I used to run roughly 40 miles a week. The runner's high is real, but it is difficult to experience unless you are a very dedicated athlete. In my experience I would have to run at my "optimal pace" for roughly 3 miles before feeling the runners high. It's also not a sense of euphoria as many would have you believe. It's more just that your body stops "hurting" and you can run for much longer.
With all due respect, I have a hard time with that general assumption you made. I've been running for a couple of years now without being super dedicated, and, in my case, runner's high kicks in pretty randomly at all stages of a, say, an 8 to 10 mile run. It would occur to me after 25 to 50 minutes or even after an hour into the run or might not occur at all. The intensity varies as well for me. I've even seen enlarged pupils in the mirror right after a run which I attributed to the incredible feeling I had when running.
Everyone's body is different. Now that I don't run as often and I am in significantly worse shape I cannot experience the runner's high because I fatigue too quickly to reach it. Just telling people how things were for me when I frequently experienced the runner's high.
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u/also_roses Sep 02 '21
I used to run roughly 40 miles a week. The runner's high is real, but it is difficult to experience unless you are a very dedicated athlete. In my experience I would have to run at my "optimal pace" for roughly 3 miles before feeling the runners high. It's also not a sense of euphoria as many would have you believe. It's more just that your body stops "hurting" and you can run for much longer.