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Comment by gaur | Hacker News Reader

The longest I've ever run in one go is 6 km. There was never any runner's high, just excruciating pain.

For a good fraction of the population, running is fucking awful.

> There was never any runner's high, just excruciating pain.

That's pretty normal. I run a lot, and runner's high is a very rare thing for me to experience. I think most people confuse it with the sense of accomplishment one often gets after a run.

I've only felt a real high after very hard workouts. Very hard workouts. Workouts where my heart beats hard enough to break capillaries in my lungs, and the aerosolized blood gives a metallic taste.[1] The high feels like a weird mix of THC and opiates, and takes a couple of hours to wear off. During that time, it's definitely not safe for me to drive.

I like to run, but honestly, I think enjoying running is a little masochistic.

1. Vulnerability of pulmonary capillaries during severe exercise: http://geoff.greer.fm/files/Vulnerability%20of%20pulmonary%2...

This sounds entirely psychosomatic. I've run several marathons and Ironman races and I would occasionally get a runner's high while training, where I felt like I could nearly sprint for long periods of time without fatigue. Definitely no mental effects, let alone anything that would make it "unsafe to drive". But I would mention this "high" to friends who were competitive runners and they all felt there was no such thing as a runner's high. They just had good workouts where they felt like they were fit and improving and bad workouts where they did not.

I doubt it's psychosomatic. I didn't know the effects of opiates or marijuana when I first experienced it. It was only later that I discovered THC caused the same close-eyed visuals and differences in time perception. Likewise for opiates (prescribed after dental surgery). The decreased appetite and body high suddenly made sense.

There's research to back this up as well. In response to exercise, the body produces cannabinoids, opiates, and stimulants.[1]

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_phy...

I'm glad to read this. When I exercise I frequently get "Runners Low" instead. I've seen people suggest that running is great for depression, but I've often found the exact opposite: exercise can actually induce sadness & negative thoughts in me on days when I feel great. It doesn't always happen to me, but it happens often enough that it annoys me whenever I hear the suggestion to "go for a run, you'll feel better". That doesn't seem universally good advice for everyone.

The longest I've ever run is 14km, and I've done 12km City To Surf a few times. I still exercise & work out, but I keep myself motivated & upbeat using music, and try to make it the last thing before bed, so I can sleep off any bad feelings and/or exhaustion.

Damn straight. Eventually, I was running 3 miles every other day. I never experienced the runners high either. Running never got easier. As I got better, I was simply able to prolong the amount of torture before succumbing...

My friends say things like "I run to clear my head" or "I run to relax". My runs are dreaded, tedious nightmares and the only positive aspect is that eventually the run will end.

Fuck running. :)

Assuming (could not be the case of course) that you program - the joy one experiences after coding for hours and then finally having everything fit together and work likely does not mirror the experience one had the first few times programming where everything fails to compile, breaks, doesn't work as expected, etc.

I commented on this in my other post on here. In short, it doesn't come right away.

Where did I say I expected it to come right away?

I ran 5 km three times a week for about four months. It was fucking awful every time, so I stopped.

I get that you are real keen on helpful comments about it, but you probably were running too fast (relative to your condition for it) and for not long enough (per run).

I guess I've never chased it, but I run 5 miles pretty regularly with no expectation of it.

I don't feel 'good' while running until several kms in. And definitely not the first few times after not running for a while. Give yourself a chance.

Where did you get the idea that I didn't give myself a chance?

I ran 5 km three times a week for four months, and it was always fucking awful.

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