Pubdate: Tue, 20 Jan 2004
Source: Daily Camera (CO)
Copyright: 2004 The Daily Camera.
Contact:  http://www.thedailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Laura Morsch, Camera Staff Writer

RUNNERS WEIGH IN ON EXERCISE VERSUS MARIJUANA

Jacqui Kaufman has never touched drugs, but she has an addiction.

Even after her 50th birthday, she gravitates toward it, traveling as far as 
Alaska to get it.

"Running is very addictive," she said. "I run for the high, for the feeling 
of satisfaction or the wonderful feeling I get." Kaufman said the energy 
and euphoria of a good workout have always been enough for her, and she has 
never been able to comprehend why people would choose drugs instead of 
exercise.

But according to a recent study by the Georgia Institute of Technology and 
the University of California, Irvine, she may have more in common with 
marijuana smokers than she thought.

The study found that young men who run or cycle for more than 45 minutes 
release a high amount of anandamide, a naturally occurring chemical in the 
body that produces similar effects to that of THC, the psychoactive 
component of marijuana. Anandamide and THC - tetrahydrocannabinol - bind to 
the same receptors in the body and may cause similar effects, offering a 
new biological explanation for the feelings of sedation and exhilaration 
associated with the "runner's high," the study said.

A news release from the Georgia Institute of Technology quoted Arne 
Dietrich, the study's principal investigator and a former visiting 
professor at Georgia Tech, as saying, "No other study has ever considered 
this possibility, and that's why the results are so significant."

Researchers previously thought runner's high was the result of a boost in 
the level of endorphins in the body.

Dietrich said the study's results suggest that exercise may be helpful in 
treating chronic pain and glaucoma - ailments sometimes treated by the THC 
in marijuana.

"I wouldn't be surprised to hear they've found that running stimulates some 
powerful system in the body that alleviates pain and stimulates euphoria," 
said Dagny Barrios, a former competitive runner who now researches running 
and science. "When you're on a good run, you're not getting pain signals 
that you normally would."

But Barrios, who still runs 40 miles a week, said she is not convinced of 
the connection between the effects of running and marijuana.

"I've heard a lot of people say that pot makes you feel kind of dumb, but 
when you run everything becomes clear," she said.

Buzz Burrell, an ultra runner who until recently held the record for 
running the entire 468-mile Colorado Trail, said a marijuana buzz can't 
compete with a runner's high.

"The feeling of a marijuana high would be a fairly small experience 
compared with ... the experience of running," he said.

Burrell said a runner's high is much broader and more complex than what a 
marijuana smoker feels. Runner's high encompasses achieving goals, the joy 
of watching the sunrise and the serenity that follows a run, he said.

Runners must persevere through an initial six-week curve to reap their full 
benefit, he said. "Pot, give it six minutes."

Burrell said he thinks studies like the recent one are important because 
they articulate the positive reinforcement that runners experience.

"Nonrunners find these studies interesting," he said. "Runners don't care. 
We're running it, we're experiencing it and we're having a good time."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman