Yesterday a good friend of mine posted on Facebook that she had not achieved a runner’s high that everyone talks about and that running “still sucked.” As a woman who just recently became okay with calling herself a runner I totally understood my friend’s post. I thought back and realized that I hadn’t ever experienced that burst of endorphins that people call a runner’s high or if I did I just did not recognize it as such. Yes, I’ve gotten my second wind towards the end of a run and actually felt like I could go just a little bit long if I were not under time constraints but I don’t think I would ever describe it as a “high.”
So after this post I went to the gym for a planned run and yoga class. While I was running I kept thinking about my friend’s post and maybe find some words of encouragement for her or advice or something just to help her through the beginning stages of running animosity. I thought about what it was about running that made me feel good. All I could come up with was that it was a fast way to burn calories, it was a great way to clear my mind and it was a great way to challenge myself. I’m not competitive by nature unless it’s with myself. My happiness with running came when I ran my first mile without stopping and then my first two miles without a walk in between. Then it was my first 5K and soon it will be my first 10K. These are all goals I set for myself and when I achieved them the non-athelete in me cheered loudly.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure if any of these things will help out my friend. Maybe she doesn’t care about running a 5K and maybe she never had a problem as a pre-teen running the mile in school. Maybe she will not find that thing that will keep her running. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a requirement in life to run anyway! Let’s face it, the only true advantage to being a runner is if someone is chasing you. So I mentally scratched the pep talk email I was going to send my friend.
With my run complete (after two weeks of not running I was very happy it was over) I plopped my mat down in yoga class for a session I was somewhat dreading only because it had been well over six months since I had taken or taught a yoga class. I felt stiff and unbalanced and all those things I never felt when I was teaching yoga regularly. As class began and my body got back into the groove (pardon me yogis) I realized something. While I could never identify ever hitting that runner’s high while actually running, I felt something like a high when I was practicing yoga. I left that class feeling invigorated and inspired and just plain good. While I knew my muscles would remind me that they were there the next day (and, yes, they did!) I had not felt that good, physically or mentally, for a long time.
So the moral to this little story is not for everyone to find a yoga class. While I am a big proponent of the practice and encourage everyone to try it at least a couple of times I also know that, like running, it is not for everyone. Nope, my moral is this…sometimes you have to search for physical activity that gives you that runner’s high. I’ve taken almost every group fitness class available at least once. I have also lifted weights, walked and run on the treadmill or around a track. I’ve tortured myself on the elliptical and in Spin class. It has all been a quest to find an exercise that makes me feel so good that I want to do it again.
I know this is not a huge revelation. In fact, another person suggested the same thing to my friend on Facebook. But I do think it is something that we sometimes forget when it comes to life in general. Like fitness it is important to find things in life that give us a high and make us feel good and happy. So I thank my friend for inspiring me to think about this for a while and actually reminding me to keep looking for things that bring me happiness in life.
As a little side note I found a little How To Get a Runner’s High on the internet! I may try this during my next run… http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Runner’s-High Enjoy!
On My Mind 