Runner’s High: Is That Why We Run?

Many of us have heard of the “runner’s high” but do we really know what it is? A search on Wikipedia described it as “… said to occur when strenuous exercise takes a person over a threshold that activates endorphin production. The term endorphin rush has been adopted in popular speech to refer to feelings of exhilaration brought on by pain, danger, or other forms of stress,[1] supposedly due to the influence of endorphins.” There is some question in the research whether the feeling of exhilaration from the endorphin rush is actually from another naturally released chemical in the body or from the cognitive triumph of the completed physical achievement.


Whatever the reason, we as runners know that we often feel better from running, whether we have an easy run or we have had to push through some difficult obstacles to complete it. I believe we are a unique group, those of us who are out there running in all kind of weather and terrain. Last December this was clear to me as I was running the Blue & Gray Half Marathon in Fredericksburg VA, in mid December in the pouring rain, 37 degrees on an extremely hilly course. I know my husband, as well as many other spouses, looked at us as if we were crazy that dark Sunday morning. However, we felt great a couple hours later when we were crossing that finish line! Amen to our persistence and dedication to our sport and ourselves!

Heidi J Cox, New AND Old Runner :}



^ a b "The Reality of the "Runner's High"". UPMC Sports Medicine. University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences.