Where the Hell Did I Put Those Endorphins?

An Anonymous commenter on the post below asks about endorphins and running, specifically when they kick in and how to get them to do so.

In my limited experience, most triathletes struggle at one of the three disciplines. It's a statistical fact: given three disciplines, one of 'em is gonna be your worst. Mine's swimming. Yours may be running but, whatever the activity, as long as the endorphin threshold is well above the panic and/or frustration threshold it's gonna be tough to reach that natural 'high' all of us crave as the distance melts away.

What to do? Begin by working on form and technique. Particularly in swimming but also in biking and running, it's amazing how much improvement a subtle change in mechanics can produce. In running, CoachKaryn stresses a high cadence (21 right foot falls in 15 seconds), "active arms," an upright posture, rhythmic breathing, a mid-foot stride, lots of tempo work, etc. etc. And all that assumes you're well-rested, well-hydrated, well-calorified and wearing good, new shoes. But of course you knew that...

So, assuming you know it and are doing it, wearing cool new Asics Gel-Kayanos and such...how to reach endorphin nirvana?

Above all, don't get frustrated. Relax. Imprinting new form and techniques into muscle memory takes time, and it happens at different times for different people.

Next, set some clear expectations. If you're expecting to go out and run X miles every day and NOT have it hurt a bit, disappointment is inevitable. It shouldn't be unduly painful, but you are stressing your body in new ways and there will be a response. If it hurts A LOT, something's wrong. Stop and have it checked out.

Don't go out too fast or too hard. Some tempo workouts should take you to your limits and slightly beyond, and you may feel like barfing. But most distance workouts are long and slow, well below the point of "lunch return." The point is TRAINING your body, not HAMMERING it into puking oblivion. Know your zones, know your limits and use that knowledge to train smart.

Finally, while paying your training dues generally pays off, it's SMART mileage that conditions your body to new demands and expectations. Once that new conditioning level is reached, endorphins can be as close as around the next corner. I'll never forget how difficult running 6 miles was when I started out. And I'll also never forget how, after I'd been at the tri-game for a while, I viewed a 6-mile run as a fun, easy "recovery day."

Even better, during long training runs and in races, I'd achieve sort of a Zen-like state where I was there but not there...present in the moment but imagining myself crossing the finish line...stressing my body beyond all my perceived limits yet totally without physical stress or pain. I guess that's endorphins kicking in and it's a great feeling.

It does happen. It happens to me and it can happen to you. Really. I'm neither trainer nor psychologist, but you can trust an old tri-geezer on that. Rock on, baby.

iPod Shuffle: "Drive" by The Cars, from "Complete Greatest Hits."