Occasionally I will feel that “runner’s high” that people talk about. If it happened every time I went out there, it would make the process so much more pleasant. However, most days it’s a chore to make it even a mile. Today, at about the two-mile mark it kicked in and lasted until the end – a pleasant feeling that all is well in the world. I wish there was a formula in producing it because I would definitely bottle it. The heavier rain probably helped today, a distraction from the routine. Dodging puddles became an extra obstacle in my 5k path that loops down by the Willamette River. It was also a Saturday so traffic was not a factor, and the homeless were hidden under cover. It was a good day to get wet.

“Runner’s High” is real, as evidenced by my experience this morning on day 4,038 of my current journey. I did some quick research. “For decades, scientists have associated this phenomenon with an increased level in the blood of β-endorphins, opioid peptides thought to elevate mood. Now, German researchers have shown the brain’s endocannabinoid system—the same one affected by marijuana’s Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—may also play a role in producing runner’s high, at least in mice. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2015, DOI: 10.1072/pnas.1514996112).” Sometimes it’s good to be a rat!

“Running in the Rain” was an inspirational video that we once watched in a sales meeting. Personally, it was no big deal to me because I’m used to facing daily challenges in keeping my running streak alive. Come to find out, “Running in the Rain” even has it’s own song, sounding particularly good when you have a “runner’s high:”

Let’s go running in the rain
I’ve been there and back again
I know how to fix a heart
love’s the cure right from the start
All the love we have we have is true
there is something special in you
since your sun has set and the clouds are all that’s left
oh oh oh

let’s go running in the rain
Let’s go running in the rain
there you wash away the pain
we’ll be running side by side
till we cross the finish line

All the love we have is real
and in time your heart will heal
since there’s no sunshine just thundering in the sky
oh oh oh

let’s go running in the rain
got me singing oh
oh oh oh oh oh oooh
got me singing oooh
oh ooh oh

Now we’re running on the rain
oh I can see a better day
so get ready for the sun
girl I promise it’ll come
I have always loved you
in my mind I would thought you knew
though rain pours down
I will be around
oh oh oh

let’s go running in the rain
All the love we have is true
(don’t you know that it’s true)
there is something special in you
so come rain or shine
I’ll be by your side
so let’s go

let’s go running in the rain
I’ll be running with you rain or shine
let’s go running in the rain
I’ll be running with you rain or shine
let’s go running in the rain

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriter: Jasper Sawyer