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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

My Narcotic Trips

It's been a while since I ran for more than an hour and it was almost too cold to run in shorts when I decide to go for a long run Sunday afternoon.  It took me almost 1.5 hours to finish the 10 miles at my normal long run speed, what struck me was how familiar and unfamiliar the long run felt.  Like seeing an old acquaintance, I was again met by familiar mini mood swings during the run. To call it Runner's High is somewhat simplistic, the mood is on a steady upswing after 10 minutes of running and peaks around the halfway mark. Maybe the body can't s sustain that level of endorphin, or it builds up some tolerance, on the return leg my brain starts to take in negative or aggressive thoughts.  I don't know if it's psychosomatic, the mood then changes abruptly to happiness again in the last half mile, the best part is immediately after the run, the exhilaration is like what you feel when you finally get your finger unstuck in the car door. It makes no sense whatsoever, if I say I enjoy running, the most enjoyable part is the moment I stop doing what I enjoy?.

The whole thing is actually sort of subtle and it can be overcome easily by listening to music or other distractions, but it is there if I pay attention.

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