in the 4:40s per kilometer (all paces below are per kilometer), but it felt like I was dying. On days when I wasn't feeling well or misjudged my pace, I couldn't even finish the 2 km without stopping.

I can't remember exactly what prompted it, but at some point I decided to run longer distances more slowly, and I started aiming for 5 km. The first few times, I went out too fast and ran out of steam around the 3 km mark. Gradually, though, I learned what pace would let me run the full 5 km, and since then my goal has been to bring that time down little by little.

Once I started running, I naturally began watching related YouTube videos, and I've learned a lot from them about running form and pacing. When I increased the distance to 5 km, the first problem I encountered was pain in my shins. The muscle, apparently called the tibialis anterior, would tighten up and start hurting after just 1–2 km. It lifts the front of the foot so the trailing foot doesn't drag on the ground, which means it gets a lot of use when running. I figured I simply hadn't trained this sport-specific muscle yet, much like the forearm muscles used in climbing. I thought I'd have to wait for it to get stronger by running often or doing isometric exercises with a resistance band. Since it's tucked between the shinbone and the muscles behind it, it's hard to reach with a massage, too. Easing the pain quickly didn't seem likely.

But the problem turned out to have a surprisingly easy solution: changing my running form. Until then, I'd been landing on my heels. Someone on YouTube recommended landing on the middle of the foot, a technique called a midfoot strike, so I gave it a try. Since the foot has an arch, it feels more accurate to describe it as letting the whole foot touch down at once. To do that, I naturally lean my upper body a little farther forward, too. After I changed the way I landed, the pain in my shins dropped noticeably! Before, my shins would tighten up so badly I couldn't run, even before I was out of breath. Since switching, that hasn't happened, and on today's run they went beyond hurting less—they barely hurt at all.

Another thing I've been paying attention to lately is the angle of my neck. Watching running videos eventually led me to a documentary about marathoner Lee Bong-ju's training, lol. He was running up ahead while his coach followed slowly in a car, calling through a megaphone for him not to lift his chin too high. I realized I was lifting mine quite a bit when I ran, too. Tucking it in made breathing much easier. When I get tired during a run, I habitually raise my chin, so I have to stay alert and consciously keep it down the whole time.

Between the simple in-in-out-out breathing rhythm, how my feet land, and the angles of my upper body and neck, I'm realizing that running takes a surprising amount of concentration. If my mind wanders, my form slips or I lose my pace. So I keep my music low enough that it won't distract me and focus all my attention on running.

As with anything I've only just started, my times are improving day by day. At first I was in the mid-5:40s, but a few days ago I got down into the 5:30s. Changing my pacing strategy helped a lot. I used to start out at a 5:30 pace, then fall behind as the run went on, huffing and puffing. I'd feel sad watching my pace get slower and slower. Then, about three days ago, I changed my strategy: start a little slower than my target pace and gradually speed up toward the end. That made the run feel easier even when my time was similar, and eventually it helped me set a new personal best.

Three days ago, I ran 28 minutes 17 seconds (a 5'38" pace); the day before yesterday, I played soccer; and yesterday, I ran 28 minutes 9 seconds (a 5'37" pace). So I went out today thinking anything under 28 minutes would be a huge success. Instead, I shaved off a whole 31 seconds and finished in 27 minutes 38 seconds! I started at my usual 5:40 pace, then picked it up after the halfway point until the pace read 5:32–5:33. Somehow I felt confident that today I could hold that pace to the end without running out of steam—and I did.

Runner's high was a big part of it, too. Last time, I started my sprint with 250 m left and still had energy to spare. So this time I picked up the pace at the 4,500 m mark, and somewhere between 4,600 and 4,700 m, I experienced runner's high.

It was my first time. I'd known the term “runner's high” for ages. In the past, when my mind went blank during a run and I stopped noticing how hard it was, I'd wondered if that was what people meant. But now that I've actually experienced it, there's no mistaking it. A wave of goosebumps ran down my spine, like when you watch a great scene in a movie, only more intense. My mood lifted with it, and I covered the remaining distance at a very fast pace with relative ease.

I looked it up, and apparently runner's high typically happens after running for about 30 minutes at a heart rate of at least 120 beats per minute. That fits my experience pretty well. They say that once you've felt runner's high, you risk getting hooked on it like a drug... That won't happen to me, right? Though I am planning to go running again tomorrow. Hahaha.

Luckily, nothing seems wrong with my body yet. But if I get injured and still try to run, please talk me out of it.

Oh, and if anyone wants to run together along the Han River, get in touch. Pushing my limits is my main reason for running, so I couldn't do group runs every day if they kept me from running at my own pace. But meeting up now and then to run and work up a sweat together sounds nice, doesn't it?

Maybe I'll introduce my gear here, too. Not that there's much to introduce. I don't have a smartwatch; I just run with my phone in my hand. I track my runs with Nike Run Club. People online recommend Strava because it's easier to export your data, but I use Nike because I need it to read my pace aloud. (I just checked, and Strava does that too? But it doesn't have enough options, so I'll probably stick with Nike.) I've set it to read out my distance and pace every 250 m, but not my total time. I wear a T-shirt and shorts with a zip-up jacket over them. I brought gloves for the first time today but didn't wear them. It'll probably get insanely cold again soon, though… All I carry is my phone and a transit/debit card for getting home. I could just run 2.5 km and turn around, and then I wouldn't have to walk a long way or take public transit. But there's something about retracing your steps that you just don't want to do, you know? So I always end up running the whole 5 km in one direction.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A friend recommended this Haruki Murakami book to me, and after putting it off, I think the time has finally come to read it. As it happens, I got a message on my way out for today's run saying my reserved copy had arrived. Will this great writer's thoughts while running be anything like mine?