Does anyone else feel like they have runner’s brain? Like being a runner makes your smarter and happier, but it also makes you a little bit…not right? It’s obviously true. For example, we shell out $100 to go run for 4 hours. I’m paying someone else so that I can go run on the street. And I love it. No question. So what’s the matter with my brains that makes me do these silly things?
I’m actually not a scientist, but I am an experienced runner and I know the signs of runner’s brain. Here is a handy guide to help you.
you think a 5k is short
A 5k is 3.1 miles. Three miles. That’s three minutes on the highway. Or like an hour on US-131 (zing!). Three miles is far! That’s a good run, man. If you start thinking that a 5k is short, you may have a problem.
You’ve run a marathon (or farther)
If you’ve run a marathon (guilty), you’ve undoubtedly talked to people about it (way guilty). Now think about what a marathon is. You spend anywhere from a couple months to several months or even a year training for it. You run four or more times a week. You run so far that your toe nails may turn black and fall off. You have to follow a specific routine or take medication so that you don’t crap your pants. Then you go somewhere early in the morning one day and, after having paid someone $75+ for the honor, you run for several hours. At the end of running TWENTY-SIX miles, someone gives you a medal because you paid them and finished upright. And yet, you knew these things would happen and went, “You know what sounds fun? Running a marathon! Shut up and take my money!”
You’ve run more than one marathon
Some people can plead ignorance for the first race, but if you do it again, you’ve really got an imbalance in the ol’ frontal lobe.
You Use Running to Solve Every Problem
Happy? Run to celebrate! Sad? Run to grieve. Tired? Run to…be more tired, I guess. Energized? Run to burn it off! Stressed? You know what to do! You probably even go to a group run, meet other runs, talk about running, and run your running ideas by the group while you plan your future runs. It’s a vicious cycle.
If you’ve got more tech shirts than a Fleet Feet Sports, a year’s supply of Body Glide, or an addiction to races of any length, you might have runner’s brain.