Maximum production of these chemicals occurs when a trained body is "comfortably challenged" (think tempo run or other hard effort that doesn't tax your body maximally). There is a fine line between pushing too hard and not pushing hard enough especially when there are so many other variables at play (nutrition, mental state, weather) which is why the Runner's High is so elusive.

 

But I've discovered a sure-fire way to produce that euphoric state. It's not easy, nor is it comfortable. But it works every time. Running legend Steve Prefontaine knew it. It was what fueled him from within and gave him what seemed like super-human powers.  "It" is Guts.

 

Being a runner is not about how fast or how far you go, it's about having the guts to go out there and do it. When you finish what you set out to do, especially when you have to dig deep and fuel your mind and body on pure gut, you will achieve the most powerful Runner's High - the one that is earned, not given.

 

I saw it last Wednesday when our No Boundaries Beginner 5k program participants & Fun Runner's showed up to run in the remnants of Hurricane Patricia. The guts it took to show up were only over-shadowed by the guts it took to step outside the warm, dry store into the deluge of rain. But the smiles on their faces and the aura of empowerment surrounding them when they returned were epic.

 

It happened again on Sunday as I watched the NYC Marathon. Runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities conquered 26.2 miles of boroughs, bridges and tunnels. I was inspired tremendously by the 400+ Achilles athletes who don't let their disabilities prevent them from competing - but I was also inspired by the ordinary runners as well.

 

Runners like my sister who really wanted to complete a marathon in her 40th year, but didn't train as much as she should have which left her to run on pure guts from Mile 16 onward. Despite feeling like she was running on hot, broken glass with legs like a jellyfish, she kept putting one foot in front of the other until she crossed that glorious finish line. 

 

And runners like my sister-in-law, Kathy, who felt like quitting at Mile 7, yet gutted another 19 miles out to earn her medal. Right before the race, Kathy's sister told her that she could quit if she wanted because as a mother of three with a successful career, she had nothing more to prove. Those words reverberated in Kathy's ear during the entire race. While she, indeed, had nothing to prove, she had trained hard and sacrificed much free time and sleep to toe that start line. She wasn't about to DNF. So she dug deep and went the distance...and swore she'd never run another marathon again!

 

While it may look easy to the outsider, running is hard. Add in the "treats" of winter like dark, cold and frozen precipitation and running becomes even tougher. But if you get out there and do the work, that elusive Runner's High will be yours.  It takes guts, to earn the glory!