# Exercise... for fun?!?



## Luno

Okay, as we can see, this forum "Health and Fitness" is always a popular posting site for the Medics and EMTs....   So long story short, this year I decided that I was spending too much time in the weight room, not enough time doing cardio (f'n hate cardio...).  That being said, I took the plunge, and bought new running shoes (yeah, I'm kinda gear queer, I guess in EMS they're called "whackers" like that, if I'm gonna do it, gotta buy the gear...) and eventually started running again.  

     First couple of weeks sucked, but I started off with a partner, and he and I went running every day, well, most days on a nice little 3 mile track that ran around a small lake.  Luckily the weather was nice, so we didn't have any excuses, get up a little earlier, and knock out some cardio.  Both him and I were spending too much time lifting weights (all show, no go ) , and not enough time running.  First couple of weeks sucked, but then I noticed that I started to look forward to my morning run, and when he started backing out, due to some old injuries, I just kept to it.  Amazingly, my running times improved quickly.  I had heard somewhere that the hardest part of exercising is getting dressed, because once you're dressed, you're committed, so I started sleeping in my running shorts.  

     Well, it's all fun and games until things start getting challenging, then the weather turned, in WA state, it happens, no more 60 degree, sunny mornings, all of a sudden, it was a stretch of 45 degree, cloudy, mornings, well, okay, I've come this far, I'll be damned if I give up now.  Then I realized that I might be developing a pattern, when my daughters would ask me if I didn't have my running shorts on when I took them to school, "why aren't you going running today, daddy?"  Okay, now I've got two little personal trainers now... 

     Now being the ultra-competitive alpha male type personality, I've got to keep pushing myself, and always being one of those that tends to bite off more than he can chew, I got some inspiration from an EMT that I know that is in medic school now.  Last year she did her first triathlon.  This year I'm going to do my first.  I've got two planned this for this summer.  Now I'm wondering does anyone else here run tris, well, besides TriCam, I know you do buddy, we had this conversation.  And yes, I'm starting this year.  If not, take a look at them, it's daunting to look at, at first, but they're not all the marathon runs, swims, and bikes, there are also sprint triathlons, and olympic distances, which are much more manageable.  While they do look fairly difficult at the start, as you build up, they become much more doable, and c'mon how many people can say, oh, yeah, this summer I did a couple of tris?  Just a thought.  Anyway, if you're interested in my progress towards this, new blogspot for my training.  http://lunotraining.blogspot.com.  Good luck, and you'll never know unless you try. -luno


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## Onceamedic

when I was younger (15 years ago) I would run and lift weights...  my knees made me stop running so I went into the gym.... after years of that I looked around at all the grim faces on the cardio machines....  I looked at the tons of weight I had lifted and none of them had moved anywhere...  I quit exercising for exercise sake...  decided that it had to be FUN....  I did a bunch of stuff over the years.... now i do Taekwando for 6-12 hours per week and landscaping in the spring... keeps me buff... and its fun....


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## Jon

Cool, Luno - GREAT job!


I'm fat. I can't run for long distances... I've been walking around my neighborhood every few nights for 2-3 miles. I feel so much better just moving around and doing SOMETHING.

Jon


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## Onceamedic

Movement equals life....  and at my age, I cant stop...  cause if I stop, I wont start again...   :blink:

seriously tho... even fat can be fit... or at least fitter...  so good work on the walks...   your quality of life will improve.....


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## medic417

Fitness is definitly needed if we want to last in this profession, but more importantly if we want to last to be with our familys.


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## BossyCow

Jon said:


> Cool, Luno - GREAT job!
> 
> 
> I'm fat. I can't run for long distances... I've been walking around my neighborhood every few nights for 2-3 miles. I feel so much better just moving around and doing SOMETHING.
> 
> Jon



You look so thin in your picture!


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## Jay114

Luno, I admire you for making yourself begin and stick with something that didn't appeal to you originally ( like the weights seem too) 
I too like the lifting much more, but while I'm strong, I'm fat and don't have much stamina. I take my state exam in sept, and have been walking miles and miles at all different times,but have been slacking off the last couple weeks. I told myself when I decided to be an EMT, I would not be a fat EMT. Your post will help me stick to that. Good luck in the triathlon!


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## Luno

Jay, thanks man... It's not so much that I didn't have stamina, I've been a fighter for years, and now fighting MMA I have to go out and do road work, but it just wasn't my favorite part.  I mean mitts, sparring, heavy bag, etc... bring it, but just hated the distance running.  Now I have to do it.   But if you stick with the walking part, you'll definitely drop weight.  Also look at some lower impact things like spinning classes, or swimming.  Running probably isn't the best idea, especially if your BMI is 25 or higher (adjusted), because of the wear and tear you'll put on your knees/legs.  The flip side to that, is my BMI is .2 from "obese." (non-adjusted)  Stick with it, it will help you in the long run... (hahaha, I kill myself...)
Jon, good for you man, keep it up, you'll feel better because of it.


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## DT4EMS

Luno my Bruddah!!

Outstanding!! Kudos to you man! Keep me posted on how you do. The level of the bar has been raised so much over the past decade with regards to MMA.

There are several with EMS, RN, and Fire experience making a living in MMA. Wasn't Chris Lytle a FF in Indiana? I think Rory was the RN. There is one in the IFL that was a medic.

You have a fan over here!


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## Luno

A'ight, so I've been kind of out of touch for a while, been in Canada for work, but I'm a week out from my triathlon.  Training has been one of the most rewarding things that I've done in a long time, and I'll post the results here when I finish.  If you haven't ever trained for an event, I would highly recommend it.  I think I have a new addiction, and I'm considering running the Seattle Marathon in November.


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## Jay114

Luno, how did the triathlon go? I hope you were satisfied with your results. I'm still being inspired by your post. I've been going to my local Ymca for a few weeks and have a regular exercise regiment going.


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## Luno

*Results*

Didn't do half bad, all things considered, missed a podium spot by 38 seconds, which pretty much sucks, but in retrospect, I could have also done a lot better, had some gear issues, etc... It's an addiction, and I guess I've got an addiction prone personality!!!!  It's a blast though, highly recommended!


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## emtkelley

I've got a bit too much junk in the trunk myself. I am having surgery on my arm tomarrow and then I hope to start up with something to "tone up". I'm going to call tomarrow before I head off to the hospital and find out how much a membership to the gym is. If anything, I will start walking and get rid of some of the weight.


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## crash_cart

Luno said:


> Didn't do half bad, all things considered, missed a podium spot by 38 seconds, which pretty much sucks, but in retrospect, I could have also done a lot better, had some gear issues, etc... It's an addiction, and I guess I've got an addiction prone personality!!!!  It's a blast though, highly recommended!



Kudos to you, no easy task by any means!.:unsure:

I lifted quite a bit when I was younger.  I stayed away from running as I had little "bumps" on my shins that made running nearly impossible and very painful.  I don't have those as much any more, though I use ankle braces and knee straps which reduces their presence.  I run 2.5 every night and I more than agree with a previous post of yours-it sucks until you get your "runner legs' underneath you.  I want to do some 5K events, though I'll leave the triathlon stuff for you diehards.


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## WLSC2008

*Weight*

Everyone,
    I do admit that I am not in the greatest shape of my life.  When I was younger I swam on a swim team and was in great shape.  I sometimes have a hard time walking up flights of stairs and have asthma on top of everything else.
    I know I need to get into shape better and actually I am planning on making time when I start my EMT-Basic class in the spring.  It is kind of serving as a motivator for me.

Anyone got any tips?

Thanks!


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## emtff376

Luno, what distance tri did you do and which one was it?  I am also a triathlete.

WLSC - I was a couch potato for most of my adult life.  Like you, I was active when I was younger.  After seeing my brother in the hosp. and barely being able to fit into my bridesmaid dress for my best friend's wedding, I decided I needed a change.  I lost 80 pounds and began exercising.  I started real slow with mostly walking.  I began to jog and bike and lift weights after that.  I ran in a few 5 and 10k races about 3 years ago.  I took a year off while I was building a house and then began competing in triathlon last year.  Luno is right, its very addictive.  My advice is start slow, talk to your doctor about what you should and shouldn't be doing because of your asthma.  Swimming is still a great, all around workout with minimal impact on your body (unless you swim into the dock like I did during my first tri this season... DOH!).  Let me know if you'd like and help, tips, advice, etc.  I'll be glad to help you out.

be safe, yall.


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## fyrdog

I bought a bike this year to get some cardio exercise. Easier on my knees than running. One of the guys I work talked me into a 100K ride. about 30 miles into it som one asked how long I had been riding. I had 180 miles on the bike at that point. Finished the ride in a little over 5 hours. BTW hills suck!


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## Onceamedic

fyrdog said:


> I bought a bike this year to get some cardio exercise. Easier on my knees than running. One of the guys I work talked me into a 100K ride. about 30 miles into it som one asked how long I had been riding. I had 180 miles on the bike at that point. Finished the ride in a little over 5 hours. BTW hills suck!



Right on !  I love stories like this one...  Yes.. hills suck but you are in good shape and biking will keep you there.  I have a weather problem this year.  I live in Wisconsin and am in paramedic school so I won't be going to Arizona this year.  I can see myself at the end of this year... stressed out, nasty and fat.<_<


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## fit4duty

WLSC2008 said:


> Everyone,
> I do admit that I am not in the greatest shape of my life.  When I was younger I swam on a swim team and was in great shape.  I sometimes have a hard time walking up flights of stairs and have asthma on top of everything else.
> I know I need to get into shape better and actually I am planning on making time when I start my EMT-Basic class in the spring.  It is kind of serving as a motivator for me.
> 
> Anyone got any tips?
> 
> Thanks!



hey killer good for you. i would suggest that the first thing you want to do is learn how to eat in a way that is good for you but also something that you will be able be reasonably consistent in following. No need to be psycho/obsessive what fun is that? Just reasonably consistent.

As for the exercise start out slow. Really slow then pick up as your body permits. like:

walk-->walk longer-->walk faster-->jog (repeat)

just be consistent and patient.

be safe and have fun ^_^


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## Luno

*fit4duty*

Eating is important, but I would say that when you're working out hard, I had an interesting experience with that... I was eating everything in sight, usually 4 large meals a day (think 1 large plate of food, and a large salad), and my weight was staying static, which was at 208lbs, granted, on run days it was 7-7.5 miles in under an hour, bike days was 10-15 miles at 18-20mph pace.  Oh, EMTFF, I'm training and racing sprints, I don't see my 5'10" 212lbs frame really built for the 6hr endurance races, but dangerous on the high intensity for an hour or so...


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## emtff376

I hear ya, buddy.  I do sprint also.  Me and running don't get along too well.  I'm 5'9, but the 28 inch inseam doesn't lend well to fast legs! ^_^


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## medic417

Man I must be old and out of shape.  My sprint to go pee 20 times a night does me in.


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## emtff376

lol, medic417.  You're right, the word "sprint" is pretty subjective.


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## Luno

Hahaha, it's great, I love the really hilly courses, I look more like a powerlifter than a triathlete, but their long skinny legs really suck on hills where I can maximize my advantage...  I'm debating moving up to the Olympic distances this year, my pace is good for the run, but the bike is where I'm making up alot of time...  Well, good luck on your season, when's your first race of '08?  I think I'm going to race in April, probably up in Canada.


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## emtff376

I did my first in April two years ago, but more of a mulisport than a true tri.  It was a run, kayak, bike.

My first true tri of the season for the last two years has been the YMCA Rocky Gap tri in Maryland.  Its usually the first or second weekend in June.  The open water swim is a little chilly.

My favorite tri is the IronGirl Columbia tri.  I've done it for the two years its been in existence.  Its 1000m open water swim, 30k bike, 3.3 mile run.  Its a great course and all the proceeds go to the Ulmer Cancer Fund.  This year 1800 women signed up for the race.

I want to move up to olympic, but I'm not looking forward to a 10k.  I mean, I know I can run a 10k, but since I'm not designed for running, I've been holding back.  Like you, I'm more like a lifter looking (I've been downhill skiing since I was 2 so my legs are huge).

Speaking of skiing, did you say in a post somewhere that you're a ski patroller?


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## Luno

Yep, just couldn't make the refresher this year due to a highly uncooperative appendix, so I just challenged the test again today... It's gonna be a great year out west!!!


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## emtff376

what area do you patrol at?

I'm at Timberline in West Virginia.  I've patrolled there for 16 years.  I'm the patrol rep. right now until we sucker someone else into doing it.


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## Luno

emtff376 said:


> what area do you patrol at?
> 
> I'm at Timberline in West Virginia.  I've patrolled there for 16 years.  I'm the patrol rep. right now until we sucker someone else into doing it.



I'm at the Summit at Snoqualmie, we're the local resort for Seattle, about 45 minutes East on I-90.  I started on Patrol in '03, so fourth year or something...  We're in the mad rush to get open, we had a base of 3ft before the last storm, which dumped another foot, and we're scrambling to get ropelines up.  It's a little bit of a late start this year, last year we were open by the begining of December, but we're usually open right about now.  It's been snowing, and the forcast is for snow for the next week straight.   So, how is that east coast frozen gran?    Oh, here's the mountain....
http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/info/winter/trailmap.asp
We're one of the smaller resorts in WA too...


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## r6yr

didnt quite read the entire thread (at work) but going back to the first page....

let me just start out by saying this, i do not work out. i do not exercise. i do not run.  that being said, my boss thought this summer would be a nice time to sign everyone in the office up for a 4 man relay.  now just because i dont work out and all that doesnt mean im not fit (or does it???).  im 21, about 6'-0" and a very skinny 150 lbs.  ive always thought that not being "fat" (i hate that word) meant that i was fit.  anyways i sign up for this marathon and i get a 3.5 mile stretch. i, being the cocky ******* that i am say to myself "i dont need any practice, i can run 3 miles..." boooooy was i wrong.  i started running, not pacing myself nearly as much as i should have, and about 10 minutes in im dead.  i started walking, i had to have walked for a good 10 minutes, but i never stopped moving.  i started jogging again close to the end, i ended up finishing with about a 10 min/mile pace which is what i was shooting for to start with but having never ran anything timed before in my life i thought 10 min/mile would be easy and it was anything but.  i guess to get back to the topic on hand...  when i first heard about this great idea i was extremely pissed and wanted nothing to do with it but after finishing (especially with the pace i originally wanted and not practicing at all) i was pretty happy with myself.  feeling so sore never felt so good.  but not a week later it was almost as if i wanted to do another one and if it werent for the $75 entry fee i would have ran another one.  i guess my point is that sometimes starting something is the hardest part and even though it may seem impossible and/or crazy it may actually be good for you and a good idea. i guess i'll just stop now with my motivational speech but congrats to everyone thats started running and kept at it. keepin at it was always the hard part for me.


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## Nocturnatrix

Exercise can be fun! i know this may seem childish to some of you but there is a game for play station and xbox called Dance Dance Revolution!

For those of you who aren't into games i would suggest pilates or yoga!
I lost a significant amount of weight and felt so good wile doing it! 
you can download the videos on a torrent site or they are usually on public programing in the early morning!


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## emtff376

> I'm at the Summit at Snoqualmie, we're the local resort for Seattle, about 45 minutes East on I-90. I started on Patrol in '03, so fourth year or something... We're in the mad rush to get open, we had a base of 3ft before the last storm, which dumped another foot, and we're scrambling to get ropelines up. It's a little bit of a late start this year, last year we were open by the begining of December, but we're usually open right about now. It's been snowing, and the forcast is for snow for the next week straight. So, how is that east coast frozen gran?



yeah, don't rub it in or anything! 

we're hurting for snow right now.  We keep having warm spells in between snow storms so it keeps melting off.

Thank goodness hell week is almost over (our pet name for the time between christmas and new year when the tourists run amok up here).  Had 5 car wrecks today.  Only 30 accidents at the mountain so far.


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## Luno

*snow...*

hahaha, that sucks!!!  So far this winter we have 18.5' on the books, with safely 1-2.5' falling each week...  As a quick point, this series of storms (past 3 days) has put down close to 36".  It's been a great year, injuries have stayed low due to people not being able to get up to the ski area, and the soft stuff has also helped...  Personally though, I running down to respond to a routine call, flat light and missed a nice little roller, I pretty much exploded at 25mph...  Luckily I have everything battened down, all pack straps were snapped and looped, but my body is killing me two days later...  That being said, I'm back on the hill at 1500 today... This is a job that I really love...


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## emtff376

nice!  total yard sale??  if you do that here, you get to buy the first round at the pub!  I haven't taken a digger in a while, but I know my days are numbered.  I enjoy skiing way too fast and tearing up the edges of the slopes, so I'm sure its only a matter of time before I get beer tagged. 

If I can find it, I'll send you our ski patrol hymnal.  We have written some classics such as "Riding the Bull Wheel Again" sung to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle with You" and "Cat Herdin'" sung to the tune of "Space Truckin'".    I have video of our paid patrol director singing "Bull Wheel Rider" (Mojo Rider).  Its pretty hilarious.

Oh, still in development is "Spinal Immobilization" (sung to Californication).

We're expecting cold weather this weekend.  I was running outside in shorts and a short sleeve shirt on Tuesday... temps in the high 60s!  Crazy.


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## Luno

Nope, no yard sale, my gear is battened down way too tight for that, the only thing that came loose was my cell phone which was about 10m uphill, an that came out from two velcro tie-downs and a pouch on my chest rig...  My body still hurts...  Friday was so busy, I never got even one run in, it was combo of digging out the hill after about 2' of wet heavy snow, and hauling bodies, so I was snomo b!@#$ for the day...


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## MSDeltaFlt

Luno and emtff,

What's this I hear about a "runner's high"?  I'm currently healing from a crash I had in late July; C2, C7 lateral mass, and L3 burst with vertebrectomy.  Halo's been off for a couple of months.  L3's growing back.  Doing a lot of cardio/weights now, should get cleared to start using lower back and abs along with running next month when I'm cleared to start doing a work hardening program.  Doing good on stair-stepper now, so running shouldn't be that big of a stretch... I hope.

Have you guys had much experience with runner's high?  May sound stupid, but can you expect to get it.  Or am I just reaching here?


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## EMTMandy

MSDeltaFlt said:


> Luno and emtff,
> 
> What's this I hear about a "runner's high"?  I'm currently healing from a crash I had in late July; C2, C7 lateral mass, and L3 burst with vertebrectomy.  Halo's been off for a couple of months.  L3's growing back.  Doing a lot of cardio/weights now, should get cleared to start using lower back and abs along with running next month when I'm cleared to start doing a work hardening program.  Doing good on stair-stepper now, so running shouldn't be that big of a stretch... I hope.
> 
> Have you guys had much experience with runner's high?  May sound stupid, but can you expect to get it.  Or am I just reaching here?




Well, I was training pretty heavily during the summer of '06 for the police academy before all of my injuries knocked me flat on my butt...at my best, I could run about 7 miles in one stretch.  I never reached a sudden plateau of "runners high" perse...in other words, it wasn't necessarily acute, but I always felt a sense of well-being during my run.  It was a good stress reliever because it made me unbelieveably happy for no apparent reason. haha I don't know if it was the heavy metal in my ipod, or a true endorphin high but making an educated guess I'd say it was chemical.  I don't know if this helps you any.

Good luck with your healing process...I hope all continues to go well!


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## emtff376

Luno - Hopefully you'll feel better soon.  I had my first real run in with a patient in over 15 years working on the hill on saturday.  The father of the patient asked for treatment of his son, which we provided, then refused to provide any information for our paperwork and also refused to sign.  He accused the probie I was watching of performing a liability investigation, blah blah blah.  My guess, he was pissed that he had to take care of his kid rather than ski and have fun.  I was raging mad after that.  Good thing it was at the end of the day.

Delta - I feel better after I run and I feel like crap when I don't run, but I can't say that I enjoy it or look forward to it.  I am more of a swimmer and cyclist.  I run because it is the only exercise that keeps my weight off.  I have heard of the runner's high and that people can get "addicted" to it.  I don't know... running into burning buildings is a big enough high for me. 

Stay safe.


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## Luno

MSDeltaFlt said:


> Luno and emtff,
> 
> What's this I hear about a "runner's high"?  I'm currently healing from a crash I had in late July; C2, C7 lateral mass, and L3 burst with vertebrectomy.  Halo's been off for a couple of months.  L3's growing back.  Doing a lot of cardio/weights now, should get cleared to start using lower back and abs along with running next month when I'm cleared to start doing a work hardening program.  Doing good on stair-stepper now, so running shouldn't be that big of a stretch... I hope.
> 
> Have you guys had much experience with runner's high?  May sound stupid, but can you expect to get it.  Or am I just reaching here?



I think it's a myth...   Actually though, I'm not sure I'd call it a high, but I think it becomes a crutch just like anything else, well at least it's a good thing... Short story, this summer I had been up for about 48 hours straight, traveled several hundred miles (by car and ferry)just been through a long day of hurry up and wait, and project meetings because we were kicking off a large project, and listening to everyone say their piece, and at about 1900, the owner of the company wrapped up the meeting, and dragged the whole team to the bar for drinks on him.  Now with that picture of exhausted, tired, irritated, sound just picture perfect for a beer then sleep, huh?  Nope, the only thing I could think of was "when can I get into my run gear and go?"  Mind you, and this is one of the few times I'll admit it, I passed up free beer to go running, and I never felt better, after the run, I went straight to the bar, but I "needed" my run.  It's a great stress reliever, and after the first month, I started looking forward to my time of pushing myself and looking for new challenges.  Does that answer your question a little?

EMT, yeah, well working pro doesn't give ya the ability to take time "off"    The body is just beat, I'm starting to feel old... hahahaha...  Anyway, it's kinda funny, on ourside the Pro Patrol actually does the liability investigations, well there are certain patrollers assigned that task, which is more critical especially since we have a rather large terrain park, with lots of manmade "features..."  I guess it's alright since the vollies have their hands full dealing with incidents on the weekends.  Well have fun, and hopefully we'll be digging ourselves out from all this snow come July... I think we'll run out of skiers before snow.


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## Luno

*EMT, how's the snow in VA???*

We've had 347" so far this year...


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## emtff376

Not sure what our total is right now, but its 45 degrees and raining.  Yesterday the conditions were perfect... sunny, warm, almost no skiers.  We're almost 100% open, I think we're shy one trail.

Had some interesting injuries already this year, most notably being a dislocated patella and a dislocated elbow.  Had a lovely, textbook, silver fork fracture yesterday.  I wasn't on shift, but came by first aid at the perfect moment.  The poor kid had a 3/4" drop off in his wrist/lower arm.  Ouchie.

Its supposed to be nice and warm here this week with temps in the 50s so I'm going to try to get outside to run, rather than the gerbil wheel.  My work schedule is all screwy now, so I'm trying to get back in the swing of things fitness wise.  

Sounds like yall are having a great season.  We only average about 180 inches a year.

Be good, be safe


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## Topher38

I run 6 miles a day and then bench and do resistance work outs. Im 17. Im not going to stop working out, even after highschool. hehe =]


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## BlackOut

Luno said:


> Jay, thanks man... It's not so much that I didn't have stamina, I've been a fighter for years, and now fighting MMA I have to go out and do road work, but it just wasn't my favorite part.  I mean mitts, sparring, heavy bag, etc... bring it, but just hated the distance running.  Now I have to do it.   But if you stick with the walking part, you'll definitely drop weight.  Also look at some lower impact things like spinning classes, or swimming.  Running probably isn't the best idea, especially if your BMI is 25 or higher (adjusted), because of the wear and tear you'll put on your knees/legs.  The flip side to that, is my BMI is .2 from "obese." (non-adjusted)  Stick with it, it will help you in the long run... (hahaha, I kill myself...)
> Jon, good for you man, keep it up, you'll feel better because of it.


Yeah, I have a black belt in Taekwondo and was doing it for awhile and it got kind of easy and so I moved onto Muay Thai kickboxing and did that for 3 years under Cung Le (NorCal legend)....then I moved on and wrestled for Wrestler Nation for a year, now I just moved onto MMA and have been training for a year.  I fight for American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, CA.  Big names come out of there, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Josh Thomson, Mike Swick, Bobby Southworth.


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## fit4duty

MSDeltaFlt said:


> Luno and emtff,
> 
> What's this I hear about a "runner's high"?  I'm currently healing from a crash I had in late July; C2, C7 lateral mass, and L3 burst with vertebrectomy.  Halo's been off for a couple of months.  L3's growing back.  Doing a lot of cardio/weights now, should get cleared to start using lower back and abs along with running next month when I'm cleared to start doing a work hardening program.  Doing good on stair-stepper now, so running shouldn't be that big of a stretch... I hope.
> 
> Have you guys had much experience with runner's high?  May sound stupid, but can you expect to get it.  Or am I just reaching here?



It may not be such a myth after all. The first link is a blog from a trail runner with a bit too much free time but penned a very nice primer on the subject. 

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2005/01/understanding-runners-high.html

The really interesting part are the posted comments. It suggests that it may be more common than we think and is the pay off from getting our bodies to be able to tolerate certain threshold distances/workloads before the chemistry takes over.

Second is from WEbMD from a few years back:

http://www.webmd.com/news/20010927/is-runners-high-cure-for-depression

and if the egg-heads say so it must be true 

Take a look if you get time and I hope it helps


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## Tiffers

So, I was kind of along the same lines of hating to run as you Luno... and started doing it a few years ago and learned to love it as well. The only problem was that it made the bad veins in my legs worse and more painful. So I've elected to go get the greater saphenous veins removed from both legs so I can jump back into the pattern of running again. It's been only a year, since I quit running and I believe people now when they say it becomes an addiction!


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## C2F2Girl

I prefer exercise in disguise. Our dept. regularly has softball/football games which are not only fun but a great way to keep fit.


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