Running Addiction ... Heroin Article

From http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=8430744


Exercise Addicts Can Blame Their Brains
Ultra Athletes and Researchers Say the 'Runner's High' is Similar to Heroin Addiction
By LAUREN COX
ABC News Medical Unit
Aug. 28, 2009—


Some people are so athletic -- running daily in rain, wind and heat in sickness and in health -- that most people wonder if they are masochists. But new research shows that they may just be addicted to exercise.

Stan Jensen, author of Run100s.com, has competed in 20 marathons and 125 ultramarathons in his lifetime. He said he considered each race "fun," but agrees there are sometimes other motivations at work among ultra runners.

"Take the Boston marathon: for a lot of runners that's their goal. They say 'wow that was hard, I'm glad I did it' and they go back to mowing the lawn," he said.

But Jensen wasn't satisfied. After many city marathons he moved to marathons on trails, and then he morphed to an ultra marathon, which is any race longer than the standard 26 miles in a marathon. Eventually, Jensen was doing 100-mile races.

Jensen's not alone in his enthusiasm. This week Robert Donahue of Minneapolis wanted to help recruit male mentors for his local Big Brothers Big Sisters. To do it, he decided he would run 100 miles in five days, which amounts to a little less than a marathon each day.

Other enthusiasts have set up races in horrible conditions such as the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley (135 miles in temperatures up to 130 degrees), or the annual Antarctic Ice Marathon(82 miles in wind chills of -20).

Jensen insists that the soft trails and slower pace of an ultramarathon are easier on the body than the fast-paced pounding on pavement involved in most marathons. But ultramarathons lure runners who seek a challenge to keep up the "runner's high."

"There was a time at which I was definitely addicted to running. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the way I felt when I ran and I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment when I finished," said Jensen. "Running is also a form of escape. If you have chores, you have a choice: maybe I can just go run for a couple of hours and mow the lawn later."

But he will admit there's a bit of extreme thinking behind some among ultra marathoners.

"I also know people in my sport who are former alcoholics, or heroin addicts. They say 'you know, I have a problem with addiction, but this is the healthiest I addiction I can have'," said Jensen.

A new study in the August edition of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience showed running may indeed be addictive to the brain in the same way as heroin or morphine.



Runner's High Equivalent to Low Doses of Heroin?
Scientists have long known that exercising can release endorphins in the brain, and that some runners need to keep adding distances to feel that "high." However, it is not known if running forms a true addiction.

To test this, scientists turned to rats. It turns out rodents also keep increasing their amount of time on the running wheel like humans do.

Researchers at Tufts University let one group of rats become increasingly avid runners, and forced another group of rats to stay lazy in a cage with no hamster wheel.

When the researchers injected both groups of mice with a drug called Naloxone that is used for heroin withdrawal, the rats who had become exercise fanatics showed withdrawal symptoms similar to human heroin addicts on Naloxone -- their teeth shattered, and their bodies shook in tremors.

The unexercised mice, however, did not react to the Naloxone.


Could Running be Addictive for Everyone?
The rat study may provide only small amount of evidence that running is actually addictive in humans, but exercise experts didn't need much convincing anyway.

"It's not across the board that it's addictive, but it can be addictive," said Wayne Westcott, director of the exercise science program at Quincy College in Quincy, Mass. "Those are the people who over-train, they have bad feet, surgeries, or injuries and they can't stop."

Former professional runner Per Kristian Moerk agreed that brain chemistry could get people addicted to running. But that's only part of the picture, he said.

"I think the other part of why running is addictive is the feedback," said Moerk, manager for the sports medicine center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Moerk noticed runners also run to keep their bodies slim, have more energy during the day and for old-fashioned competition.

"You look better, your self-esteem improves. You get compliments," said Moerk.

But if running is so addictive, it begs the questions of what happened to all the rest of us who hate the tedium of the treadmill with a passion.


Why Aren't We All Addicted to Exercise
"In most things in life, and the things we research, there are responders to almost everything and there are non-responders," said Westcott. "Unfortunately, most people are not responsive to exercise and they don't seem addicted to exercise."

Indeed, 95 percent of us seem quite lazy. A 2003 study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) outfitted 10,000 people across the United States with an accelerometer and tracked how long and how fast they moved during the day.

The results showed that less than 5 percent of adults older than 20 get at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week.

"That included activities of daily living, like working in the garden, and they could even do it in 10-minute segments," said Westcott.

According to Westcott, the physical activity standard in the NHANES trail amounted to walking 2.5 miles per hour, which is not even a brisk walking pace.

"Very few people are addicted, however the other 5 percent of us can get quite addicted to exercise," said Westcott. "I could cut off my leg and I'd still want to go exercise."

As for Jensen, he said his days of ultra marathons are dwindling.

"I lost motivation. I had accomplished what I dreamed of doing, and to me it was quite a feat. I didn't want to find something harder, I didn't want to beat myself," said Jensen. "Now I try to run one ultramarathon a year, just to be active."


Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

15:1 (x3)

First run in 4 days! Wow - still can't believe the feeling of the legs (especially the left one) after the 30 K race last Saturday. Got in a slow run this morning and it felt good. 5.49 K. Took a different route through Trinity Bellowoods Park.

Exactly 1 month until the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Full Marathon! Will be tampering soon.

Have enjoyed the "down time" of holidays of sitting in the backyard with the dog and reading copies of running magazines. I must say that Canadian Running is my favourite.

Got a massage yesterday to work on the neck and shoulder stiffness. Got a doctor referral last March but never had the time to do it. My shoulders feel so "free" :-) Why did I wait this long to spend the $750 per year on my work insurance health plan??

Getting Ready for Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Full Marathon

Wow - Saturday night was tough to sleep. The aching legs. It's my left hip that "hurt" during the LSDs and during the 30 K run on Saturday during the second half. My work insurance provides $750 a year in massage and I got a doctor note's for massage back in the March Break but never had the time to use it. It's so nice to be able to just sit and do nothing during the month of August before preparing for the new school year.

A couple of things I learned from the 30 K Midsummer's Night Run:

1.) Monitor the hip and see a sports medicine doctor if need be;
2.) Energy gels - I opted at the last minute not to bring one since I didn't have pockets in my running shorts and used the safety pins to secure my car key;
3.) During the latter part of the race, it really is about mental toughness. I had to keep thinking of the medal, how the discomfort is only temporary and a 3H finish is forever.
4.) One man who was running with 2 women (probably their coach) reminded them to keep their head up, look far, relaxed posture -- I had to take that free advice as a reminder to self.

I like the downhill decline of the Mississauga Marathon and wonder how running a full marathon on a flat course will feel. I recall walking the full marathon a couple of years ago and had to run the last 2 K since I just couldn't walk it anymore.



It's time to look forward to my next race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront full Marathon. This is my favourite race and has a special place in my heart as it the 5 K race a few years ago was my first ever. I came across the race attending the Buskerfest at the St. Lawrence Market. They were giving complimentary 5 K registrations and I signed up. On race morning, I was so intimidated to walk in the race; even at the race, I gave lots of thoughts of walking back home. But I didn't and that's a great decision! I did walk the 5 K and saw the wonderful looking medals at the finish line. I asked the volunteer how to get one and was told it was for the half and full marathon finishers; that's when I signed up to walk the 21.1 K Toronto half marathon a month later. The rest is history.


I've browsed the Toronto Waterfront marathon web site and it's amazing how the full marathon route has changed over the years - i.e., the Leslie Street Spit. I like the improved look!




There will be a 20th year poster on sale, which includes the cool map route on it. I hope the booth that sells running posters is there again this year as I want to buy a poster that I regretted not getting last year. Love that expo! Also looking forward to having my picture taken with the celebrities and adding that to my blog. The guest speaker talks are always interesting. Love this race.

Race Report - Midsummer Night's Run 30 K

Parked at the Canada Post parking lot and donated the $10.00 parking fee to Sick Children's Hospital. I had a slow warm-up run to the race site, which took 15 minutes, covering a distance of 1.76 K.

Arrived to the starting line with a few minutes to go before the 5:30 PM start. The weather was cloudy. There was forecast for thundershowers this afternoon, which never occurred :-) It was 22C (but 29C with humidity). I like the 1 hour earlier start for the 30 K so most of the race is not in the dark.

My goal was to keep under 6 min/K throughout the race. The race started on Buchette Street and on time this year, heading west on Commissioners Street and then a bit north to Villers Street. I didn't like this view as railroad tracks separated our run east and then west before making it back to Commissioners Street. Then it was east all the way to Leslie Street and then south to Tommy Thompson Park (with a run on Unwin Street). This took about 5 K. Tommy Thompson Park was from 6 K until about 17 K. The payment included running on rocks! We headed south to the lighthouse and then back north to the entrance of the park. Nice view of the city! This is a different route than the 15 K, as I recall running through a bridge. Once outside the park, we headed north until Lake Shore Blvd and then into Ashbridge's Bay Park (which had some steep hills to climb); I recall "accidently" running in this park during training a couple of months ago and it's scenic. Again, the hills were tough as the race was 2/3 completed. There were also numerous twists and turns here. Running on Woodbine Beach wasn't easy since it was running on the wooden and often sandy boardwalk. Lots of people on the boardwalk either running, sitting, or playing beach volleyball; it was tricky since we had to share the route with them. Once we reached the Balmy Beach Canoe Club, we headed back west to Leslie Street -- which I was pleased since it was back to running on pavement. Once we reached Commissioners Street, we shared the race with the 15 Ks.

I reached the finish line at 3:01:21.5 (gun) and 3:00:17.2 (chip). I just checked my previous 30 K run result from the Around the Bay 30 K and I improved my time by 14 minutes :-) I placed #464 out of 771; gender placed 292 out of 386 and in my age group placed 91 out of 108. There was a time mat at the half marathon distance and I came in with a time of 2:03:38 (chip) -- which is fast for me.

It was different to run on so many types of road surfaces -- pavement, rocks, wood; I'm glad it didn't rain as that would have made it very challenging.

The race was organized with lots of volunteers on the route and at the fluid stations. There was one confusion when a volunteer said "Gatorade" but gave me water. The police were stationed at the major intersections.

The finish line was not crowded (probably since the race is a smaller race). Chip removal was quick. A volunteer put a finisher's medal over my neck. Another volunteer was distributing free stainless steel water bottles -- that's a different freebie :-)

The race reminded me to respect the distance of a full marathon! It wasn't easy to run 30 K at race pace. One concern that continues is my left leg Quad. It ached quite a bit at about half way point of the race and continued. Walking back to the car took a long time since I could not walk fast. I'll continue to monitor it tomorrow - maybe use the "Stick" to massage it? I've never had Quad issues before. Previously, the issue was Runner's Knee on the left leg -- but that's not an issue anymore. Aargh! The left leg...

Yesterday 15:1 (x3) + Bib PickUp + Nasty Weather at Night!

Yesterday...

15:1 (x3) in the morning after taking Bud on his morning walk. A bit humid but the clouds helped a bit to prevent the sun from making it even hotter. Got in 5.74 K for YTD = 1084.33 K.


In the late afternoon, went to pick up my bib and tech shirt. It was at the Delta Chelsa Hotel on Gerrard Street and Yonge. Fortunately, there was nobody in line so I was in and out within a few minutes. I was hoping for a small expo but nothing -- just check your bib number on the posts, get your bib, and get your tech shirt.





There was a tornado (confirmed by Environment Canada this morning) yesterday evening in Vaughn. 680 news was reporting non-stop on the Tornado watch and then upgraded to Tornado warning. I am concerned with tomorrow's Midsummer Night's Run race since there's supposed to be thunderstorms. Retrieved from http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews

yesterday's 15:1 (x3)

Yesterday...

Opted for a 15:1 (x3) [slow] to see how the legs would fare. Seemed good - just today the quads are a bit sore still (!). Fortunately, it was sunny/cloudy but still a bit humid. Afterwards, I went to the Running Room at Commercecourt to pick up some race brochures - great to have the Waterfront Toronto Marathon one. I went through the underground PATH and while in the Bay, there were 2 people running very fast - I admired their speed but quickly figured out why there were running - the guy in the back was store security :-| That shook me up - but I connected that to running...

1078.59 K

LSD + Hot/Humid

Started the LSD at 5:30 AM this morning (no typo) :-) It was still dark and I wanted to beat the heat as best as I could. I wore my sunglasses (in the dark), my RR hat, and brought along sunscreen for later on (as well as a 1-week expired gel). Even in teh dark it felt muggy. Very few people on the Martin Goodman Trail this early in the morning. I had to make 2 purchases of Gatorade/Powerade as I couldn't stop drinking it. I was successful in my LSD (15:1 x17) as I covered 33.12 K. My route took me east to the Humber River Bridge; west and back east on the Martin Goodman Trail, west to Cherry Street and then south to the lake and minutes away from Tommy Thompson Park. This was no walk in the park due the humidity. Fortunately, the Garmin had enough juice as the battery was low.

I need to monitor my left leg, which was sore from the run. Nothing to do with runner's knee, fortunately.

YTD = 1072.00 K (44.71 K week!)