Good morning. 🌊🌊🌊

27 February 2026

When I was a kid in school, I used to paint pictures of the ocean. I loved shaping the waves and their whitecaps, and for a kid who hadn’t even hit double digits, I wasn’t half bad. I’d slip into the zone—so focused that the rest of the world fell away and the work just flowed. Painting isn’t a skill I’ve carried into adulthood, but that feeling of dropping into the zone still shows up now and then, even if it’s rarer than it used to be.

You probably know the feeling. When you’re creating something and the knowledge, the muscle memory, the instincts—they’re all right there, lining up without effort. You’re on a roll, and you know it.

Maybe it’s biorhythms, maybe it’s something else. Science mostly shrugs at the idea of biorhythms, but the truth is we all have days when everything clicks and days when we can’t seem to do anything right. Most of life happens somewhere in between.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this—must be one of those in‑between days. Maybe the best way to explain “the zone” is through running. At the start you feel clumsy, every step a bit of work. But as you settle in, your focus narrows, distractions fall away, and the movement smooths out. The effort becomes its own reward. Runners call it being in the zone, or runner’s high.

It makes me wonder if that state has something to do with the body’s own chemistry—dopamine, serotonin, the neurotransmitters that shape motivation, reward, and mood. There’s probably something there. I’ll have to think on it a bit more.

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” - Mary Oliver

“The mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body.” - George Sheehan

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.” - Seneca

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #morning #thezone #runnershigh #landscape #seascape #ocean #waves

Amazing run! 🏃‍♂️🔥 My 1k section was the second best in the last 30 days with a time of 5:07. Consistency is key to reaching peak performance 💪👏

#Garmin
#RaceDay
#RunnersHigh
#FitnessGoals
#PeakPerformance
#RunningCommunity
#ConsistencyIsKey

Meine Läufe über 20K beinhalten auch immer mehrere Gehpausen. Inspiriert von @oliver und @schrotie stellte ich mir dir Frage, was ich ohne Gehpausen schaffen würde.
So wählte ich meine Trailrunning-Strecke über 27K und lief los.
Nach 5K voller Zweifel lief es auf einmal wie von selbst. Sowas nennt man wohl Runners High 🤔
Es war auf jeden Fall ein tolles Gefühl 👍👍 und am Tag danach fühlen sich meine Beine auch wieder ganz gut an 😊

#runnersofmastodon #laufen #running #runnershigh

"The Truth Behind ‘Runner’s High’ and Other Mental Benefits of Running"

You've heard of runner's high, right? Well, I've got news for you.

From the article:

"As you hit your stride, your body releases hormones called endorphins. Popular culture identifies these as the chemicals behind “runner’s high,” a short-lasting, deeply euphoric state following intense exercise. Surveys have revealed runner’s high to be rather rare, however, with a majority of athletes never experiencing it. “Indeed, many distance runners feel merely drained or even nauseated at the end of a long race, not blissful,” says Linden."

I never experienced a "runner's high" and though I was just quirky. Well well, it turns out that barfing up my lunch after I run is totally normal.

No, but seriously, not feeling a high is normal!

Oh, and those who argue "you should run because you're going to experience runner's high" can go fuck themselves.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running

#RunnersHigh #exercise #MentalHealth #endorphins

While many people kick-start their day with a cup of caffeine: Breakfast Tea, Espresso perhaps, I prefer a cheeky cocktail — a shot of Serotonin, a dash of Dopamine, a twist of Endorphins, a splash of Endocannabinoids, and a kick of Adrenaline — all naturally released during and after a run.

I’m still nursing a bit of a hamstring niggle, but it’s heading in the right direction as I tentatively reintroduce some gentle speed work.

April looked like this:
Distance: 186km (115.58 miles)
Longest run: 10.96km (6.81 miles)
Average run: 7.68km (4.77 miles)
Average pace: 5:37/km (9:03/mile)
Fastest km: 4:50/km (7:47/mile)
VO₂ max: 45

#Exercise #Running #RunnersHigh #HamstringRehab #Health #Fitness #Wellbeing #IsleOfWight #FeelGood #HappyHour

I’ve never experienced runner’s high, but I have felt runner’s smugness | Jane Howard: For me, running isn’t about the euphoria – it’s about the small, everyday achievement of doing something I know will make me feel better in the long run

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I am a bad runner. OK, maybe not “bad”. I get out there, I do it. But I am slow and plodding. I’ll bargain with myself to just… https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/02/ive-never-experienced-runners-high-but-i-have-felt-runners-smugness?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Running #RunnersHigh #Fitness #MentalHealth #Motivation

Es macht wirklich so viel Spaß, durch den morgendlichen Leipziger #Auwald zu joggen. Begleitet vom Vogelgezwitscher und Sonnenlicht, dass seinen Weg durch das grüne Blätterdach findet. Nicht zu vergessen den blühenden, duftenden Bärlauch, der sich hier wirklich an jeder Ecke finden lässt.
Wie sagte bereits der olle Goethe? „Mein Leipzig lob ich mir!“

#Leipzig #Auwald #RunnersHigh #MeinLeipzigLobIchMir

@ghose I don't think I've experienced runner's high. There have been times during which I could have kept #running but it was more in a relaxed low effort state than euphoria. I doubt that's what they mean.

https://www.healthline.com/health/runners-high#definition

#runnershigh