Runners High :: Definition Sports Running Papers

Runner's High Many runners have had the opportunity to experience a state of euphoria while running. While the actual state that they feel varies immensely for each individual there is a common feeling associated with the term "runner's high". When a person is asked about runner's high they typically will say that it a pleasant state that a runner might experience after a certain distance. This in fact may not be true for only runners though. Skiers, surfers, football players and wrestlers all have "highs" or moments when they feel they are working to their maximum potential and feeling on top of the world. Runner's are not the only types of athletes that experience intense emotional feelings. One must question exactly what is included in this feeling. Defining a "high" may not be all that easy, if there even is such a thing. Many people have related runner's high to the feeling of an orgasm. At this time, the body and mind are both highly stimulated and seem to elevate a person's senses. Other people have responded to the question of "What is runner's high?" by saying that when the environmental stimuli around you is near perfect and you are feeling good you are actually feeling a type of "high". We must not overlook the facts though, which include physical and physiological details to back up feelings of runner's high. Throughout time, runner's high has been debated and there is still no general definition as to what it is, or even if it exists. Looking at different personal experiences and physical evidence one can generally conclude that runner's high is a state of euphoria caused by the environmental stimuli around the runner and the biological aspects of stress associated with running. The most obvious aspects to address with runner's high are the biological and psychological aspects that can be associated with it. When the body is put under stress the mind reacts accordingly. This is why endorphins are commonly associated with runner's high. Endorphins are any of a group of opiate proteins with pain-relieving properties that are found naturally in the brain. The word "endorphine" comes from endogenous, meaning "produced within the body" and morphine, a chemical substance derived from opium that elevates mood and reduces pain. Endorphines in turn are neurotransmitters that are chemically similar to morphine.1 It has been realized that the brain responds to morphine and that morphine receptors are in the brain.