Completing a 20-minute run. Running 90 minutes straight. Increasing your pace from a 10-minute mile to a 9:30 mile. Adding reps to interval training. Matching your last interval’s time with your first’s.
Alternate between easy runs and hard runs. Run different routes with different terrain. Switch between distance runs and high-intensity workouts. Challenge yourself by running faster paces.
Give yourself at least 45 minutes to digest in between eating and running to avoid cramps.
Pushing yourself too hard can lead to early fatigue and injury, so set realistic goals for yourself. Wiping yourself out too soon or hurting yourself will prevent you from running hard enough to achieve runner’s high. Runner’s high occurs at different times for different people. Don’t think you’re doing something wrong just because a running partner experiences it and you don’t when you run the same workout. What works one day may not work the next, or ever again for that matter. Keep your runs varied in nature, rather than doing the same thing day after day in an attempt to repeat a high.
Pushing yourself too hard too soon can result in injury or tiring yourself out too quickly for runner’s high to occur. [7] X Expert Source Kai NgCertified Running Coach Expert Interview. 12 February 2021. “Base training” simply refers to running at a consistent pace for longer and longer periods.
Start by running for one minute and walking for four, for a total of 30 minutes. When you feel ready, increase the running to two minutes and decrease the walking to three. Continue in this fashion until you can comfortably for 30 minutes straight. Runner’s high could occur as early as ten minutes into a consistent run for some people. For others, it may take much longer. Either way, set new goals each week. [9] X Expert Source Kai NgCertified Running Coach Expert Interview. 12 February 2021. Just because runner’s high might have occurred at the 15-minute mark one day last week doesn’t mean that will happen again this week.
Run with others so you can test your ability to talk. Taking it easy as a beginner is essential to avoiding injury. [12] X Research source
If your current goal is to run 20 miles each week, divide them between four 5-mile runs or five 4-mile runs, rather than two 10-mile ones. If your goal is based on time (say, 120 minutes) do the same. Run four 30-minute runs or five 24-minute runs instead of two hour-long runs. Your body needs to feel stressed for runner’s high to occur, so too much rest in between runs will decrease its chances.
Gradually increase your goals on hard days to encourage runner’s high. Say your easy run is four miles. On your hard days, run five. [15] X Research source Or run four at a faster pace. Continue adding more time or mileage to your hard days with each passing week, with the aim of being able to run anywhere between 90 and 150 minutes straight. Runner’s high could occur before this goal. However, as your body adapts to running for longer distances, it becomes less likely as your body adapts. To continue experiencing runner’s high on basic distance runs, keep increasing the mileage and/or pace on hard days.
Runner’s high usually occurs when the body experiences prolonged stress. The more endurance you build, the less likely this will happen from basic distance runs, because your body’s used to it Seguing from base training to a variety of high-intensity workouts will keep your body from falling into a steady low-challenge routine. Focus on endurance training for at least one month before incorporating high-intensity workouts into your schedule. [17] X Research source
On your next fartlek, you can increase both the jogging and sprinting intervals by equal amounts throughout one run. Jog for two minutes, sprint for two minutes, then jog for three and sprint three, followed by four jogging, then four sprinting, and so on. The next time, you can increase the sprinting interval and keep the jogging the same. Jog for two minutes, sprint for two. Jog for another two, then sprint for three. Jog for two, sprint for four, and etc. Then you can push your body further by running a faster pace for your “jogging” interval on your next fartlek.
Short distances (400m, 300m, 200m, 100m) Long distances (3200m, 1600m, 800m) Same distances (such as ten reps of one 400m per rep) Varied distances (like four reps with each rep including a 400m, a 300m, and a 200m, with a 100m walk or jog between each one)
Run sets of one- to- two minute repeats up very steep hills (rising at 45-degree angle or higher). Do sets of two- to four-minute repeats up gradual hills (rising at roughly 25-degree angles). If possible, use different hills each time. Different types of terrain (sandy, grassy, rocky) provide unique challenges.
Tiring yourself out by running hard on your easy day will set you back on your next hard day. Starting a hard run when you’re already exhausted will reduce the chance of pushing yourself hard enough for your brain to release the necessary chemicals. At the same time, you’re just as likely to experience runner’s high on an easy day if your body still feels wiped out from yesterday’s hard run.
Don’t worry about losing endurance. High-intensity workouts will still help build endurance despite the lower mileage. At the same time, limiting the number of long-distance runs you go on will improve the odds of you experiencing runner’s high the next time you go for one.
Warm up for 15 to 20 minutes by jogging lightly or walking fast before your run, race, or workout. Eat properly and stay hydrated, with enough time to digest food beforehand in order to avoid cramps. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes, both for running in general and the weather. [28] X Expert Source Kai NgCertified Running Coach Expert Interview. 12 February 2021.
