Running psychosis?

gashinshotan

Do you guys who do long runs ever feel like you're losing your mind? Today I did my longest run at 12.36 miles and I found myself zoning out for miles at a time and questioning my sanity - I had my HRM and knew I wasn't pushing my heart too bad even after 10 miles but I was wondering if I had gone insane because I literally felt no pain/discomfort towards the end of my run.... or is it just the high doses of endorphins?

AZTrailRunner

Pain-free, yes... losing my sanity, No. LOL

You were in the zone. Bottle that feeling, and sell it on Amazon. You'll be a millionaire!

vwbug86

I believe they call that "THE ZONE". It's suppose to be a good thing.

emergencytennis

I have experienced a similar thing playing sport, where you can play with no loss of focus or performance for a couple of hours. The real world feels unreal, afterward.


The running thing I have not experienced, although I am working on it. I watched a Beeb documentary about human physiology, which addressed two weird things about humans compared with other mammals. We have the least hair (naked ape) and we have the biggest buttocks relative to our mass. The programme concluded that we owe our success on the African savannah to our ability to combat heat by sweating, and to our ability to jog for hours, so that we could run down the tasty antelope during the day when all the big predators were resting from the heat. Our physiology let us exploit a predatory niche whilst avoiding our own predators, leading to nothing less but the Dominion of Man.

Maybe that is why running feels so good.

RAFValentina

I think its the endorphin and adrenaline rush... this happens to me!

Whatamilike

The biggest buttocks..??? Speak for yourself ;-)

I must've watched the same programme. I believe this event is what is commonly referred to by homo sapiens as 'The Zone.' It happens to me on occasion and I have tried many many times to recreate the conditions to precipitate it but to no avail. At least in me it appears to be a random occurence.

I'd say when it happens - enjoy it...!

Mommawarrior

I love the zone...but I don't question my sanity. Just me and the open road is one of my favorite things ever. No stress, no worries, just me and the road.

kehowe83

I don't think I have quite ever hit the zone. I am new(ish) to running and am at the point where I can go over 4 miles on my long runs.
I have noticed though that my shorter runs are going faster and longer and they are done much faster and easier than I ever thought possible.
Zone, I am not sure, but definitely over a hill and towards that coveted zone!

thirtyandthriving

I cannot wait to experience the "zone"!

LittleMissAlx

I've never gone insane, but I do sometimes find I'm running along and it's like my legs belong to someone else... like they're just moving at their own pace with no thought from me and I'm just like 'oh, I'm still running'. I find music helps. I'd go completely mad if I ran without my ipod. I like the quiet stretches of road where I can sing out loud and no one looks at me like I'm a lunatic.

staceyseeger

My best runs are over 12 miles...I live for the ZONE. I run alone, no partner, no music...just me & the great outdoors.

jeffrodgers1

I love the Zone. It brings clarity and release from many of the problems and stresses of normal life.

Just hope the silly buggers never catch up to me. :laugh:

Call it the Zone or a Runner's High its encouraging to be there. So few people ever realize it.

No you aren't insane... just enjoy the ride!

maemiller

i love zoning out...makes the run seem not as long