Maybe it is because I am built like a fridge . As a faf dude trying to build health habits I have been going to the gym for a year plus and I do runs on Fridays and Saturdays. That euphoric feeling I keep hearing about doesn’t exist. It’s just pain and suffering over here
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That’s all it ever is imo, I did get the “high” doing distance swimming tho, because less impact and less dry mouth
Yeah it doesn’t exist. I regularly do half marathon length training runs and it sucks at the start and the end.
Took me 16 years of on/off jogging to feel a runner’s high. It’s not as good as advertised, but it’s definitely there.
I think it depends the person and how their body’s react with running. 🤷🏼♀️ Not everyone is the same.
I have a feeling you’re not running anywhere near long enough.
Everyone’s different though.
Just because you don’t experience it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist for a large number of people in better shape and with different genetics
I’ve only ever got runners high after a legitimate 10/10 effort. As in, an unsustainable amount of effort for as long as possible.
I don’t mind running and was a sprinter in high school (didn’t care for distance training tho) and I feel nothing but utterly exhausted after a run lol always have
I don’t know where you’ve been hearing that. I work out and have for years but running has never been enjoyable and i find that most people feel that way.
Runner’s high is scientifically proven, it’s hormones. But there are a few requirements for it to kick in, for example the run has to be pretty long.
Classic redditor case of “I haven’t personally experienced this so it mustn’t exist”.
I swear to God that’s half the topics I see in this sub.
The “high” doesn’t come until running requires less effort and it’s more of a stress reducer than an exercise. It exists…just most of us don’t get to that point. If running is a chore, it’s not going to come.
It will come with time, just stick to it. Make sure you include easy runs (Genuine concersational pace even if it is walking) and intervals into your training. Truth is for runner‘s high you have to put in a very prolonged effort. As a beginner runner myself, I only started feeling “a runner‘s high” after 4-5 mile+ runs or after I broke my 3 mile pb at an extremely high effort. I also have moments in runs where I am so tired and out of breath and feel like giving up, but if I keep going suddenly I reach a euphoric moment where the run suddenly becomes so easy and it‘s like flying. It takes time and patience and I imagine it‘s different for everyone.
Stay in zone 2 and SLOW DOWN! Of course you’re not getting a runner’s high with exploded shins.
As with any type of sport or exercise, running isn’t for everyone. If you really hate it, why force yourself to do it? Can you find a different type of cardio that you do enjoy? (Or at least enjoy more than running?)
That being said, if you do want to continue to run, I’d highly recommend starting with the Couch to 5K running program. It works but helps you pace yourself and slowly work up to running longer distances.
And, of course, there’s a subreddit for it! r/couchto5k
I’ve run 3 marathons. 20ish half marathons. And 1000s of miles of training runs.
I’ve experienced it one time. I felt like I had unlimited endurance.
Never even remotely had that feeling again.
Everybody feels different about physical activity. Some are genuinely feeling amazing when doing, some see it as chore/necessity and compensate with distractions for better experience (music etc). People are built differently. Same applies to many things (like independence, status)
I run 5 days a week so I can eat whatever I want and yeah it’s bullshit. I hate every minute of it 😂
Apparently it’s real for some people. I was an athlete for many years and I never once experienced it.
I’ll defend OP a little bit. While it may not be a lie to say it exists, I definitely felt lied to when I was told I would get it. That’s probably where he’s coming from.
Yes & No. It sometimes happened. Sometimes just get mostly pain & suffering. It is a mental effect, yes
I get an endorphin rush after about 1 hour of consistent, intense exercise. It is definitely different though if you are just trying to get down to a healthy range, because everything is just that much harder until then. Stay consistent, you will get that feeling at some point, when your body becomes stronger and more able to handle intense exercise.
This is true.
Never felt it. Started running at 39. 42 now and I’m inconsistent at best, but can run a steady 5k.
Never felt this lie.
Ran a marathon last year – never experienced it once during a run, occasionally I would feel real amazing after then tho
So everyone else is lying?
It’s possible. I used to get it. Back when I was younger and more fit and half the weight I am now.
Running is literal torture for me now but I used to force myself to run for about 20 minutes, which at the time still sucked and was uncomfortable, but then at some point after that things would just shift, and running was somehow now effortless and I could go for another 30 minutes easy.
I wouldn’t call it a high, but it definitely went from “this sucks” to “hey this is kinda ok.”
Yeah I get it AFTER 1.5-3hrs of an intense mountain bike ride..legs are blown out and wobbly, zero energy, but the hour after I am stress free and feel like ive had a few beers. Mentally relaxed, physically relaxed, its nice.
It’s from extended time with high heart rate for me, not strength training.
As someone who is built for long distance running. I can agree with you so much. I hate running. I love football/soccer and will position myself so I don’t have to run because I couldn’t think of anything worse than running. If hell is real it will be a continuous run for me.
I’ve achieved it 3 times and I was over 100 kg when I did
I don’t get it until I hit mile 4 or 5 running around 8 minute mile pace
Sorry my dude. As someone who’s logged thousands of miles running it’s real.
It absolutely does exist, and I’m sorry you haven’t experienced it yet. I’ve been into fitness my entire life, but I’ve been obese a couple times. I’m recently (this last year) working myself down from my absolute heaviest, 276lbs. I’m currently 224, so it’s taken quite a bit of work and consistency. I do A LOT of cardio, regular lifting, and the main driving force behind my loss, better eating. Even as a big dude, I get that runner’s high somewhat regularly. Maybe it’s physiological, I don’t know, but I hope your consistency gets you to a place to where you do experience it, if that’s indeed what gets you there.
The pain and suffering is the high
I just rip a bong bowl and run around the lake. That’s runners high.
you’re probably too deconditioned, as am i btw, to experience what we know as “runner’s high”. What we know as “runner’s high” is a physiological mechanism of the human body where the body begins to mainly source its energy from converting fat reserves into energy. This process only takes over after a certain amount of time of enduring exercise, like f.e. running. You (and i for that matter) probably can’t run at a fairly fast speed for as long as needed to experience the “runner’s high” and get that second wind. This doesn’t mean that you should give up running, quite the opposite in fact.
It’s not a lie at all
Runners high is a thing, but I’ve only ever had like about 5 or 6 times. I get minor version of it after pushing myself hard these days, but nothing similar to the times I was on a hour to two hour jog. Feels amazing and I feel like I could go forever, but I know I have to stop myself.
Speaking from personal experience: Takes me about 2 miles or 15-20 minutes in order to get that initial wall… we all go through that hurdle. You gotta keep on running, yeah regardless how much it sucks at times.
When I was running CC it would usually take 6-8 miles before I got into that zone. Everybody is different.
TBH, Runner’s high for me really hits after I finish a race, or after achieving a great workout milestone. The feeling of accomplishment mixed with the natural endorphins from working out is a burst of euphoria lile not a whole lot else I’ve felt.
Is this runners high the second wind i get after suffering for a bit on the cardio machines because there comes a point where I sweat a LOT then it gets easy
For me it’s the middle miles of my weekend run, which is usually 10-12 miles
It gets easier everyday you do it, and it’s legit once you’ve overcome the mental blocks that prevent you from becoming a runner. I was a competitive runner at 160lbs and 200lbs. Even when I was at my physical lowest which was significantly more than 200, I could get the “runners high”. Running is 90% mental and 10% physical.
I run about 40 miles per week. I get a runners high sometimes, and when I do it’s always after about 45 minutes into a run. Maybe once every other week.
How many miles are you running, OP?
if you do your favorite thing you’ll get the high, the point is who the hell likes running??? … oh! wait, basically whatever health freak
Pretty sure nope. But maybe I am a liar. Wouldn’t you like to know?
Maybe you just can’t make the brain chemicals for that. People are very different genetically and physically, so it’s possible that only some people can get a runners high.
My brain chemicals are too much, if anything, but because of my health issues, I get more of a runner’s “am I going to die?”
I can get a hiker’s high, though. I’m built to be slow, lol.
Maybe you should find an activity you enjoy instead. There are more ways to move and exercise than running and the gym.
Joe Goldberg?
Youre probably not running for a long enough time, for me if im trying to achieve runners high i wont for a bit but if i just run and im not focused on the runners high it feel like it comes in no time
100% agree i tried so many times in my life for sustained running but i have never felt that bliss others describe
Scientifically speaking, is it that your muscles start respiring anaerobically and you accumulate ethanol that makes one high?
It is real, but I trust people are different. I really miss my runners highs – and I did not have to run for long even. There are other things that people say release dopamine, but do nothing to me. Maybe running is just not your thing.
Pain and suffering are sus tho. Are you sure you don’t want to try something you enjoy more? Swimming or… you know…. It would help you stick to it better.
Hahaha love this. It does exist, my friend. Keep pushing. Power thru. U may have to increase the number of runs per week. Or increase the distance/speed of your runs you do. Keep pushing man. I’ll say, that euphoric feeling for me wasn’t during or right after a run. It was just an ordinary day when I was thinking about the feeling of being outdoors, enjoying the weather and getting in a good sweat. I can’t shake it now and get anxious after a few days of not running.
Once you stop fighting gravity it is actually nice sometimes. It’s not magic tho, you need to be at a certain level of non fridgeness (usually)
Runners high is a bit rare actually.
Running long distances is dumb and boring. Played sports my whole life and fucking hate anything and event about long distance running. I too believe it’s bullshit.
It’s real.
You haven’t been running enough.
As a dude who has lived a decently active life and it’s the older sibling of two long distance runners, I’ve only ever felt a high from finishing a run. The miles you’d need to cover to achieve a runner’s high is just an unreasonable ask for most people.
Exercise wise, I’d much sooner recommend stationary bicycling or walking uphill on a treadmill for my beefy brothers. Bicycling can force you to expend much more energy than running without all the jiggling if that is a problem.
I’ve been hanging out with body builders recently and the general consensus is “abs are made in the kitchen”. Which means if you want to get a leaner body, just eat less. My preferred diet method is start the day with a good workout. Eat breakfast (75% of your daily calorie target) right after your workout. Then when you next get hungry in the late afternoon, have a high volume salad and some fatty nuts (keep you full); goal should be the final 25% of your daily calorie target. This worked really well for me when I was in school and doing a lot of desk work. But if you have a job with demanding physical labor, then you’ll need to modify the diet as needed.
Try swimming instead, there’s no one complaining about shin splints in swimmers groups. It’s a much better form of cardio for a fellow large person. Plus the water keeps you cool so you don’t feel like a sweaty mess when you are doing it. It’s the only form or exercise I ever managed to stick at regularly.
I am twinkish. Running makes me big happy, gym makes me actively hate myself for like 45 minutes.
Used to run 5+ miles daily maxing out at 10 miles once I only ever got runners high maybe twice. From what I’ve read about it you have to replicate the conditions pretty consistently in order to get it multiple times.
I thought it was a myth when I started running but then there was a period of time when I would finish a run and feel completely euphoric, my food tasted amazing and I slept like a baby. Not every time but frequently enough. I stopped running when I got really busy with work. I’ve heard that runner’s high is not really common anyway.
Once you get in shape and you can run past the point your chest hurts and you feel like dying you get it. Before I got faf I was a distance runner. I’ve ran a few marathons. Eventually you can get in the shape where your limitation is not your cardio, but instead your feet or knees. Similar to how you can walk until your feet hurt. I miss those days but my knees just can’t take running anymore.
Ya, you’re not going hard enough
Runners high is 1000% real for me
you aren’t getting near the distance for that to kick in
All I will say is keep doing it. Keep doing it
I always thought running as the worst activity.. so boring.. but once I started actively doing 5K 10Ks I started el feeling it, and i swear by it now. The feeling of how youre lightweight and could run forever, unmatched
You have to get to a pretty high level of running before runners high is a thing. Back when I was running 10 miles at a time I definitely felt the runners high. Then I hurt my feet and now I’m having to start back at square one again and it sucks.
It’s real, but I haven’t felt anything even remotely close to it since I stopped competitive running. Back in the day, I’d experience it from time to time in the midst of intense long distance runs; I’m talking fast pace and mileage that normal people aren’t even considering. Also, I would describe it more as a flow-state than an actual “high.”
Unpopular and factually incorrect. Great job, OP.
artie lange talks about runners high
Oh it’s real, kept me going for a while & when I stopped I legit supplemented it with drugs & alcohol. I ran like 5ks every day, maybe it just takes being in shape a bit & getting into the habit? Idk.
So if you don’t experience something it means it doesn’t exist?
I’ve never experience runner’s high either. But I don’t think those who have are liars.
Seems a few ppl here agree that it’s around 1-1.5 miles that it kicks in and I’d have to also agree lol. Just get into a meditative state really focused on just my breathing and getting lost in empty thoughts staring into a single point in the distance. Before I know it 3 or 4 miles goes by.
Bro doesn’t realize genetic factors can influence if you can feel it or not.
It usually kicks in for me by keeping my heart beating at greater than 75% of my max heart rate for 15 to 20 minutes.
I’ve felt it from running, biking, BJJ, swimming, and even once or twice from sex.
I don’t remember where I heard the quote:
a runner is a person who makes pain being discomfort and discomfort being normality
Or something like this.
Experienced it a few times in highschool, the town was around a lake, really cozy. Physical ed teacher would just make us run around it, it took ~40 minutes for even the slower students like me, roughly 7 kilometers
So anyway, i managed to experience it a few times and it feels amazing. But it’s beyond the uncomfortable parts where i can’t feel my legs and my lungs were hurting
In retrospect the lungs might’ve been a medical issue and not part of it. Oh well anyway that feeling came after i thought i can’t go on longer but did it anyway. Like a reward for going past my limits or something
It’s possible you’re pushing yourself too hard? Personally I’ve only ever gotten it on long, low intensity runs (2hr+) after several months of consistent training where I intentionally don’t push my self hard at all. Idk if it’s different for other people
I get the high after like walking 800 meters and doesn’t stop until I stop walking and my legs get a mega cramp
I took an Ancestry DNA test and under the traits that you are likely or not to have, it said that I am one of the people who do not experience a runner’s high.
It confirmed my feelings since when I ran track in high school I never got the same feeling as my classmates. No euphoria, no sense of painlessness.
Maybe you and I are genetically locked off from exercise bliss.
It does exist, but you have to run for longer and push through fatigue.
How long have you been running? When you describe it as “just pain and suffering” it makes me guess maybe you just need your conditioning up a bit more so it is still tough, but not shatteringly so.
Also, and this isn’t for everyone, but as someone who really likes music, that tends to uplift the experience for me even more.
I‘ve been running for over two years and experienced runners high two times. Running is not about just chasing that high, if you can’t enjoy the process maybe it isn’t the workout for you.
Runners high saves lives
Yea bud, as a fat guy who ran a marathon @ 9 minute miles. You’re not running enough
Probably more like a walkers high for you, or even a standing high.
I’ve gotten runners high from a stationary bike. Totally a real thing, but maybe some people have a harder time achieving it. Usually takes me like 30 minutes to an hour to kick in. Sometimes longer.
It’s the use of the same word for wildly different meanings from different groups.
High can mean “very relaxed” to “completely split from reality in hallucinatory bliss/terror”. People get different meanings.
As someone who did drugs in my youth, no, no it’s not a “high” by my standards. But what other commenters are saying is true; after ~30 minutes with some intensity you will feel a little different and might find it noticeably easier to ‘push’ much farther once you’re there (remember the morning though).
Source: ran track & cross country throughout experimental phase in youth
To get the “runners high” you need to break through the “first wall” meaning your body gives you a surge of hormones to keep you running longer.
Breaking through that first wall is tough, especially if you don’t run often. It’s also not something you would recognize when it happens but rather afterwards it just starts to feel easier.
It was definitely real for me, but I had to get to the point where I was able to run for 45 minutes non-stop. You have to be in really good shape already. I’m not saying you’re wrong because, like, how would I know how anyone else’s brain chemistry works? But I have felt that rush to the point where I almost didn’t want to stop running. I’d like to get that back, but it’ll take a lot of work.
I don’t feel it either. I have been playing sports and running my entire life and have never enjoyed running much.
When I was fit, I loved to run and definitely got that runners high. When I was fat, I definitely didnt enjoy running. Right now, Im about 5-6 lbs over where I said I would be comfortable running again. The thing is, Ive got to suffer through a bit if discomfort to get back to a weight where I can enjoy it once again.
I was a state champion 3200m runner and an ncaa d1 athlete very close to sub 4 minute miler, and also did marathon post collegiately and did very well at it. Now that i’m done bragging – let me say that never once did I ever experience this supposed runners high, I am convinced it is a myth as well. Sure I felt a rush from winning big races or getting PRs, but I get that same rush when I won tournaments in competitive gaming later in life.
As a decades long runner, hiker and cyclist that euphoria exists I don’t recall the first time I felt that euphoria was training for my first marathon. That was 16-18 months into running daily.
3 years ago i used to run almost daily, with some music and daydreaming its somewhat easy to achieve, sometimes i would image myself running to help someone or some fantasy
I’m out of shape. Unless you count round as a shape.
It gets easier and you’ll get those endorphins
Just keep at it!
As a note: I think “runner’s high” is also applied to any intensive cardio workout, not just running. I can get it with cycling, boxing or burpees.
The closest I’ve ever came to a runner high was thinking, “hey this doesn’t such AS much as it did a mile ago”
Agreed. I ran for years from 5K to half marathon and I have never had a runner’s high.
I get it when hiking aggressively for long periods of time. The sustained moderate exertion is what triggers it for me. A slight lightheadedness combined with a feeling of ease that feels like I could push forever.
When I started running, I never felt it but after a sustained running regimen I feel it after about 5 miles. It’s wild.
lol I’ve only caught it twice maybe. I’m not sure how to activate it though.
Once you get good then you feel the high. It becomes super addictive. It’s like eating chilli, after a while you get used to the pain and can’t eat bland food anymore. Once you find you can easily do 10km then you can start doing easy runs which are just enjoyable and therapeutic.
I hated running because every session was hard. That was the wrong way to train. Run slow to go fast really does work.
I would only get a runners high when I ran more than 5 miles. Its weird it feels like you’re walking on air after your run
Iv had it before, I usually get a lifters high when lifting that I enjoy a bit
You need a certain basic level of fitness and then do a decent distance
How long and far are you running?
Depends on how long you’re running, the pace of your run, and the type of roads you’re running on. You likely wouldn’t experience a runner’s high doing sprints on incline slopes since you’ll burn your stamina so fast that you can’t keep up with the run itself. You’ll also not likely going to feel the high if you’re doing a slow jog and is mentally exhausted instead. Personally, I think runs that can keep your heart rate at 130-140 for 30 minutes would do the trick.
Because you’re too unfit. Two dates a week of jogging is no where near enough to build your stamina, each time you are starting, it is like you are starting from zero again if there are 4-5 days between your runs.
All it is, is serotonin anyway. You can the same/similar
Feeling after walking for a couple of hours
It’s real, I too am built like a brick house, but in high school I did cross country and I promise while you are dying from heat stroke you do in fact get a runners high
You are definitely wrong. I used to be a professional cross country runner, and literally all the coaches tell us to activate our “kick”, at the last 200 meters of the race. You pace yourself throughout the race and then you just go full on with your energy and it is one of the best feelings ever. You literally activate your own speed boost, but after you totally just feel like crap because used all your energy. That method has placed me in several top positions in my runs. So you’re just not running the right way and you’re not conserving energy.
Run outside. And preferably by a nice area
No offense but you need a baseline level of fitness before you can really reap the peak benefits of exercise.
I feel like it exists when walking long distances also. At a certain point, it’s like I kick into a higher gear.
You don’t run enough. How much are you doing on both days?
It took me months of regular running before I first started feeling it a bit, and by then, I had developed plantar fasciitis and piriformis syndrome and had to quit. My body does not like running one bit, but I do get that feeling after a really good workout.
The most frustrating about working out is how much you have to do it before it starts feeling really good, but it does. Once you find a kind you like, it can feel SO good.
I used to be pretty fat (like lost 95 pounds fat), and I did it mostly through running and changing how I ate. People constantly told me, “I hate running,” and I’d always say—then don’t run. You’ll never enjoy exercise if you only do things you’ve always hated.
Also, if you’re not naturally athletic (which I wasn’t), running once or twice a week won’t be enough to make it feel less like punishment. It takes consistency to get to the point where it stops feeling miserable. I used to run 4 to 9 miles regularly, and even then, the runner’s high didn’t hit until mile 2. Toward the end, the mental trash talk/angst comes back, but overall, running helped me manage my anxiety more than anything. Also, my health.
The euphoric feelings were usually short lived. I have adhd and I think once I got in shape I mostly liked running because I could listen to music and zone out.
Uhhhhh well it is so upvote I guess
When i started running when i was 240 lbs i couldn’t get past the 5 Minute mark.
The moment i had build up enough stamina to get to about 10 things got different. Because after those 10 Minutes i got in to some sort of a “high” and i had no problem with keeping up with that pace for another 5-10 minutes.
It’s the same with talking. If you’re walking for a long time you’re feeling fine, the moment you stop walking your feet start hurting etc.
Looking at half these profiles of people saying they run 4-5 miles a day I can definitely say they are liars.
I have never personally experienced runners high. Ran track in college and would consistently run multiple miles a day sitting around 4% body fat and nothing. I think it’s a load of crap but if people actually do get it great.
I don’t run, but I cycle (bad knees so cycling is less strain on my joints). At the beginning of a trail, I feel like shit. Then about a third of the way through I feel a little better. This tapers off when im 2/3 of the way done, and finally on the last mile or so, I feel great. Maybe try cycling instead (although, I do cycle just over 13 miles at a time, which may be a bit much for a beginner).
Running is just degrees of pain and suffering.
And it doesn’t matter how fit you are. Because the fitter you get the more you push yourself.
It’s good for you though.
Try at night with music
It’s different for everybody and some ppl don’t even get it/it’s not as intense as you’d expect. I get it first around the 5 min mark and then again at around 20-30 min. I haven’t ran longer then that tho so a more intense high could come after
Former 385 sitting around 275 did a half marathon last fall. It’s real. But it doesn’t happen unless you’re running 2.5ish miles or more in my experience
A hard days work is just a run away
Maybe it doesn’t exist for you. I can see that, but I’ve most definitely experienced it.
I get it almost every time I go for a run, usually starts at 2km mark. It’s like my body goes into autopilot and it’s therapeutic
Na, it’s not.
And yeah it’s got to do with intensity and length of your workout.
Might be different for overweight people idk so im not judging but it is definitely a thing.
It’s very much real but you gotta bust your ass to get it
I ran for many years and can count the number of runners highs I’ve experienced on maybe one hand. One of them was 40 miles into a 50 mile race.
My runners high to me just feels like aggression part of doing a line.
Nah you’re right on the money .
I used to be at an ROTC high school and had to run laps daily for at least two hours. Never once felt anything pleasurable about it.
Buy a bicycle and go for a ride instead.
You’ll feel it then.
How far and long do you run?
It does not kick in for at least 20km or so for me. I used to think the same thing, turns out I just didn’t run far enough.
I have experienced it once, when I was a teenager, after having run long and hard for ~40 minutes. I thought I was going to collapse. (part of that may have been my at-the-time undiagnosed heart condition which causes me to tire more easily, a PFO)
It was intense and exhilarating. Not just physically, but emotionally, and cognitively. So much so, I could compare and contrast it with a number of strong intoxicants, but it really is its own thing.
10/10, would absolutely recommend.
Your running volume mat also not be high enough. I got it when I was a track athlete, running at a high intensity, for long sprints.
I’ve been addicted to it. It was very real for me