Hate running? There are other ways to chase that high

Josephine Muir doesn’t love running. In fact, the 52-year-old owner of a small business almost always struggles to get out the door for a run. “The first kilometre is always the worst,” she says.

But just as she’s about to throw in the towel, runner’s high kicks in. She says it makes her feel that “everything’s do-able” so “you just feel like it was actually worth getting out of bed for”.

As a “chronic over-thinker”, Muir finds it hard to unwind. But her mind switches off when she’s experiencing a runner’s high. “It’s the closest I get to meditating,” she says. “I can even outrun thoughts of my mum’s dementia; that’s a high worth chasing.”

Muir is far from the only person to have basked in the joy of a runner’s high, says Dr Jo Lukins. As a former sports psychologist, she is very familiar with the term, used to describe the “euphoric feeling” that occurs during extended exercise.

While the term is well known, the reason why it occurs is less well understood, says exercise physiologist Calum Edsor. He says endorphins were thought to be responsible but recent research has changed that thinking.

It’s now hypothesised that the release of endogenous cannabinoids (or endocannabinoids) could be the cause. Endocannabinoids, Edsor says, are biochemical substances released by the body that can help reduce anxiety.

Regardless of why it happens, runner’s high is a feeling many relish. But it’s not experienced by all who run, says Edsor. Many professional athletes and marathon runners never feel that kind of bliss when running.

How long it takes for a runner’s high to kick in is also variable. While Muir experiences it after only about 10 minutes, Edsor says it can take up to an hour before others feel it. For some, the surge is short-lived, lasting less than half an hour, while for others it can linger a bit longer.

But you don’t have to be a runner to experience these feel-good effects, according to Edsor. He says spending a good chunk of time doing any physical activity you enjoy – from Pilates to weightlifting – can give the “same kind of emotional fulfilment and joy”.

You might not feel like shouting from the rooftops after yoga, Edsor admits, but he says many studies have shown that people’s moods are “dramatically” improved after working out. In other words, don’t chase a runner’s high. Instead, simply being active on a regular basis is a great way to boost your mood.

But if you’re one of the lucky ones who is on cloud nine after a run, Lukins says you’re bound to reap the rewards. “From a psychological perspective, those who experience runner’s high report a lower perception of pain, enhanced mood, improved general wellbeing, lower levels of anxiety and, for some, a sense of euphoria.”

Muir can speak to all that. She says she pushes through because she knows just how brilliant she’ll feel when that high courses through her body. “It makes me feel invincible; like anything is possible.”

Evelyn Lewin is a GP and freelance writer.

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