[senorita]

Hey everyone. I know we have a lot of runners here, who have always seemed so upbeat that I thought I'd give it a try. Now I'm on this general lifestyle-changing journey, my perceptions of a lot of things have changed. So I've started running to see if I don't do it because I don't like it or I don't like it because I don't do it... hoping it's the latter!

Anyway, I'm working my way up to a 15km run that I did once when I was 9. It's hilly route around Sydney and it's in August this year, so I hope that's enough time to train, I can do 5km now.

So rambling aside, my question is... what is this famed 'runner's high'? What does it feel like? After a run I feel pretty tired, out of breath and my stomach/lower back hurts a bit. But I also feel stoked that I've done something I wouldn't have thought I could do just a few months ago. Is this that feeling? I always thought it was more... and that you could kind of drift out of yourself and really enjoy the run, not just the sense of achievement afterwards.

Any thoughts?

[almostheaven]

Are you trying too much at once? I'd say if it's hurting your stomach and back, you should think about scaling back a bit.

I know that after running, I too am out of breath, but that only lasts a short time. Yet I'm still too wired to sit. I mean, I can't just stop running and plop down. I feel like I gotta keep walking awhile. And by the time my breathing is back under control, I sometimes feel ready for another sprint. But it wires me for hours afterward. I then feel like I can't sit still for hours, ready to tackle other things I've been maybe putting off.

If I have things around the house to do and have been putting them off, I jump on my stair stepper or grab a WATP DVD. Once I'm done and have cooled down some, I have a lot of energy and I'm ready to tackle some of those tasks that have been on the back burner.

[CharlieBaby]

http://www.lehigh.edu/~dmd1/sarah.html

That may not link directly, but copy and paste. I've never experienced it, but it sounds great! I hope you get there!!

[Ilene]

Yes, I do get that "runner's high" and it comes with time and practice. When I first started I would only get it for 15-30 seconds at a time, now it seems it can last a very long time whereupon I realise I've gone a mile and I haven't noticed the time go by. I too have energy to burn after running, for this reason I never run after supper because I'll be awake till the wee hours of the morning.

Senorita, I too don't think you should be having back pain after running and think maybe you're adding too much too fast and will injure yourself. Have fun with the running...