Transcendence and Tumbleweed: Getting that Runner's High
Between 2022 and 2024, I ran every single day. Some days it was a short, mile or two jaunt around the neighborhood, others it was an endurance endeavor covering large swaths of city streets and park trails. I was averaging thirty miles a week!
I’ve cut back on running as frequently, and supplement other forms of cardio and endurance training in my weekly routine; but running remains one of my favorite active pastimes.
Running is a fantastic way to be in tune with the physical environment. I’m hyper aware of my surroundings, in part because here in New York City, running routes are essentially real-world obstacle courses. In order to be an efficient runner, there are some non-running skills that are important to develop. These attributes include careful observation and critical as well as creative thinking.
I wrote about running as a form of enlightenment in a very early Substack post called “The Athlete and the Artist.” I suggest reading it since most of y’all subscribed well after it was published. In that post, I talk about renowned running coach Mike Spino’s mindful approach to running. Spino is not only an accomplished runner and coach, he’s also a well known poet with several published books of poetry and transcendental thinking that’s inspired by running. In the 1970s, he collaborated with avant-garde artist Allan Kaprow and progressive educator Herbert Kohl to create a multisensory art program throughout the Berkeley Public School District in California.
Spino’s expertise in movement and mindfulness helped many people, myself included, to interpret physical fitness as an art form. Having this outlook is a key factor in motivating me to run, even when I’m experiencing lows emotionally, mentally and physically.
Before a run, I do a few light mobility exercises to warm up. The main focus is to get loose and clear my mind of distractions and anxieties. I focus on taking deep and controlled breaths and performing flexible movements, which diminish the pent-up tension in my joints and psyche. After I obtain a calm and collected manner, it’s time to run. I have a very heady approach to running, where I just let myself get swept up in the physical process. I focus on the sensation of my foot hitting the surface below with each stride, and the texture of the ground sending vibrations throughout my body. This stimulates my mind and heightens all my senses.
Hitting your stride as you run produces a “runner’s high.” This is the release of hormones called endorphins into the blood. It’s a short-lived chemical effect that makes you feel really good all over your body and in your head. It’s a natural drug-induced experience. Unlike taking dope or morphine, getting a runner’s high is a healthy and welcome addiction. It’s cheaper and more effective too!
I’m absolutely not here to advocate drug use. However, when the theme of running is combined with the taking of psychotropic substances, you get Joe is Dead (2016), an amusing kinetic sculpture by Julius von Bismarck, Julian Charrière and Felix Kiessling. Consisting of three found objects, a treadmill, a fan and tumbleweed, the artwork might be interpreted as a metaphor for those unfulfilled resolutions to “get back to the gym.”
Something so absurd could only be the result of a twelve-day, Adderall and LSD fueled trip through the American Southwest. It was part of an installation, called Desert Now, which symbolized the dark side of the desert; specifically the connection that the Southwest landscape has with the development of the atomic bomb.
In an otherwise dystopian landscape, tumbleweed provides optimism. It’s a reliable source of life in an environment where vital signs can often be scarce and bleak. By its very nature, it spreads life. The tumbleweed is constructed in a manner that lets gusts of wind easily break it from its roots. As it rolls away, it spreads its seeds. Having tumbleweed repeatedly roll along on a treadmill is an allegory for survival in the toughest circumstances.
Repetition is a potent survival skill in nature. It’s also really important in art and fitness. Routine prompts our development through a cyclical process called praxis, where we emphasize the importance of critically reflecting on practice. We see what works and what doesn’t. We make modifications and adaptations to build off our success and learn from our failures.
As I spend time looking at the sculpture, the words of Timothy Leary run through my head: “Turn on, tune in and take over.” Art makes you think, feel and act. It exercises the mind and soul. It fills you up with a whole range of emotions and critical thoughts. You get a similar high from looking at art and working out. Both lower cortisol, and release feel-good neurotransmitters. Combining the two is ideal for a total body experience.
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