Why does running give you a high? Here’s the science (TED)

TED.com recently published an excerpt from Dr. Kelly McGonigal's new book, The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage, about the most recent research on the runners high. I cracked up that I seem to have the most low-brow quote of all time amongst all the scientists:

" Trail runner and triathlete Scott Dunlap sums up his running high this way: “I would equate it to two Red Bulls and vodka, three ibuprofen, plus a $50 winning Lotto ticket in your pocket.” "

That quote was from so long ago! Still, it's fun to see it mixed with all the latest science that helps explain both why we love to run long, and why it connects us together.

Stealing Fire, Ultrarunning, and the Pursuit of Ecstatis

Fellow Prometheans...if you are reading this, then YOU ARE A RECEIVER. 

Have you ever reached a transcendent state by engrossing yourself in a passion? Immersing yourself so deeply that time and effort just slips away? Perhaps you know the feeling by another name -

achieving flow

getting in the zone

the runners high

being in the pocket

creative immersion

finding your groove

a oneness with the universe/your God

It seems we all have a way to get there. My jam is the runners high (trail running, preferably 90 minutes or longer), but I find it uncanny that nearly every person I know has a way to achieve a similar state, and does so regularly through music, code, art, meditation, writing, church, racing cars, cooking, travel, you name it. It's to the point I wonder if this pursuit of transcendental joy is a fundamental need of the human condition.

This is exactly what authors Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal explore in Stealing Fire, a fascinating new book that resonated with my favorite passions. The authors go in depth on the human desire (need?) to seek altered states of consciousness, and how this journey connects high performance athletes, Burning Man participants, Navy SEALS, psychedelic tripsters, EDM concert goers, artists, monks, and Silicon Valley elites alike. It's a fascinating read, and I found a lot of parallels to the joy and mindfulness state found in distance running.

Their framework for explaining flow is called STER, based on the four characteristics of Selflessness (loss of the sense of self), Timelessness (loss of the sense of time), Effortlessness (little or no perceived effort), and Richness (boosted creativity and connection making). As they apply it to people deep in the pursuit of flow, it sounds a lot like why and how we like to run. Their in-depth explanations of the neurochemistry also helps explain why we like to run together - when serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and oxytocin all get triggered, it increases our feelings of trust, openness, and intimacy, and promotes tighter bonds and heightened cooperation. Yup, that sounds like an ultramarathon! We may call it the runners high or “long run revelations”, but the foundation of the experience is strikingly similar.

The “exploration of ecstatis” (ecstasy-like states) is far more universal than one would think, with a history that goes back thousands of years. No matter how each generation or culture pursues ecstatis, it delivers incredible ramifications to creativity, teamwork, global empathy, and shaping humanity. Cutler and Wheal propose that those who partake and share it’s secrets are the modern day rebels, stealing fire for the masses like Prometheus stole fire from the gods (thus the title). It's not just a fringe thing either - today, the altered states economy is north of $4 trillion annually.

For those looking for a new read outside the normal running texts (although those are also good), I think you might like Stealing Fire. The book is full of so many anecdotes, stories, and studies, it’s hard to put down once you get started. For example, did you know:

• Some people with depression can get instant relief from taking botox in their frown lines because if your face can’t be sad, you can’t be sad? 
• A deciding factor for Larry Page and Sergei Brin (founders of Google) to hire CEO Eric Schmidt was he was the only candidate that attending Burning Man? 
• Only four days of meditation can produce significant improvement in attention, memory, vigilance, creativity, and cognitive flexibility? 
• You can boost dopamine 400 percent by teasing about sex before the act? 
• Flow, in its extreme, can achieve “transient hypofrontality”, a complete shut down of the self more akin to taking extreme psychedelics?

Yeah, it gets a bit crazy in a few parts, but it’s a page turner. If you like it, there's plenty more in Kotler’s previous book, The Rise of Superman, or at the Flow Genome Project where you can get guided tours (particularly attractive if you like the opening line of this post - there's a lot of engrossing language like that).

The spiritual journey of trail running, and sharing its extremes with fellow warriors, continues to be a limitless source of joy and perspective for me. It’s nice to know there are many others walking a similar path, that it has positive outcomes for our world in general, and that we all continue a journey that has been going on for thousands of years. Looking forward to sharing more about this with you on the trails!

What Causes The Runner's High? More Evidence of Endocannabinoids...

I've always been curious about the root causes the "runner's high", that feeling of mild euphoria and pain cessation we feel after a long run. I love it...I long for it...it is perhaps my greatest personal vice. But what exactly is happening in the body to produce this amazing feeling? It has been a topic of debate for quite some time, and one I have watched with great interest.

Business Insider recently updated a great article that dug into a 2015 study where scientists tested mice to isolate the effects of endorphins and endocannabinoids, the two chemical systems thought most largely responsible for the "runner's high". The result? At least in mice, it appears that endocannabinoids are more closely related to the effects of pain cessation, a clam feeling, and less anxiety.

Ultrarunners will appreciate some of the other insights into the study, in particular the test mice had to run 3 miles on their little wheels to get the full effect. That's a lot of mice miles! Eat your heart out, Michael Wardian.

Marijuana, Cannabis, and Weed - One Athlete's Primer

There are few things in life that I enjoy as much as a runner’s high. That natural buzz that kicks in ~80 minutes into a run as my body slips into a primordial rhythm, my soul bonding with Mother Nature as she whirls around me and fills my lungs and senses with the feeling of flight...there’s nothing quite like it. In fact, I’ve only found a handful of life experiences that come close, and most of them aren’t nearly as accessible as a long trail run. Great sex, for example, or a perfect powder ski day requires a number of stars to align, such rarity perhaps making them all the more coveted. But one of my other favorite vices – marijuana - is quickly becoming more and more accessible with each wave of legalization here in the United States. Accompanying this is a growing amount of misinformation about cannabis from the perpetually aggrandizing media hungry for this buzz-worthy topic, including its use in fitness and endurance training. My inbox is growing accordingly with questions and requests for suggestions, so I will do my best here to give a primer from one athlete’s perspective.

If this subject isn't your cup of (herbal) tea, I completely understand. I'm fascinated with both the runner's high and its cannabis cousin, but certainly don't expect that curiosity to be shared by all. If you embrace the outdoors, love to sweat until it hurts, and are bold enough to allow adventure into every part of your life, then believe me, you are already winning. No need to change (or add) anything. My intent here is to share what I have experienced for those who are interested, knowing that endurance athletes probably understand the subject more than they realize.

In a nutshell, my personal use is as follows. I am a card-carrying medical marijuana patient in the great State of California, and primarily use it for recovery after big endurance events, nights around the campfire, lazy days in the off-season, or if there is more than five loads of laundry that need folded on any given Sunday. I don’t use it during races, nor during or after training efforts, and if given the choice of some weed or a good Prohibition-era cocktail, I will take the cocktail 95% of the time. Unless live music is playing, that is, and then I go for both, naturally. All in all, I’m a cannabis fan and advocate with casual monthly use, but it is a very small part of what makes me smile every day. My trail running, however, admittedly borders on exercise addiction and is a big part of what makes me eternally optimistic. So there you go.

The Similarities of Running Long and Cannabis Use

First, it should come as no surprise if any runner friend of yours is found to dabble in occasional cannabis use. Both trigger the same chemical system in the body, known as the cannabinoid system, creating feelings of mild euphoria, pain relief, appetite suppression, and a loss of sense of time and space. The act of running long does it naturally by producing endocannabinoids (also called "anandamide"), and is likely familiar to any distance runner who has mysteriously lost track of time between aid stations because they were "in the zone" and grinning like crazy. Meditation, music, lucid dreaming, yoga, surfing, climbing, and other endurance activities are also cited as ways to trigger this natural state.

Marijuana is an artificial, and more exaggerated, stimulation of that same cannabinoid system. The two primary chemicals in marijuana - Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) - are what create the psychoactive and pain suppression feelings by bonding to the same chemical receptors (CB1 and CB2) that endocannabinoids do. My personal experience is that using marijuana is about a 2-3x effect of the runners high, but as an artificial stimulant, will also have some after-effects as your body “overcorrects” from the experience, such as lack of REM sleep, the “stupids” the next morning, etc. (more on this here). A natural runner’s high, via increased health, actually helps your sleep patterns and mental acuity. So no surprise, your brain likes it best when it's naturally stimulated.

Since both running and cannabis stimulate the same chemical system, I’m not a big fan of consuming cannabis while exercising. Recent press has highlighted “22-year-old professional ultrarunners who get high before races”, running groups who promote cannabis use,  and “coaches who suggest/use marijuana in daily routines”, but these athletes are few are far between for good reason. If you are already putting in the time to get the natural high, there’s really no need to simultaneously stimulate your system artificially. There’s also a lot less face planting on the trail with just a natural high, and let’s face it, if you find the need to do any stimulant while trail running (caffeine, ibuprofen, cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, and perhaps even music), you are kind of missing the point of trail running.
And if you are thinking about using cannabis while competing, it's worth noting that is still considered a banned substance for use in competition by WADA, IAAF, and the NCAA. [Ed. note - WADA did raise the limit of THC for their testing to 150 nanograms/ml from 15 ng/ml in May, 2013, citing the specific goal of only screening for those who use in competition, not casual users. It's for this reason I can actually blog on the subject.]

(Yes, this is a Colorado-based running club!)

I should note here that some studies have shown that cannabis use outside of running can affect you while you are running. One study has shown that THC is stored in your fat cells, and when you run long distance, you may be triggering up to a 15% dose of THC naturally as you burn fat. Be sure to keep that in mind the next time you are competing in a WADA-enforced event and have to pee in a cup at the finish line. ;-)

Not All Marijuana Is The Same

One thing a lot of people find surprising is that not all marijuana is the same. The two main types of marijuana, Sativa and Indica, are quite different in their effect on the brain and body. The effects can also vary dramatically if it is taken in through the lungs (smoked or with vapor), or ingested (eaten). It’s all a bit strange to the unintiated, I’m sure, and an industry still stuck in product descriptions like "Green Crack" and "Romulan" aren't really helping. But it's worth taking a moment to explain the differences.

Indica (aka "Cannabis Indica") is known to be more sedating and relaxing, with full-body effects that relieve pain and can "lock" you into the couch. Parents will know Indica as that skunk-smelling, sticky plant your teens are trying to grow in the attic (it couldn't have been just me, right?) that has them watching SpongeBob Squarepants over and over. Think of any Seth Rogen film, Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, or Brad Pitt as Floyd in the movie True Romance, and you get the idea of the effect. It simply lays you out, and can involve a slight out-of-body experience that I attribute to most people who say "I tried it once and it didn't work for me because I just spaced out and drooled". The running equivalent is how you feel immediately after a race - exhausted, yet internally overjoyed.

(Brad Pitt plays Floyd in True Romance - worth noting that he also has gone on record saying smoking pot daily wasted a huge chunk of his life)

Medical marijuana professionals typically recommend an Indica strain for nighttime usage, treating anxiety, mood disorders, pain relief, and insomnia.  I reach for an Indica a day or two after a huge race effort, largely to keep my Type A personality from trying to get up and do things when I'm supposed to be recovering on the couch, which is usually the way I pull a hamstring or stress my back, not during the actual event. And believe me, a good Indica will keep you on that couch. One can go through an entire loaf of bread burning a dozen grilled cheese sandwiches because your brain can't quite stay on task. Not saying that happened, but you are warned. ;-)

Sativa (aka "Cannabis Sativa") is typically associated with a more energetic and cerebral effect. This is the type (also called a "strain") that gets your brain flying, stimulates creativity, and generally improves your mood. That great scene with Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda in the classic film 9 to 5 is more akin to a Sativa...you sit around with friends, thinking "what if's", and laughing your ass off over the simplest things. Then you clean the entire house, twice. If someone has said "I tried marijuana once and it made me too paranoid", it was probably a Sativa strain, because it really does get your brain going. The running equivalent are those moments of clarity you get when you are in a good tempo run, accidentally solving things in the back of your head every couple of minutes like how to organize your sock drawer. Medical marijuana professionals commonly recommended Sativa for daytime usage, increased creativity, and anti-depression qualities.

Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin in the classic scene in the movie 9 to 5

Californians will know Sativa as that tall plant that grows like a "weed" in the Santa Cruz Mountains and other coastal ranges, versus the shorter and stubbier Indica. Worth noting - grilled cheese creation can also be challenging with Sativa, but this time it's because you're too busy writing a new version of the Doobie Brothers "Jesus Is Just Alright" dedicated to "Grilled Cheese Is Just Alright" to watch over your melting snack. Likely you just end up nibbling the cheese and bread separately while you Google "history of the grilled cheese sandwich".

It's worth noting that most of the marijuana sold today are actually hybrids, or genetic mixtures of both Sativa and Indica, that are either Sativa- or Indica-dominant. One of the great benefits of legalization is that you can now visit a dispensary and know EXACTLY what you are getting. This includes the levels of THC (the psychoactive component) and CBD (mostly physical component), and the mix of strains. It's even possible to get a cannabis strain that has almost no THC and high CBD, such as the ridiculously named "AC/DC", which can numb your body without getting you high. This product knowledge and regulation, along with the ability to tax usage, is one of the many reasons I am a long-time advocate for marijuana legalization.

Another thing you will also find in a dispensary is a number of different derivatives of the actual marijuana flower - hash, concentrates, waxes, oils, butters, cookies, chocolate bars, gummy bears, breath mints, and just about everything in between. If you are curious, find a dispensary and get a walkthrough of the growing list of options. I'll just point out some important differences below.

For those of you who like a little background, cannabis has a fascinating history dating back to 300 B.C. It has been a part of medicine, religion, and culture for a long time. Not as much as running, of course, but there you go.

Differences in Consumption - Smoking, Vaping, and Eating

Since I am a California resident, I am required to have a recommendation/medical marijuana ID from a licensed doctor in order to enter a dispensary and purchase cannabis products (Ed note: this has changed as of January, 2018, now that marijuana is recreationally legal in California - you just need to have ID to prove you are over 21, similar to Colorado, Oregon, and Washington). I was quite honest with my doctor that I was using it for elective purposes (i.e., recovery from endurance events), and he said that was fine, as long as I understood the proper use of marijuana and promised not to do anything stupid. It turns out this is an important point - if you don't know what you are doing, you can get into trouble, similar to someone drinking too much alcohol. For this and other obvious reasons, I wouldn't recommend anyone under the age of 21 use marijuana unless specifically recommended by a doctor (which also happens to be the law in all States where marijuana is legal). For the rest of you, read on.

The most common form of consuming cannabis, is of course, smoking it. Like that classic Friday's skit where he says "you smoke it, yeah, yeah, yeah", there a wide range of ways this can be done.  Smoking marijuana generally brings on the effect in a few minutes, peaks after 40-60 minutes, and lasts a few hours in total. One of the big reasons that marijuana smokers don't take "too much" in one sitting, like one can do with alcohol, is quite frankly you get so high you begin to self-regulate sooner. I think this is one of the reasons marijuana is considered 114x less risky than alcohol, and has shown to not have as high of correlation with car accidents. But smoking can be tough on the lungs, particular for athletes.

A popular and growing alternative is to use a vaporizer, which heats the cannabis to the point of releasing the active chemicals, but not to the point of combustion. This releases far less carcinogens than smoking, and the vapor goes down much easier in the lungs. IMHO, it creates a more mellow effect than lighting up, and is significantly less annoying to people around you. Longitudinal studies haven't been done to truly understand if vaping is healthier than smoking or not, although some studies are saying it is 95% less harmless. If you are going to "vape", be sure to read the instructions for your device - proper usage takes a few inside tricks, like the right temperature, the right way to pack the ingredients, and more. As if often said, you need to "sip it, don't rip it".

(A gentleman enjoys one of the best vaporizers on the market, the PAX)

Another alternative is ingesting cannabis, such as the famous "pot brownies" your parents made, or the multitude of consumables available on the market today (ice cream, anyone?). Ingesting cannabis has a very different effect than inhaling, one that is much more narcotic and physical in nature. It can also take a while to kick in - often as much as 60-90 minutes - and can take 3-6 hours to wear off. For this reason it is very important to control your dosage and your environment before you understand the full effect on your body. Most consumables are made with a 10-15 mg dose, and one would be smart to do that or less to begin, then wait for a few hours to get the full effect. The number one fear of every pro-marijuana doctor I have spoken to is that somebody messes up when ingesting cannabis (or gets into the hands of somebody who doesn't understand it), and ends up in the emergency room or worse. In the world of running, similar recklessness would be coming off the couch and running a 100-miler, and ending up in the hospital. But if you're careful, ingesting cannabis can be a wonderful experience.

(Cannabis ice cream)

(A Kiva chocolate bar - don't eat the whole thing!)

If I'm in a Sativa mood, I much prefer to use a vaporizer to get a nice psychoactive effect. If I'm looking to relax and have a large window of time to do so, ingesting is my preferred method (the Kiva chocolate bar is a favorite), particularly during race recovery. And of course, if I've got time to do a long run or hike, it will always be my first choice to do that instead, and the smile it puts on my face is more than enough to rid any desire for cannabis.

Conclusions

As I mentioned in the intro, if your life is full of the outdoors, smiles, exercise, and gratitude, there is no need to modify what you are doing in any way or add substances to the mix. You are killing it! For athletes that are more curious about this subject, I hope this was a helpful overview, and perhaps enlightened you to some parallels with your cannabis-loving brethren. For those of you already on the cannabis train who haven't tried trail running, let me strongly recommend trying the more natural way to find that high you already love, and get out on those trails! I am, of course, open to any feedback, thoughts, and tips on the subject.

See you on the trails...

- SD

[In case this wasn't obvious, all postings, thoughts, and opinions on this site, including this one, are my own and do not represent the postings, strategies or opinions of my sponsors, advertisers, employers, clients, friends, or family members. Except maybe my pug, Ace, who enjoys having me on the couch regularly.]

Are Ultramarathoners Getting High? (Wall St Journal)

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran an article today called The Debate Over Running While High, discussing the trade offs of consuming marijuana during, or after, ultrarunning events. Holy cow, is this a thing? Will all Colorado events (where marijuana is legal for recreational use) now have "special" edibles at the aid stations? Or is it truly a performance enhancing drug and should be banned?

It's an interesting read. I love that Jenn Shelton is sourced as saying "she made a decision to never compete with the drug for ethical reasons, expressly because she believes it enhances performance." That's awesome. That, and our primary representative here is a 22-year-old professional ultrarunner who smokes pot. If he lives in his parent's basement, I know a lot of those guys. ;-)

What do you guys think? Is cannabis use in ultras pervasive? Should it be banned? I'm a long-time fan of medical marijuana (see some early research here), as many of you know, and happy to write up a primer on how it has and hasn't helped the running over the years. Just let me know if that would be interesting to you.

Thx, SD

What Really Causes The Runner's High? (NY Times)

This weekend, this blog had an abnormal spike in traffic for a 7-year-old post called "Understanding the Runner's High", something I had written when reading about early research that linked the runner's high to the endocannabinoid system (rather than the oft-quoted source of endorphins). It turns out that the New York Times ran an article this weekend with some updated findings.

 The article is an interesting read. I found the following quote particularly fascinating:

"But perhaps the most telling experiment was published last year by researchers in France who had bred mice with no functioning endocannabinoid receptors. Mice usually love to run, but the genetically modified animals, given free access to running wheels, ran about half as much as usual. Although the full intricacies of the endocannabinoid system’s role in motivating and rewarding exercise is not yet understood, it seems obvious, the researchers say, that the cannabinoid-deprived mice were not getting some necessary internal message. Typically, the endocannabinoid system “is well known to impact onto central reward networks,” the authors write. Without it, exercise seemed to provide less buzz, and the animals didn’t indulge as much."

Man, it sucks to be that mouse! But it's intriguing that a fundamental love of running could be genetically built into all of us. I've been feeling rather mouse-like on my treadmill lately and smiling the whole time. ;-)

Is Exercising Addictive? (Slate)

Daniel Engber of Slate.com published an interesting article about exercise and addiction. I found it fascinating how he looks at both human and animal studies over time to determine if exercise lessens the cravings for drugs because it is a distraction, a stress reliever, or perhaps due to the fact that exercise is a replacement since it stimulates the brain in similar ways.

Some highlights:

• Rats who were allowed to exercise before given access to drugs ended up taking less drugs.
• Lewis rats are most inclined to addiction, and also most inclined to habitual exercise, going as much as six miles per day. They can even be trained to do things if the reward is exercise time, rather than food (sounds like our household!).
• A 1967 study showed that when limited a rat's access to food, while simultaneously given them the option to exercise, led to some of them becoming exorexic, and killing themselves with exercise.  
• Some scientists refer to the combination of undereating and overtraining in women (composed of disordered nutrition, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis) ironically as FAT - the Female Athlete Triad.

I still think it's the runner's high, personally. ;-)

- SD

Runners, along with spectators, will be intoxicated by Marathon (Daily Free Press at Boston University)

Classic - I'm quoted as an expert on "the runner's high"! Well, I certainly do enjoy it.

- SD

Runners, along with spectators, will be intoxicated by Marathon (full story)

By Rachel Leamon

Media Credit: Marion Geiger COM senior Jessica Arriens trains on the Esplanade to run the last seven miles of the Boston Marathon with her father, who will complete the entire race.

To Boston Marathon spectators standing along the marathon route in Kenmore Square later this month, 26.2 miles may seem grueling, but exercisers and scientists understand why the runners can get through it: the runner's high.

Researchers in Germany reported last month in the journal Cerebral Cortex that runner's high can be detected in the brain because running increases endorphins -- neurochemicals shown to reduce pain and create euphoria.

Scott Dunlap, Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series 2004 Overall Champion, said the exhilaration is unmistakable, usually taking effect on mile eight of his run.

"I would equate it to the feeling of having two Red Bulls and vodka, three ibuprofens and a $50 winning lotto ticket in your pocket," he said.

Dunlap said he enjoys getting his "fix" and though runner's high may motivate people to exercise, he said he does not think it is powerful enough to make him dependent.

"Running can be addictive due to a number of other reasons such as the stimulation from being outdoors and the optimism that comes with being at a high level of fitness," he said.

Virginia Grant, a psychologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, said in a 2002 New York Times article that rats allowed to run seem unable to stop, and behave like rats addicted to cocaine or morphine.

Boston University track and cross-country runner Molly James said the runner's high only happens when she is alone and running for a long time.

"My whole body relaxes and I feel like I could run forever," James, a College of Communication freshman, said. "It's a head-clearing experience."

People addicted to running can get muscle injuries, causing severe consequences if they continue to run while injured.

"Running becomes problematic either when it produces injuries or is used to avoid dealing with other important matters in life, such as personal relationships," said Boston University's head cross-country coach Bruce Lehane.

Research has shown that exercising regularly can put people in a better mood.

"On average, you tend to see people who are runners and habitual exercisers having better moods, suffering from less depression and less anxiety, and more general feelings of well-being," said American Council on Exercise chief science officer Cedric Bryant.

Yes, Running Can Make You High (NY Times)

Gina Kolata from the New York Times wrote an article about the runner's high, and some recent studies coming out of Germany that have linked it to a rush of endorphins in the brain. See, I knew I wasn't crazy!

Some snippets:

Researchers in Germany, using advances in neuroscience, report in the current issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex that the folk belief is true: Running does elicit a flood of endorphins in the brain. The endorphins are associated with mood changes, and the more endorphins a runner’s body pumps out, the greater the effect.

The data showed that, indeed, endorphins were produced during running and were attaching themselves to areas of the brain associated with emotions, in particular the limbic and prefrontal areas.The limbic and prefrontal areas, Dr. Boecker said, are activated when people are involved in romantic love affairs or, he said, “when you hear music that gives you a chill of euphoria, like Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.” The greater the euphoria the runners reported, the more endorphins in their brain.

“Some people have these really extreme experiences with very long or intensive training,” said Dr. Boecker, a casual runner and cyclist, who said he feels completely relaxed and his head is clearer after a run.

Read the full article here.

SD

(Thanks to JR Atwood for the tip)