Runner’s High is Like Getting High
If you are a runner, and you have gone through a particularly long or intense workout, you have probably experienced a form of euphoria known as runner’s high. It can be intense, and to those who have smoked marijuana, has effects similar to THC. Runners feel at peace and relaxed, despite the fact that they might not be able to walk up the hill to get to the car.
This is because runner’s high is caused by a chemical called anandamide, which is very similar to THC and binds to the CB1 receptors of the endocannabinoid system just like THC. The longer a work out goes on, the higher the concentration of ananadamide throughout the body and therefore the greater the intensity of CB1 agonism.
A Similar Molecule to THC
Unlike THC, anandamide does not have any cyclic rings like THC, which leads to it being broken down quite quickly. This accounts for the fact that a runner’s high quickly fades while smoking marijuana has effects more than 24 hours after ingestion of the product. Ananadamide is easily broken down by Fatty acid amide hydrolase, which is an enzyme that targets and regulates levels of Anandamide in the body. This enzyme however does not have any activity on the THC molecule.
A study was done by Arne Dietrick at Georgia tech where participants were young men who were asked to run cycle or sit. The sitting group was used as the control and had significantly lower levels of anandamide throughout the body. The study overturns a previous thought that opiates released in the brain like endorphins were the principle cause of runner’s high, they they both might still play a role. The high definitely is not quite as good as any of the Green House Seed Co. strains, but the combination is likely amazing.
A Wonderful Combination
As THC sometimes becomes stored in fat cells of users, a runner’s high for a smoker is likely even more intense. Running of course causes the body to use fat cells to produce energy, so running will release THC into the blood stream of smokers and cause an even stronger high. While the government is worried about the addictive tendencies of smokers, runners often exhibit the same traits as they are driven to get new highs, run longer distances and sometimes do damage to their bodies as they can’t help but run despite their injuries.
