Run Well Juliet McGrattan (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖

Deeper inside the brain you’ll find the midbrain, pons and medulla, which make up the brain stem. This controls a number of automatic functions, such as breathing, our heart rate and blood pressure. Behind the brain stem is the cerebellum, which is vital to us as runners, because it helps to control posture, balance and co-ordination. Other smaller areas of the brain include the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the limbic system and the basal ganglia. They all work closely together to make us who we are.

Brain cells are specialised cells called neurons and there are said to be nearly 100 billion of them in the brain. Neurons use chemical messages (neurotransmitters) and electrical impulses to communicate information around the brain and to the rest of the body at an astonishing speed. In return, neurons bring messages back to the brain, which processes them, takes into account other feedback from multiple sources, including glands which send their messages in the form of hormones, puts all the data together and determines what happens next. It’s mind-boggling.

When you understand the functions of the different parts of the brain, it’s easy to see how damage to one area can affect particular body functions or behaviours. Medical research is still trying to unpick exactly what goes on inside the brain and how exercise can influence it, but let’s look at some of the knowledge we have so far and answer some questions. We’ll then move on to look at headaches, eyes and ears, all of which can pose important issues in the heads of runners.

Did you know?

The average human brain weighs about 1400g, whereas a cat’s brain weighs about 30g and an elephant’s 6000g.

Q I know running improves my mental health, but how?

A Running is a very powerful tool for keeping you mentally well. First, we know that running causes chemical changes in the brain, releasing endorphins – substances that make you feel good both during and for a time after a run. Alongside this, running and other types of exercise also have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. We know that many major diseases, including depression, are partly caused by a long-term, low-grade inflammation. This inflammation is caused by a number of factors, but one of them is inactivity. Running can help to counteract this, because it not only reduces harmful internal fat in the body (a significant cause of inflammation), but also causes the muscles to release anti-inflammatory proteins called myokines.

Aside from the chemistry of physical exercise, running can help you develop a positive sense of self. Setting targets and reaching goals can help build self-esteem and confidence. It can make you appreciate the power that your body has and what it can actually achieve, which is usually way beyond what you thought your capabilities were. Running also brings people into your life. We know that having a sense of belonging and feeling part of a community is important for mental wellbeing. Whether that is a virtual community online, one running buddy to share your journey with or a whole parkrun family, that sense of knowing that others champion and support you, and that you can contribute to other peoples’ lives in a positive way, is very rewarding and fulfilling. This sense of belonging also extends to places as well as people. If you’re running outside and off the treadmill then running connects you with nature, which has a calming effect, encourages us to feel gratitude and brings wellbeing.

Real-life runners

When I run I also do a #2minutelitterpick or #2minutebeachclean. ‘Plogging’, as it’s called, helps me feel much more connected to where I live and to my community. I feel I’m looking after the environment as well as looking after my own physical and mental wellbeing. My motto is, ‘Be kind to me and be kind to the planet.’

Jo, mum of two grown up sons, lives on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales

Did you know?

Any exercise can improve mood, stress and anxiety, but exercising in green spaces outdoors has been shown to have a greater calming effect than exercising indoors. Researchers looking at data from the Scottish Health Survey in 2008 found that exercising in parks or woodland was 50 per cent better for mental wellbeing than exercising in a gym. It’s not yet fully understood why and how the brain responses vary in different environments.

Q What is a runner’s high?

A When you run, the body releases endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals that give you a sense of wellbeing. Endorphins bind to the same receptors in the brain as opiates such as morphine do, making you feel relaxed and happy. A runner’s high is much more than this, though. It’s a euphoric sensation. When you run long distances you can feel completely invincible, all pain disappears and you are literally on top of the world with no sense of time. Strangely it doesn’t happen consistently, so it’s not just a case of running, getting a few endorphins into your bloodstream and having a high. Many runners have never experienced a true runner’s high. Have you? I have, but only twice, and despite running many marathons since, I haven’t been able to reproduce that intense feeling of ecstasy while out running.

Researchers have been trying to solve this conundrum, which is a tricky one, because a runner’s high is a very personal experience and is difficult to measure. They suspect that it is far more complicated than just the release of endorphins. Evidence is pointing to the involvement of endocannabinoids – cannabis-like chemicals produced by the body and released during exercise. High levels of endocannabinoids have been found in the blood of endurance athletes and the characteristic sensations of pain relief, psychological changes and the easing of anxiety that can occur with cannabis plant use mirror that of a runner’s high. It’s interesting that the same euphoric episodes don’t seem to happen in other sports and there’s something about the experience