Runner's high

[tb1223]

OK, so I am a long distance runner. I'm currently in my second year of college and have been running since the beginning of high school. Running is pretty much my entire life. Anyway, for the past year and a half I've been injured on and off, and during that time I have never really been in great shape. But today, for the first time in a very long time, I got into that really good groove while running, and started to experience what is known as "runner's high" (I'll explain how this relates to stuttering in a minute).

For those who don't know, runner's high is usually described as the euphoric feeling a runner gets during and/or immediately after an intense, exhausting run...it usually comes in the form of a boost of energy, or a second wind. I'm pretty sure it's attributed to some sort of chemical reaction inside the body, having to do with endorphins or adrenaline or something...I really don't know anything about the science of it (which is one of the reasons I'm posting this, as you'll see in a minute).

So as I was saying, today when I was finishing up my run I was feeling unusually pumped up and energetic. I was running around campus, wearing one of my high school track shirts, when some random guy who recognized my high school called out. Turns out he was from a neighboring town. Anyway, I stopped and chatted with this guy for a few minutes, and I noticed a peculiar thing...I wasn't stuttering at all! Now, mind you, I am a pretty severe stutterer. Although my stutter is worse in formal situations, phone calls, etc., I still almost always stutter significantly in everyday situations as well...so basically, I stutter all the time. But for some reason, at that moment I just felt completely relaxed and confident. Stuttering didn't even cross my mind.

Now, you're probably wondering, if I'm a runner, why have I never noticed this before? In fact, the other day I posted in another thread how running sometimes actually triggers my stutter more, because I am out of breath and have a harder time forcing the words out. After thinking about it for a while, I did recall that in high school, immediately after races, I would never stutter when congratulating my teammates or talking to my coach about the race. I guess I had just never put 2 and 2 together, since the only time it happened was immediately after races, and I haven't raced competitively for almost two years (because of my persistent injuries).

So anyway, I got to thinking that my sudden fluency might have been due to the chemical reaction associated with runner's high. I know I've heard plenty of information about research-based theories concerning chemical imbalances in the brains of stutterers, and of course there is the whole emerging market of anti-stuttering drugs. So my questions are, A) has anyone ever experienced this before?, and B) does anyone know more about this subject, in terms of its scientific aspect? This really did strike me as quite remarkable.

Wow, I didn't mean to write so much, congratulations if you made it this far.

[Shaz cackles]

Hi there.

I also run, but not long distance on track/roads - I run off road, which usually involves a lot of hills/mountains and a much greater change of lung use/breathing variances.
Anyway, I totally understand about the runners high that you're talking about.
Perhaps it's similar to the ermmm, ummmm, "post-romantic moment" fluency that a lot of members have said they experience?
Mebbe it's such an emptying of your bodies resources, that the body is only taking in "pure" energy to recover (what it needs to regenerate as opposed to ticking over), and this in turn leads to this feeling?

I daresay some will be along soon with all kinds of medical answers - I suppose it all depends on your attitude and beliefs.

WOW I know exactly what you mean! Some cure eh? lol Can't see it going down well in Asda though :eek: lol

[bwelling]

tb - nice thread. I just got my runner's high this morning. It is such a wonderful feeling of wellbeing. You have a real good point of the connection to stuttering. Is stuttering a chemical imbalance we live with? Can we put ourselves into a similar state of "wellbeing" without the 5-10 miles or without so sort of drug therapy?

bw

[tb1223]

Is it just after exertion though?

As Shaz says, if it was, it could be bottled and sold in supermarkets.

I know that I have a similar feeling after climbing a difficult pitch (which does use a lot of muscles agreed), or even mountain biking down a good track - which actually uses up very little energy compared to cycling up to the top, but energy nonetheless.

Even giving the car a good thrashing round some twisty back roads produces a similar if not exactly the same feeling/emotion.

I think it's just the one on one of one competing with oneself.

Then again, winning a race, or scoring (now now shaz :D) a goal in an important match is cled to be better than the best love making. Having only done the first in my early teens, the second in my childhood (both of which are long forgotten), and the former for the last *ahem* years, I only have one to base my knowledge on.....!

I think it might just be any sort of adrenaline rush or sudden excitement. You might very well get the same feeling while stepping off a roller coaster. Although runner's high still remains probably the most intense feeling of that sort I've ever experienced.

[EddieO]

I'm the opposite. When I get a runner's high I notice I stutter more. I also stutter more when I have a beer buzz but that's a little different than a runner's high.
Eddie

[Daniel]

I used to do a lot of running and mountain biking, but i don't think I've ever had that "runner's high" before, defiantly nothing like :D . I easily become addicted to running or cycling, just the shear physical effort seems to make me want more. Normally after a hard run or especially a bike ride, i just feel buggered and can hardly walk :p .

It's confidence with myself, if I'm talking about something i know a lot about and i know the person who's listening is interested. Then stuttering isn't normally a problem. Also if i speak to someone I've never met before, i stutter very little, but as i get to know them (hours/days) the stuttering become worse.

[Manofsteel18765]

Exercise does help control anxiety which can affect stuttering. I have to exercise in order to speak the best that I can. I can tell that if I am really stressed that I need to exercise longer to get the same effect. During intense exercise, most people would have a hard time talking and being a stutterer may make it harder. For me I feel the best and can talk the best after I cool down from a good cardio workout.

[ratboy]

I read about a paper on this. If I remember well, what it said was that exercising causes you to release more serotonin. Serotonin and dopamine coexist in the synapse between neurons. When one is released, the amount of the other is reduced. As you exercise then, the serotonin being released causes dopamine levels to drop. (Happens then the other way around, when levels of dopamine are high, serotonin drops.)

I recently was in a figh--, an intense argument (with clenched fists), and noticed I was completely fluent for a good 10 minutes. I truly expected to fight that day. The adrenaline rush, supposed to worsen stuttering, was so intense (not just a minor adrenaline rush, my stuttering worsens with those too...) that it completely eclipsed my stuttering.

Neurochemical facts that should be studied in more detail.