The Runner's High

We all have heard this phrase time and time again: Runners get a natural high after a good long run.

Before I started this insanity, I knew this was true...sorta. Once I began running though, my friends and family realized that my attitude towards everything had changed drastically. I no longer stressed about the "little things." I even had someone say to me last week that they wanted to get to know me better because: I am a runner and just assumed that I would be more laid back than most people. Yes, I know what you are thinking. The Lindsey a few years ago would NEVER have had someone tell her that she is "more laid back than most people"...just ask my family, the Needhams and my college girls.

I originally wanted to attribute this change to my experiences with fellow DFMC'ers. All of them are so relaxed, so genuine, so selfless and so normal. Yes, I said it, I called you guys normal....don't try milking it beyond that.

The pinnacle of this realization, to me, probably was the passing of my Auntie Nancy. All of these little issues that I face are not necessarily "stresses", but rather - life. When I'm stressed about my summer job search, or about keeping up with daily class assignments, or about meeting "Mr. Right" (which, let's face it, has involved quite a bit of searching), or about where I am going to be living after I graduate law school, or if I will ever pay off my debt with my career in public interest law, I realize that for the most part, I will get through all of it. Everyone else around me is facing similar, if not greater, problems.

Another reason why my attitude has changed is because of all the endorphins I produce during the course of any given long run. The science behind all of this confuses me, though. Fortunately, my friend Jeff found an article in the NY Times today that discusses this phenomenon in more detail. His favorite line was: “You could really see the difference after two hours of running. You could see it in their faces.” This is cute, and true for the most part.

My favorite line was: "her runner’s high came at the end of a marathon, and it was paired with such volatile emotions that the sight of a puppy had the power to make her weep."

There is a 100% chance that the endorphins I release will generate an effect like this one. I may have calmed down a bit on the Spaz-O-Meter scale ever since I started running, but I am still uber emo Lindsey (wicked emotional for those who don't get my lingo) and would probably cry at the sight of anything fabulous at the finish line on April 21st.

And you all wonder why I am SOO addicted :)

On another note - a shoutout to one of my Buttercups for her donation today! My friend Jess' donation got us to the $7,500 mark! My other Buttercup, Robin, already donated (as did her amazing bf AP!). Thank you to the Buttercups, and everyone else who have already donated...did I mention that we have 100+ donors so far? AMAZING!