There is No Such Thing as a Runner’s High.

I began running several years ago. It wasn’t because, like a lot of people, the pandemic stopped me from a gym routine. It was mostly because I realized that as I was getting older, I needed to find something that I could consistently do to improve my overall health and wellbeing. It just so happened that it coincided with the COVID-19 meltdown.

I’ve given running a shot several times in my adult years, only to find that I was quickly discouraged by the lack of progress I was making. I was measuring progress by mile times, physical changes in my body, and my mental attitude (was I happier, more fulfilled, energetic, etc.). With all the vigor and good intentions that I had, each time I attempted to add running as a part of my daily routine, I quickly gave up because I felt like it had failed to give me the desired results.

Countless times I also thought, if I could just push through, I would eventually feel this “runner’s high” that everyone talks about. Where you are running effortlessly, bounding down the path as if you are gliding from one cloud to the next. I thought this was the end goal.  The nirvana of running. Looking back, I pushed myself farther and harder than I should have in an effort to reach this pinnacle of running. But each time, I never got close.

Finally, I decided that if I was going to “take up” running again, I would do a little more research, talk to some coaches, and try to understand why I wasn’t finding success. Afterall, it seems easy! You put on a pair of running shoes and… GO! Right?

Here’s the problem. If you run too fast, or too hard, or too long, you risk targeting the wrong kind of energy stores in your body (if you’re wondering what those are, I am talking about glucose vs. fat stores). This results in sheer exhaustion, and often injury, fairly quickly. When this happens, the consistency of running trails off (no pun intended) and it becomes harder and harder to show up to do the work each day. 

To truly improve pace (running faster), and endurance, you start by running painstakingly SLOW. As your body builds a foundation, and as you run consistently (we’re talking most days of the week), you gradually begin to see the desired results. We aren’t talking days, or even weeks. We are talking months and, ultimately, years to attain more ambitious goals.

Running is a sport that requires patience and trusting (investing, even) in a process. There is no way to rush the results or “speed up” the outcomes in your favor. There is only ONE way to go from someone who runs to someone who is a “runner.” Once you have built this foundation, and trained your body relentlessly, THAT is when you will feel the runner’s high.

But the high is simply an expectation that your body is following through and performing the way you have trained it to perform for all of those years. You have been intentional and unabated over and over again. The results in that moment are the confluence of your time, intensity, energy and fidelity to the end goal. That is the runner’s high.

The alternative is to find solid investments that have long track records of success and consistently put money into them a little at a time. You start off slow but you are consistent, increasing on a regular basis. You see some gains and some losses but you stick to the plan. You focus on the journey, knowing that if you plug away with the end goal in mind, one day you will reach that result.

Over time, as you continue to be disciplined, you start to see your account balance grow a little faster. Because now, although your investments are still compounding at the same rate, they have a solid foundation that makes your actual dollars grow faster. Eventually, you arrive at your goal of a runner’s high when you have made it to retirement, or a vacation home, or a charitable gift. You can exhale and briefly enjoy that feeling of accomplishment.

Soooo… Now What?

I have seen what happens next many times. The discipline you maintained to get to that first runner’s high has created a sense of “now what”? So you find a new training plan (financial goal) and you start working the plan again; leaving that first runner’s high in the past as a part of your foundation towards bigger, more difficult outcomes you can get excited about. Towards that next runner’s high.

No matter where you are today, you can choose to become a runner or an investor–or both! If you consider yourself either of those things already, take a moment to evaluate your training schedule. When the markets are volatile, it is easy to think about quitting, or changing up your plan. It is especially important to stay focused and unwavering as you push through. Nothing in the short term can derail your long term goals as long as you stay true to those goals.  

Whether it is running or investing, making a commitment to do what it takes to reach your runner’s high will help clarify the steps necessary along the way, even when you encounter tough days.

Ready to make a plan? Here are 4 things to consider when approaching an investment strategy!