A Runner's Midnight High
Monday, August 03, 2009
Went for a short run outside tonight after the gig. It was 11:30pm. Strapped on the FiveFinger shoes, and hit the road with my arm-band GPS, a cell phone, and a small LED headlight. It was a pleasant run. The kind of run that makes me remember why I fell in love with running. As I enter this blog post into the oblivion, where only 2 people might read it (1 of them being me), I am enjoying the too often mis-understood "runner's high."
People sometimes tell me that they have tried to experience the high runners get, but it didn't work out during their 2 tries, and so they gave up.
I think part of the "high" has to do with why the one is running in the first place. If one is running out of compulsion, then I don't think there is going to be any thrill. It will be torture. But if one is running out of a desire to really live, then the run can be filled with nice experiences. I think this all contributes to the resulting "high".
However, there is also an actual feeling that comes physically, at least for me that is. Right now, after my shower, I am feeling like my skin is soft and cleansed from all the sweating. My mood is content. My legs and feet are completely relaxed and there is some mild euphoria. My body feels loose, and my feet are pleasantly worked.
It's a unique feeling all it's own, hard to describe, but entirely unique to running for me. Plain vanilla physical labor never leaves me feeling quite like this. Running alone has this unique feeling that comes with it. Maybe it's the way our bodies have adapted through time. Perhaps this is a trait shared by our ancestors. And perhaps when we run, we are tapping into an acient instinct that releases biological responses that make us feel alive. Really alive. Maybe.
Labels: barefoot runner, barefoot running, runners high, sean dietrich, vibram, vibram five fingers
posted by Sean Dietrich @ 10:29 PM,
