This week the Cincinnati area is under an oppressive heat wave, so I went for a morning run today, instead of delaying until the afternoon.
It was nevertheless about 80 degrees Fahrenheit and muggy. Bad air quality. Not ideal weather for running.
I pushed through, though, and completed my miles. (This morning, I did a light run of only 3 miles.)
Afterward, I was suffused with feelings of euphoria: a sense of centeredness and relaxation. My thoughts were crystal-clear and focused.
I was peacefully floating.
This is, I believe, the feeling that many recreational drug users search for.
I know a young woman, almost thirty years my junior, who begins each morning by smoking marijuana. She claims that the marijuana helps her anxiety.
I have told her many times: “Quit smoking weed, like a total f—cking moron, and start running.” (She is in perfect health, and there is nothing to stop her.)
Runner’s high is real. There are others who can better explain the science behind it: running’s effects on the hippocampus and whatnot. I can give you 40+ years of experiential testimony. Running makes you feel good, like no recreational drug or intoxicant can.
And unlike recreational drugs, running is also good for you.
-ET