Runner's high
 

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?

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.

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!!

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...