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Saturday, January 08, 2005
Understanding the Runner's High
What Is The Experience of The Runner's High?
For those of you unfamiliar with the runner's high, I would encourage you to seek it out as part of your training. It's a mental state of relaxation partnered with a mild pain cessation that occurs after 60-90 minutes of steady exercise. I find it truly euphoric, setting me in a state of eternal optimism that can last hours after a run. It's not exactly a "drunk" effect, although it does make it a bit more difficult to remember to eat/drink/take the next turn (remember – always carry a map!). I would equate it to two Red Bulls and vodka, three ibuprofen, plus a $50 winning Lotto ticket in your pocket. ;oP Definitely not to be confused with bonking (when your glycogen has been depleted due to not keeping up your calorie intake), which is more like a half bottle of Jack Daniels when you have the flu, complete with blacking out to the mantra of "oh God, please kill me now". I didn't experience the runner's high until about 5-6 long runs (unlike bonking, which I hit on day two), so give it some time.
The first time you experience the runner's high, it can be a bit alarming. At first it feels like that mild head rush I associate with going anaerobic, but instead of fading, it builds over the next 5-10 minutes. I feared this "build" the first couple of times, wondering if I my water intake, electrolytes, or calories were out of balance. After realizing it consistently faded away, I convinced myself it was just a "wall" you had to push through when you depleted your initial glycogen levels, since 1200 calories occured in about 90 minutes for me, and I thought that was an average glycogen level for somebody my age.
I noticed that when I hit this state, my tempo runs became very even, even though I was spending more time looking around than looking at my watch. Everything had a natural rhythm to it - my footsteps, the sound of the wind running past my ears...even the trees and hills around me seemed to flow together. It was a wonderful meditative state. Before I knew it, I was longing to run 8-10 miles every day to "break on through to the other side" to find that familiar state. Hello, addiction!
Science Casts It's Vote – It's Like Smoking Pot!
For the majority of the last two decades, scientists have struggled with defining the chemical reaction associated with the runner's high. It was largely believed that the sensation was caused by endorphins, natural opiates in the body that are produced after trauma such as running for long periods of time. Just one problem – endorphins are too large to pass through the blood-brain barrier, making it impossible for this chemical reaction to be the sole cause. But in early 2004, Dr. Daniele Piomelli (UC Irvine) and Dr. Arne Deitrich (University of Beirut and Georgia Institute of Technology, also a marathoner) found another possibility – anandamide, a natural chemical that stimulates the brain in the same way marijuana does.
[warning – I am no PhD, so what follows is my dumbed-down version of a ton of great research done by real docs; it probably doesn't help that I've already gone on my long run this morning]
Anandamide (conveniently named after the Sanskrit word for "bliss") is a neurotransmitter produced in our brain that activates the CB(1) receptor, the same chemical receptor that is triggered by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. Oddly enough, it was the study of the effects of marijuana that led to the discovery of the CB(1) receptor (thank you, stoners!). But one part was confusing - the body doesn't create receptors that don't have natural internal triggers (and marijuana being an external trigger), so there had to be a natural internal trigger somewhere. Thus the search began for the natural chemical that stimulated CB(1), which in turn led to the discovery on anandamide in 1992.
Piomelli and Deitrich, looking for the runner's high connection, performed a study in early 2004 with two dozen college students who ran or bicycled for 40 minutes at 76 percent of their max heart rate, and then had blood samples drawn immediately after exercising. The results showed that both the runners and bicyclists had 80% more anandamide in their blood after exercising, with the greatest increase among the runners. They also reported physical feelings similar to marijuana use, such as relaxation, regulated mood, and increased appetite. Here's the biggest kicker - tempo running produced the most anandamide of all exercise! Although more studying is required to really nail this down, it is clearly a big breakthrough on understanding the runner's high.
On a side note, it also turns out that chocolate has small amounts of anandamide in it (Dr. Emmanuelle di Tomaso, 1996) as well as the ability to increase serotonin levels, both of which help regulate mood (ie, make you feel good). So, run every day and eat lots of chocolate to feel good? Me like!
Side Effects of Anandamide Use?
There is some supposition about whether the harmful side effects of THC (short term memory loss, low sperm count, reduced learning capabilities in youth, etc.) are also present in the natural stimulation of CB(1) from anandamide. There hasn't been a lot of research in this area, so it's hard to conclude anything definite. Most suggest that the heavy side effects of THC come from the fact that it is an "external agent", causing the body to overcompensate, and that anandamide (as an internal agent) is more self-regulated. One example that is often cited is when marijuana users get a case of the "stupids" the day after smoking, whereas runners do not - with marijuana, the brain "overcompensates" to rebalance the body, and you have a different chemical effect. Running, you don't.
It's worth a bit more elaboration on the "overcompensation" effect, because it has a lot to do with why you feel "high" in the first place. The CB(1) receptor can trigger how your short-term memory works, and adjust it as needed. When the CB(1) receptor is triggered, the brain uses less "memory cache" - meaning you process feedback in little chunks and quickly move onto the next. This is a similar effect to what happens when your body goes into "fight or flight" mode - it adapts to get more data from its surroundings. This is why everything seems so new and exciting when you are "high" with marijuana. The "stupids" that marijuana users feel the next day is the body overcompensating and creating a memory cache large enough to have you staring into space for minutes at a time. The ability to trigger this memory is also one of the reasons both anandamide and THC are being investigated for use in treating Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.
So it looks like we're not all crazy, and there is a scientific rationale for the runner's high. Well, a theory anyway. It doesn't say much about that spiritual connection I feel when running through the forest (or a good piece of chocolate for that matter). But it might help explain why I REALLY feel great about 80-90 minutes into my run, and why I want to do it every day.
So go run. Eat more cholocate. And the next time you think about dissing that group of stoners smoking out in the park, remember that you have more in common with them than you think. ;o)
Isn't research fun?
Have a good New Years, and happy running in 2005!
P.S. - Be sure to also check out subsequent research I found here and here.
76 comments:
- Anonymous1/02/2005 05:15:00 PM
Holy crap, dude. You have way too much time on your hands! So when is the "Pepsi challenge" coming where you find the equation "x joints = y miles"? Ha!
- Charlie1 - Anonymous1/06/2005 07:59:00 AM
I normally hit a runner's high around eight or nine miles into a run. That's when I finally get the sense that I'm doing something. It's the mystical feeling that you can run forever, without borders -- psychological or physical. I will also encounter spontaneous runner's high -- it may be triggered by something as subtle as a sudden shift in temperature, or it may result from an epic moment such as traversing a razor's-edge ridge at 13,000 feet as storm clouds bubble on the horizon.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous1/09/2005 05:27:00 PM
You can also hallucinate when running ultra's. Check out http://www.badwaterultra.com/stories/2003/2003mojica.html for a study done on ultra runner's at the 135-mile Badwater Ultra.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous1/27/2005 01:47:00 PM
Scott - thank you for this article. this was the fastest homework assignment I ever did. I can use this, right? Since your copyright says "use it?" no charge?!?
ReplyDelete I'm glad I could be of help, but unfortunately you need to cite me and the URL of the blog in order to be in line with copyright. So if you copy and cite yourself, you're in violation (not to mention in a bit of trouble with your teacher, I'm sure).
But you see the links - follow them up and write your own story. If you have some new insights, please do come back and post them.
SD- Anonymous2/05/2005 07:07:00 PM
The original isolation of the anandamide key and receptor was made by Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam in 1992.
Also, the natural anandamide that occurs in the body is much more fragile than the THC version, which is why it doesn't last as long.
If you really want to trip out, check out the research at KUMC that showed that anandamide is a key communicator between a mother and embryo, and is one of the first chemical communications a mother delivers. Gives whole new meaning to "bliss of the womb"! But it also shows why mothers smoking pot can totally mess up their kids from day 1.
Rey While I've often "got high" during the middle stages of my longer runs and have heard many other runners describe similar experiences, I've noted it also almost always happens to me in the cooldown phases of hill repeat sessions or speed workouts -- especially if I've done the workout correctly and don't end the last interval or repeat exhausted. Today's high following a speed workout stayed with me for most of the last mile, followed me back to my car and home into my shower, and even hung around as I was shaving. Trippin'!
ReplyDelete- Anonymous10/19/2005 07:48:00 PM
Sometimes I bring my zeppelin with me on trail runs and sneak a few tokes midway on my trail run. Talk about a runner's high :)
ReplyDelete - Anonymous3/06/2006 10:23:00 AM
This is the best "runner" analysis of this topic that I have found and I've been reading them for a while!
As a new runner (two weeks) I hit my first runner's high at 5 miles, and it is VERY ADDICTIVE.
Also, eat dark chocolate for the best effect on seratonin and amino acid levels. The milk in milk chocolate bonds with the amino acids making them useless to turn the glycogen in your liver back to glucose, your fuel for those long runs! But like most things, don't overdo the calories in any kind of chocolate. - Anonymous3/13/2006 10:34:00 PM
Runners high must cause a case of the stupids, there is NO, 0, zip, zilch, doughnut, Evidence that smoking pot harms babbies, in fact they "Normaly scorce above average in thier APGAR Tests", and you may actually scare other people from running if they are early enough into the pregnancy, which is safe btw.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous4/26/2006 04:30:00 PM
Hi Scott,
I was trying to get some info on the runner's high, so I just read the 1st 4 paragraphs of your blog and let me tell you that was enough for me! WOW! You have just motivated me to run longer and further now!
Gotta go run now!
Julie :) - Anonymous5/03/2006 09:46:00 AM
Hey-This is good stuff, and very encouraging to read...not only very informational, but you have a gift for writing. You keep the reader smiling and interested!
I am a Christian who believes in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and strength and self control through the Holy Spirit. I always associate the ability to mentally break away from the body and experience the high, as God completely taking over, because I don't see any way that I myself would ever be able to run as far as I do without that. In fact, I always wanted to be a long distance runner, but until I asked Jesus into my heart I never had his power to call on for strength. The Bible teaches that if we accept Jesus into us, then the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are able to experience awesome things like miraculous healings, speaking in tongues, prophecy, and deliverence from satan so why not something so simple as strength for a good long run to glorify God. I also believe that when I run I come into God's presence. It's like fasting...when your physical body isn't getting what it needs you automatically go into spirit mode where that is what is being called on to sustain. We (anyone who believes in living for Jesus Christ) know that we can't rely on our emotions or feelings, but on the biblical promises and holiness of God. Which means that we don't don't do anything just because it "feels good". We should be strong and fight the urges of flesh...die to the body, and live in the Spirit of Christ Jesus...running is a great way to practice this...it's a total test of the mind/spirit/body relationship. If anyone has fasted they know that a runner's high is a similar experience.... getting a "spiritual high" where thoughts are clear and you feel such peace because as you deny your physical body the Holy Spirit intervines for your physical pain or need.
These are my thoughts and experiences. - Anonymous5/14/2006 07:34:00 PM
Here's a link to study exploring if cannabis use CAUSES schizophrenia. Very interesting.
ReplyDelete For those wondering if it's possible to overdose on THC, here's a great article.
"DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young found that a lethal dose of marijuana would require an adult to smoke 1,500 pounds of cannabis in 15 minutes. That would mean absorbing more than 75 pounds of pure THC in the smoke."- Anonymous10/01/2006 03:57:00 PM
I get a runners high too usually mile 8 and another at 16. Nothing unusual there, but I thought I must be the only one out there as I often (not always) like to eat a hash cake before I start running (I gave up smoking two years ago I reckoned it hurt my lungs too much.) The highs come all the same just better, my friends both runners and smokers think I'm nuts! The surroundings have a big impact on the effect I find, like many of you, a cool breeze or the beauty of a sunset, or sunlight through the trees. Adverse conditions like a thunderstorm or the challenge of a hill can set it off too.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous10/09/2006 06:40:00 PM
I hit runner's high at about mile 6-8, but if I run a steady 3 miles and then dramatically increase my speed, i'll get a high within 3 minutes that will last as long as I keep my speed up.
Crazy feeling...what an addiction huh? But I guess any addiction that gives you a 6 pack and a nice behind is one worth sticking to haha! - Anonymous10/23/2006 08:48:00 AM
I have actually had a runners high in a race once which is really wierd because I usually don't get them until late in a distance run that i am cruising comfortably. It was the most comfortable 8k of my life. I am not saying i didn't feel any pain, but compared to a normal race I could drive hard without really feeling a ton of strain on the body. I felt like everyone around me was working so hard and I was feeling smooth and good. I negative split that race and finished with one of my better races of the season.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous10/25/2006 01:34:00 PM
A very good article, but i do find that runners high seems to kick in after a certain percentage of the run undertaken, approx for me around 35%, assuming the run is of a good distance.
Hence, if im running a half marathon the brain seems to know, and from about 4 miles onwards ill be in a state of euphoria, and seemingly high levels of mental concentration, and physical enjoyment.
Yet during full marathons I find this state may not occur till more nearer 9 miles, which would be take me about 50 mins on recent performances. Therefore am I experiencing this prematurely?
Ps, it goes after about 80% of the run, and from there its just pain! - Anonymous10/31/2006 02:21:00 PM
Well I've smoked a lot of pot in my time and I just started to run. I'll let you know if it's the same :-)
ReplyDelete - Anonymous11/17/2006 04:24:00 PM
I was a heavy dope user for over 15 years, and started running when I gave up dope 3 years ago. I used to do a lot of cycling stoned, and the feeling I'd get on a intense cycle wasted, was very similar to the high I can get on a run. The difference for me is that the high from dope has some negatives, such paranoia, negative mood swings etc runners high is an entirely positive experience!
ReplyDelete - Anonymous11/24/2006 02:40:00 PM
Explain's our President's obsession with running/cycling. He substituted New Balance for the bottle and the straw.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous12/14/2006 01:23:00 PM
awesome article ..
I always thought runners high is something that only marathoners experience after 15 miles or so ..
but this article and comments make me want to increase my 3 mile runs to 6 or 7. .. - Anonymous12/19/2006 01:59:00 PM
I recently bought myself a set of ankle weights: 5 pounds for each leg. Last Sunday, I tried them out for the first time. I used to walk the three miles to town (downhill some 900 feet in elevation) and back, just to go to the Post Office, because I couldn't afford a car and the Pony Express don't come this far out in the sticks.
Anyway, it normally took me 45 minutes to walk into town and 50 minutes to walk back home.
I didn't time myself Sunday, but I'm here to tell you that I got runner's high without running and it was that first time it ever happened to me! I just climbed 900 feet over three miles, most of it in the first mile, and that's about where I started brainstorming.
Anybody want to come climb my hill with me and see if you can keep up with (or maybe even without) 5 pounds strapped to each ankle? - Anonymous1/06/2007 09:43:00 AM
Does anyone out there know if you can get a similar "swimmer's high", and about how many laps it would take?
ReplyDelete - Anonymous1/25/2007 04:06:00 AM
My runners high is very different. I run on average quite a short distance about 4 to 4and a half miles 5 or 6 times a week. I have experienced pleasure a weird sensation while running longer distances associated primarily with almost not feeling myself touch the ground, and a pleasnet numbness that made me want to go faster. However my real addiction to running comes from when I purposely run the last 2 and a half miles of my run fast, to the point that when I finish I know I am feeling exerted. Now If I finish at speed (which I know isent that great), the moment when I stop and catch my breath is like an orgasm. I feel incredible loose relaxed and clam. This busts stress and my bodys high usually lasts until around 4pm when I feel like crap. The main problem is that if I don't get my run in early before my days start then I feel groggy and unfocused.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous3/02/2007 01:04:00 PM
Ahhhh I love it, I love it, I love it. Doesn't get any better for me.
ReplyDelete Does anyone experience a low after running? I'm just getting into trail running, I go three times a week, and only go about 2.5-3 miles each time. The run itself is great. I feel fantastic during and after. After reading through these posts, I think I have experienced the pre-cursors to a full blown runners high (feeling in tune with my surroundings, letting my mind take over my body and just cut free, very positive sense of well-being and high optimisim). Anywhere fom 7-24 hours after the run, it fells like I hit a low. I run every other day and the days that I don't run are often the ones where I feel the most removed from the optimism I felt the day before. I'm often sluggish, unmotivated, and a bit listless. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced this in connection with running. If you have, any thoughts on countering it?
ReplyDelete- Anonymous3/06/2007 02:05:00 PM
I don't have any real knowledge to offer. I would want to make sure you drinking what may seem like much more water than you should. That usually turns things around for me. Also, when I can avoid all the candy siting around the office I feel much better of course.
As far the the runner high for me, it is the point in some runs that if I were offered the choice of stopping and still magically obtaining the benefit of the rest of my planned run, I would still take the run. Kelly -
That's great you can hit the trails so often. Your "lows" could be a number of things, some of which are positive.
Are you making sure you take in some calories right after your run? It could be that the "low" you are feeling is just your body recovering and building muscle. I know I feel tired on my days off. But I found if I remember to eat/drink some calories right after a run, I don't feel quite as bad the next day. The 30 minutes after a run is the optimal time to recharge.
Are you staying hydrated? Could be that your sluggishness is actually mild dehydration.
Are you new to the sport? I found that in the first 4-5 months of training, I was always tired on my days off. I chalk it up to heavy recovery.
Perhaps you are addicted to the outdoors? On my rest days, I often take a walk outside to recharge with nature. My day job keeps me cooped up inside, and that can bring me down on my days off.
I'm not a medical expert, so I can't really comment on what might be going on. But I hope sharing my experience helps you narrow it down.
Keep running!
SD- Anonymous3/25/2007 07:48:00 AM
Runner`s high is real ! I would compare it to ecstasy high but it`s without visual efects. Actually, the rushy feeling is even more intense. I am addicted to runnig more than i was addicted to ecstasy !
ReplyDelete - Anonymous4/01/2007 10:09:00 AM
Hey, I am 14 And yesterday Went for the longest bikeride of my life. I must of went 20 miles with some downhill parts, and some uphill. Around 10 miles I became very tired, but then It all seemed to go away. I wasn't "stoned" But I was controlling my bikeriding. I was just riding for the hell of it. It was odd. Of course today I will try agian.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous5/04/2007 10:00:00 AM
I decided to experiment for myself yesterday. After 1 hour of running on the treadmill, i experienced nothing...then after another 9 or 10 minutes, i suddenly felt pleasant tingling sensations within my brain. It was like receiving a back rub except i felt the pleasantness in my brain..near the lower back sides and upper middle sides. I loved it. I never felt anything like it before. It was very distinctive and had to be attributed to runners high. FYI -I do not consume drugs or alcohol or dark chocolate etc...it was the result of natural stimulation.
ReplyDelete The first runner's high I ever had was at the 90 minute mark of the first time I ran 12 miles. It was a gorgeous San Francisco day and I happened to be crossing the Golden Gate Bridge toward the Presidio. I recall looking to my left at the city and I noticed how unbelievably blue the sky was. I thought, "hmm, is that 'azure' or is that 'cerulean?' and then I noticed how the water looked a bit better than usual. It was deep blue and wrinkled with silver splashes of sunlight. Something was definitely going on. Then it built into a state of detachment. I had heard of the runner's high and let it envelop me.
While all my senses were working, I was unconcerned with the negative inputs (traffic noise, pain, etc). Every stride became effortless and I felt like each time a foot landed I had passed about 12 feet. I was bouncing along like the movies of the astronauts on the moon, or so it felt. Like another poster said, I felt like there were no limits to myself and I exulted in the feeling. I was unconcerned about time as everything in the universe seemed to be in synch. I can't really explain it... just a great feeling.
Thanks for letting me share that! After a hiatus I am back into running and working my way back to that mini-nirvana!- Anonymous7/01/2007 09:30:00 PM
I can't say how much I enjoyed your blog commentary on the parallels of your brain chemicals and natural & synthetic psychoactives. Your coherent logic and intelligent commentary really brought together these ideas. I am embracing physical exertion finally after a few years of shuffling through 'other means' of psychoactive stimulation to improve not only my state of mind, but also my state of being. Even the emotion of love can be recreated synthetically, let alone a runners high, so what does this mean? Basically you are an animal with the means of controlling all aspects of the vehicle you reside in aka your body. Yes, even your brain chemistry. The new excersize trend 'muscle confusion' defines how I feel your body benefits from experiences and challanges you subject it to: the more and varied you can handle the stronger and more balanced you become. Both a joint and a run are good for you. Both a marathon and a LSD trip are good for you. But if you ran marathons all year your body would suffer and if you burn joints all day long your brain can suffer. Now its time to practice what I preach. ;)
You might find this link interesting, but dig around the links before you come to a conclusion.
One more thought, I found this exert from another of the comments particularly interesting, "...getting a "spiritual high" where thoughts are clear and you feel such peace because as you deny your physical body the Holy Spirit intervines for your physical pain or need."
This seems to affirm that the release and inhibited re-uptake of the 'high chemicals', lets call them endorphins for understandings sake, can be uplifting in more than a physical sense. But to attribute them to a devine deity is simply masking the inspiring mystery with a psuedo-answer. If there is a ommnipotent god, I'm positive it would want us to discover all of the complexities of our verse namely our mediator for the information we intake and organize, our awesome brains. Supernatural religion is archaic in this age of debunking and scientific research, but real life experiences like a runners high shed light on the purpose for these amazing feelings. - Anonymous7/30/2007 03:31:00 PM
Three weeks ago I went from inline skating 6 miles to doing marathon sessions (18-23 miles), much of it at high rates of speed (really cranking it out on the inclines)and found myself experiencing the most awesomely blissful high I've had since my cocaine fueled days at college. Wow! I now find myself waking up at 4 each morning, desperate for it to get light enough for me to hit the asphalt at 5:30. I've never been in such great shape in my life (and I used to be an internationally competitive athlete) I'm addicted! So the question begs to be asked - is this addiction all good? Or is there a downside to it? Addiction by its very definition is a negative thing. But, other than getting only 6 hours of sleep a night where I used to get 8 (only because of my early wake-ups), I can't see a downside.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous8/06/2007 01:47:00 PM
How can people say this high does not exist? Too bad for them!
What's of interest to me is the calmness, clarity of thought and placidity that sweep over me after a hard run. It can be so strong at times that I joke that a prescription should be required. - Anonymous8/27/2007 10:14:00 PM
I get my best runner's highs when I don't have any destination to run to and don't wear a watch. I just run, and feel like I could go forever.
It really is addicting. I need to take more days off so my body recover, but I have to have my fix or I just feel down all day. - Anonymous10/26/2007 10:17:00 AM
I have read every post here with a great eagerness for proving that what I am feeling is real. I have been scoffed at for telling people I am feeling a runner's high at only 40 minute 5k runs (I am new to running, started 4 months ago), but I AM! Like some others here, I spent a good deal of the 80s getting high so I can clearly identify a physical/emotional change within myself. It am certain it is the music that sparks my high and it happens almost everytime I am out. Do I consider myself lucky? CERTAINLY!
The music begins to pound with me totally in sync with it, I beam (yes, I think there may actually be rays emmiting from my face LOL) out a smile that must look so goofy to passerbys (twice I even bawled). I get a chill that creeps up over me, I feel my scalp bounce (weird huh?), suddenly I feel as though I am running like a Kenyan and I just boot it -- no pain just pounding. Then, seconds later its gone.
I wonder if I get these highs after short distances because, to me, these short distances are so challenging to this overweight, 36 year old?? Or maybe because I am able to harness the feeling, welcome the feeling and not fear it, let it wash over me like those particularly satisfying times with my husband (oh, yes, equating the feeling to orgasms). Thank god this is an anonymous post!!
Soooooo much better than the highs of the 80s because I can feel good about myself after....and no hangover! - Anonymous11/12/2007 04:26:00 PM
Hi Scott.
I've been running for about 10 years now and have experienced it myself. Your comparison to the red bull, vodka,ibuprofen, and lotto wins was a bit extreme though. Has it always been that strong of an experience or does it get better? - Anonymous11/22/2007 11:58:00 AM
yay awesome great post thnx so much..screw marijuana ill get high the legal way haha...and yea the chocolate thing is probably true too. im gonna go run now
ReplyDelete - Anonymous12/29/2007 03:52:00 PM
GREAT article.
I'm 18 and a dude.
A few weeks ago I woke up at 6 in the morning and couldn't sleep, so I decided to run, something I would NEVER consider doing usually. When I'd think of running I'd think of those horrid PE days and all the pain running came with. But I decided to give it try. I ran only about 1.5 miles, but it was a hard run. Keep in mind I was/still am in very bad shape when it comes to this kinda thing!
By the last third of the mile and when I got home, I couldn't believe how good I felt. It wasn't just a "I feel gratified I did something hard" feeling, this was a very concrete, real expirience, which both physical and phyco/spiritual attributes.
The two biggest things I felt were euphoria/happyness/bliss, and also extreme sedation, both on a mental and physical level.
I felt so content/relaxed I couldn't believe it. The euphoria was bliss; unexplainable. I don't want to use the word "happy" because in my mind that also relates a certain tone of active excitement. I would say Peace is more like it.
I also couldn't believe how sedated I felt. It was if I was really really tired, but the "tiredness" felt absolutely wonderful, without the added downside of needing/wanting to sleep. The "sleepyness" felt wonderful, but when I say sleepy I don't mean to suggest I wasn't alert. The complete opposite really. I felt increadibly alert and simply optomistic and "smiley" about everything. This lasted all morning and gently faded out throughout the day.
Most people expirience "runners high" at around mile 8. I think I felt it so early because my body was not used to physical activity, and the chemicals that incude this high were released due to a very weak/low threshold. I am assuming the more I run, the longer it will take to reach the high. - Anonymous2/25/2008 08:51:00 PM
It seems possible to get yourself into a 'euphoric' mindset after even a fairly short period of physical exertion. There is the feeling that you are functioning at a higher level than normal, which feels good, but only seems to last a relatively short time - while running. After a particularly extended period of exertion, such as a 75 mile ride, it seems as though the degree of relaxation and contentment that I experience is near endless...and it is a very prolonged feeling lasting even into the next day. I think that sometimes, these two feelings can be confused.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous2/26/2008 04:44:00 PM
i get high and i run at the same time try that on for size bitches. just kidding about the bitches part but yeah it works for me just a couple of hits and im off for 15 miles. There is no greater feeling there is nothing that compares. i wonder what it does to my body though? I can't help but think i should be trying to do it without a substance. i would record record times in meets but i would feel like i was cheating parrallel to steriods. All this talk got me motivated going to get hiiiggghhhh
ReplyDelete - Anonymous3/19/2008 12:27:00 AM
This is totally something that drugs cannot replicate. Great post.
ReplyDelete Here's another interesting breakthrough about anandamide - turns out anandamide levels can predict a miscarriage with 94% accuracy. No long runs for pregnant women!
SD- Anonymous4/14/2008 09:47:00 AM
The highs i experience are indoors in group exercise classes, specifically step. They happen as soon as I am warmed up and are influenced by the music and choreography. They don't happen as predictably as some of the runners indicate, but they can occur multiple times in the same session and have made me a (happy) exercise addict.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous5/13/2008 04:55:00 PM
I haven't been running very long but I still get the high. I used to run casually about 5 years ago and found it very addictive. I'd dream about it constantly. I find I get the high as long as I've gone past the burn. Can't wait to see what happens the further I get. I'm already hooked at mile 5!
ReplyDelete - Anonymous5/17/2008 05:08:00 PM
lol I used to be a huge pothead and recently quit (as a matter of fact I got the link to this article from a pot website lol). I also like to work out, and reading about this is almost making me want to become a runner lol. I mostly lift weights though, I absolutely hate running... I jog for 20 minutes for cardio and I can barely stand that, I couldn't imagine going for 90 minutes. Now that I read this I'm wondering if maybe I should ditch the weightlifting and start training to become a distance runner...
ReplyDelete - Anonymous6/26/2008 10:42:00 AM
I wish my runner's high would sustain itself. The only time i can get one is after running for a few miles I sprint balls out. But during my sprint my body is weightless and the run is effortless (which is nice after working hard) However, this feeling usually doesn't last past my sprints :( Nevertheless, it's a really cool feeling!
ReplyDelete Hello there! I'm definitely a fan of your blog site. Have you ever read "Ultramarathon Man" by Dean Karnaze?
That's probably a stupid question.
Anyways, I'm currently in the process of establishing my own running blog website. If you have the time hopefully you could check it out and possibly provide me with a few pointers. Keep running!
If you're in DC I will be running the Marine Corp Marathon on October 26th. Take care!- Anonymous12/26/2008 12:15:00 AM
I seem to get a runners high around the 6th mile of a 9 mile race. Music and spectators always help too. I love the feeling!!
ReplyDelete - Anonymous1/25/2010 06:50:00 PM
These comments are really funny. Anybody get the giggles from running?
ReplyDelete OMG, you totally know what I'm talking about! People think I'm weird but that high you get after running is not the same as strength training or other aerobic activity (for me at least). I can only achieve that high after I've ran 11 or more miles. Thank for blogging this:)
http://fitness2go4women.blogspot.com/Really great post. Interesting how the endurance high seems to require progressively higher dosages as one gets fitter.
Also, in my own subjective experience (through cycling), I get the high when I exercise at a fast aerobic pace, but not so much when I'm going at 'sub-puke' pace -- a case of stress hormones vs feel-good hormones maybe?
Great blog!Hi there Scott. I too saw about the article in the NY Times that you've picked up on. I blog about sport psychology in relation to running and athletics and have been researching runners high for the past 3 years.
Based on this I wrote a response on endorphin vs cannbinoid hypothesis http://stuartholliday.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-happens-to-your-brain-during.html
I'm hoping to get a response from the professor behind the most convincing endorphin research and update what I've put previously.
Great blog!- Anonymous4/11/2011 11:05:00 AM
Hey Scott. I'm "training" some friends of mine and one just experienced the runner's high and asked me about it. I was doing a little research and came across your blog. THE BEST BLOG EVER! Awesome article my friend. Thanks.
Are you running the Eugene marathon in May?
Bobby Lee (The Korean Pre) I found your blog post on the Runner's High just after I'd finished writing one myself. Yours in so well informed, thank you. All I could do is to say how it makes me feel and why running and cycling has made all the difference for me. However, I can really identify with what you say.
In fact it's the difference between quitting my job in criminal justice and keeping it.
You're very welcome to take a look.
Scott, thanks again.
http://ramblingsofdoug.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-is-runners-high.htmlI like your plan, more chocolate and more running jibes well with me!!! Sadly I have few lbs to lose right now so better leave the choc out for a while.
I've experienced runners high a few times and sometimes it's quite mild (could just be a second wind I guess, but is that also a runners high?) and sometimes it's euphoric.
Interesting to read some possible science behind it all.- Allie Holmes5/14/2014 05:41:00 AM
I've only experienced runner's high once or twice in the past year, but I feel like my 'high' is different from yours! I just get a sudden burst of energy in my short races and I feel like I can run mile on end without dying. I wonder if it's just a different, less intense runner's high?
ReplyDelete - Anonymous8/31/2015 09:23:00 PM
I do High Intensity 30 minute stationary bike workouts. At 23 minutes I typically have significantly lower heart rate and easier breathing but never slow down. When I get this high, I can casually converse or sing whereas before breaking through it is impossible. Is this typical?
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Carrie Underwood takes on 'Sunday Night Football' theme
Carrie Underwood has taken the handoff from Faith Hill to perform the musical introduction for NBC's "Sunday Night Football," but don't expect the two country superstars to sing it the same way.
Hill performed the song for the last five seasons before Underwood took over this year. The singer says she wanted to put her own style on "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," the theme song based on Joan Jett's rock 'n' roll anthem "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Underwood's version debuts Sunday before the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants.
"We were definitely mindful – she had put her mark on it for so many years," Underwood said in a telephone interview. "We definitely wanted to go in and make sure we switched gears a little bit and made it sound more like me. And changed up the look and the feel just so it wasn't, you know, the same song with a different blondie up there singing it."
Besides the football theme song, the former "American Idol" champion spoke with the Associated Press about expanding her acting experience by starring as Maria in NBC's live holiday production of "The Sound of Music" and also returning with Brad Paisley as co-hosts for the 47th annual Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 6 on ABC.
AP: Did you aim to make the theme song sound more country than the original?
Underwood: I used my producer so there are going to be some elements that sound like me, of course, that's what we wanted. But we weren't like, "Hey, let's use some fiddle," or, "Hey, let's use some steel guitar." ... We just wanted to make it me and make it fit the situation.
AP: Are you nervous about learning lines for "Sound Of Music"?
Underwood: I am. I have definitely been doing my part before we all get together. I figure if I at least have the lines memorized by the time I get there, we can slowly concentrate on delivering them. I definitely think I am going to be surrounded by some really amazing people, so I know they'll be able to help me with that. On the flip side, I will be surrounded by people who might not be used to singing as much. Maybe I can return the favor and help them. But it will be good. I feel like I am a hard worker and we're going to go in and we're going to do it so many times by THE night, it's going to feel like another rehearsal.
AP: One of the songs, "The Lonely Goatherd," involves yodeling. Do you have to practice at that?
Underwood: That's the one thing I don't have to practice. I actually have some yodeling experience. I can yodel. I don't think you can necessarily learn it. I can just do it. I didn't have to learn it. I am one of the blessed few.
AP: You're returning to host the CMAs with Brad Paisley for the sixth year. Do you even have to rehearse anymore?
Underwood: We definitely need to rehearse. We have fun rehearsing. ... All the people that work on it are friends. So we just go in there and do our thing and have fun and a few hours later we have some material. You never know what's going to happen. Last year, there was so much stuff that was going down right before the show and this part was being taken out and they had this big ad campaign in there they had to take out and we were like, do we fill that time? What's going to happen? Like an hour before the show, we are sitting in the production office going through everything. We didn't know if we were over or under or how much time we had for anything or how long our bits were going to be. It was kind of madness. That was a reality check last year. And I am glad it happened on Year 5, and not Year 1.
AP: Do you like that aspect of live TV when things don't go to script and you have to improvise?
Underwood: No, I don't like it at all! I'm a planner. In the end, when you're like, "Oh wow, you never would have known when you were watching." It's almost something you feel proud of and can look back and laugh, but I really like for things to go the way they are supposed to go.


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The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2013 will be available in bookshops from Friday 5 October 2012, priced at £14.99 (€16.99 in Ireland).
This year's guide sees three restaurants promoted from one to two Michelin stars. Sketch, in Mayfair, opened in 2002 and received its first Michelin star in 2005; L'Enclume, in Cartmel also opened in 2002 and was awarded its first Michelin star three years later; while Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Bagshot, opened in 2007 and won its first Michelin star in 2009.
Editor, Rebecca Burr said: "These are three equally worthy recipients of our two star award but each restaurant is very different in nature. Michael Wignall's cooking offers a distinct sense of sophistication, Jean Denis Le Bras at Sketch has a much more ambitious style, while Simon Rogan's cooking has steadily evolved and is now much more aligned with nature."
Eighteen restaurants have been awarded one Michelin star. The furthest north is James Close's Raby Hunt in Summerhouse, Darlington, while the furthest south is Paul Ainsworth at No.6 in Padstow, Cornwall. There are eight new one star establishments in London.
"I am very pleased to reveal that there are two further pubs included in this year's star awards", commented Burr. Heston Blumenthal's Hinds Head in Bray, and Guy and Britt Manning's Red Lion Freehouse in East Chisenbury have received this distinction. "This suggests that the trend for British pubs acknowledging diners as well as drinkers, and striving to raise their standards of cooking, is continuing to move in a positive direction.
"There are also two one star additions in Ireland – Locks Brasserie in Dublin and Aniar in Galway. Like the pubs, these two offer fairly simple surroundings and focus their attention where it really matters: on excellent quality food".
There are 39 new Bib Gourmands, 11 of which are in London. The Bib Gourmand recognises restaurants offering particularly good value for money – the current limit being £28 for three courses (€40 in Ireland).
"In difficult financial times, establishments awarded a Bib Gourmand have been a real hit with our readers, proving that providing good value for money doesn't have to mean compromising standards", concluded Burr.
In total, 346 restaurants and 138 hotels have been added to the guide this year; the 'New' (N) symbol has been introduced to highlight these establishments.
Also published on Friday is the Michelin Guide London 2013, priced at £10.99 (€12.99 in Ireland). This provides extended text on London's restaurants, with additional photographs and information on all starred establishments. It also includes a selection of London's best hotels, across all categories of comfort.


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Welcome to FMRo Forum - Football Manager Romania
Welcome to the official forum of the Romanian Football Manager community.
Like most online communities you must register to view or post in our community, but don't worry this is a simple free process that requires minimal information for you to signup. Be apart of FMRo Forum - Football Manager Romania by signing in or creating an account.
- Start new topics and reply to others
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If you don't want to create an account on our forum, you are free to join us on our other social media accounts:
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IMPORTANT: In order to complete your registration, a valid e-mail address is required, since we will be sending you there an activation link.
Activator L4-L7 pentru FM 2018
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Oproot Research: Photography
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Picture Description: flowers blooming 2
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Permission is granted for limited, non-commercial use of these images. If used, please credit and notify Oproot Research. If circumstances permit, please include the URL: http://oproot.com. Oproot Research would appreciate a copy of publication. High-resolution images are also available. Image usage may or may not be free. Please email questions, requests, comments to email@example.com.


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Units Per Inner
Inners Per Carton
Carton quantity
100 pks
Single Use
The symbol above is from ISO 15223. Its definition is "Do not re-use".As the standard document notes, this symbol is not intended to mean "single patient use" or "single procedure use". Items labelled as "Single Use" should be placed in the appropriate waste container once the clinical use of the device has finished on the patient.
Single Use equipment is universally recognised as an effective strategy in the healthcare sector which minimises the risks of cross-infection.
Single Use devices don't have to withstand the rigours of reprocessing and allow the use of different materials and more complex designs. All manufacturers are required to have data to show that a Single Use device will function safely for that one use only. Modern devices are commonly fabricated from synthetic materials. The interaction of these devices with the human body often leaves a biofilm on all the surfaces of the device which may be impossible to decontaminate.
Multigate Medical Products does not supply reprocessing instructions for any of our products labelled as "Single Use".
As with all sterile items, you need to check the integrity of the packaging before use. If the packaging is damaged in any way it can no longer be considered sterile. Items left over from an opened kit or procedure pack that are not used are considered as contaminated from an infection control perspective.
If you have any questions or would like more information on this topic, please contact your local Multigate Business Development Manager or our Customer Service Department.


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LYON, France – A Romanian national who is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice for internationally-wanted persons has been arrested in Spain following close collaboration between INTERPOL's National Central Bureaus in Romania and Spain and INTERPOL's Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) unit at its General Secretariat headquarters.
Ioan Clamparu, aged 42, had been on the run from his native Romania for eight years where he has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for people and drugs trafficking.
Clamparu was one of 450 international fugitives targeted by INTERPOL's Operation Infra-Red in July 2010 which aimed to locate individuals convicted of serious crimes.
There were European Arrest Warrants for Clamparu from Romania and Italy for prostitution, money laundering and drugs trafficking, and there were several cases pending against him also in Spain.
Among the charges he faces, Clamparu is alleged to have forced young women into prostitution across Europe after promising them jobs as cleaners and waitresses.
"The arrest of Clamparu after years on the run is testimony to the dedication and tenacity of the law enforcement officers of all our member countries involved, and especially in Romania and Spain, who ensured that this fugitive's crimes and victims were not forgotten," said Stefano Carvelli, Assistant Director of INTERPOL's Fugitive Investigative Support unit which ensured international collaboration to coordinate intelligence updates on the case.
"That Clamparu was highlighted as a target in Operation Infra-Red, INTERPOL's global appeal to the public for information on fugitives, was one of many important steps taken by Romanian authorities to maintain the pressure on this wanted man and use every resource available to them in his eventual location and arrest," added Mr Carvelli.
A Spanish National Court has remanded Clamparu in custody in Madrid pending extradition hearings for his return to Romania.


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How To Make A Mayor Go Away: San Diego Weighs Filner Options
How do you solve a problem like Bob Filner?
How does a city make a scandal-plagued mayor go away when he stubbornly refuses to leave?
The San Diego City Council appears poised to apply what might be characterized as the Al Capone approach.
Capone, as you may recall from your history books, was a notorious 1920s-era Chicago gangster whom the feds finally nailed on a tax evasion charge.
In the spirit of that novel "if you can't get him on one thing, get him on another" tactic, a united City Council is reportedly exploring a scheme to force out Filner over the alleged use of city money for $1,000 in personal items and for potential issues surrounding the cost of a trip earlier this year to Paris.
Meanwhile, Republican operatives and others organized a rally Sunday to draw attention to their fledgling petition drive to recall Filner, who has refused to relinquish his seat despite allegations that he sexually harassed more than a dozen women.
Supporters of Filner, a former congressman and the first Democrat to serve as San Diego's mayor in two decades, responded with their own gathering Monday demanding due process for the 70-year-old mayor described by one sympathetic speaker as guilty of "sloppy kisses."
The women who have alleged that Filner forcibly kissed or groped them, or who were allegedly subjected to lewd comments, include a former aide, a grandmother and female members of the military who had met with him about sexual harassment in the armed services.
As for Filner, who took office in December, he was a no-show at his office Monday. That was when he said he'd return after two weeks — more or less — of self-imposed time at a residential treatment center where he'd sought help for his behavioral issues.
Local station KGTV reported Monday that Filner's lawyers were in a "mediation session" with City Attorney Jan Goldsmith and Gloria Allred, the high-profile, publicity-savvy lawyer who represents three women who have accused the mayor of unwanted sexual advances. Allred said Monday she represents more women yet to come forward.
The Filner drama continues to draw unflattering national attention and produce strange political bedfellows: Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity are among those who want the mayor gone.
More than 80 percent of San Diego residents agree, according to a poll released Sunday.
Removing a recalcitrant mayor from office, however, can be extremely difficult — particularly someone like Filner, who is strongly motivated to have the city continue to pay legal fees and damages that may rise from his alleged behavior. And who come December will be eligible for a pension bump-up.
We turned to Steve Erie, a co-author of Paradise Plundered: Fiscal Crisis and Governance Failures in San Diego, to walk us through what's happening in California's second-largest city.
"We were known as Enron-on-the-sea," Erie says, referring to the coastal city's enormous financial problems. "Now we're the home of Groper-by-the-sea."
And though Erie says the allegations against the mayor, if true, are "absolutely reprehensible," he argues that the best out for the city is a negotiated exit agreement.
"If Filner is willing to resign, if his sexual harassment fees and legal fees and damages are covered, and he gets some little boost in his pension, that would be the brightest move imaginable," Erie argues.
What about the Capone strategy — ousting Filner over spending discrepancies?
"That is a classic overreach," Erie says, noting that the obscure city charter provision on which the council is relying specifies that the behavior must be fraudulent. "To claim that the purchase of a pizza, a juicer and some expensive meals are fraud — well, you'd have every public official in San Diego looking over their shoulder."
He says he believes that the spending discrepancy strategy is driven by deep personal and professional animus between Filner and Goldsmith, the conservative Republican city attorney. All of it is taking place in a once Republican city that is transitioning from red to blue.
The recall effort against Filner faces a high bar: Those who want to oust the mayor need to gather 101,000 signatures in 39 days.
And that's not the only hurdle. Erie, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, is among those who argue that the city's recall provision is unconstitutional.
The recall provisions require that voters in a recall election also vote for a successor — language that was previously used by the state and found to be unconstitutional.
Filner has "subjected San Diego to shame and ridicule," Erie says, but, as of late Monday, the mayor's face still smiled from the city's online home page, and there was no word yet out of the reported mediation session.
"There is no easy path if Filner doesn't resign," Erie says. "He's got some bargaining chips."


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Wednesday Morning Political Mix
Good morning.
Can you say lost day?
Can you say 24 hours closer to joining the pantheon of deadbeat nations?
Can you say turning on the default spigot of poison gas? (Warren Buffet can.)
That's where the nation is left this morning after the frantic, feckless and failed efforts Tuesday by House Republicans to agree on a path to avoid our nation's default and end our government's shutdown.
After the GOP House leadership waved the white flag, unable to appease factions that included the hard-line defund Obamacare crowd, the issue moved back to the Democratic-controlled Senate.
By late night, there were strong signs that a deal would emerge today to reopen the government until Jan. 15, and lift the debt ceiling until Feb. 7.
But not before Fitch Ratings put the U.S. government's AAA credit on "ratings watch negative." That signals a potential credit downgrade, directly related to the politics of the default/debt ceiling mess.
While Wall Street retreated Tuesday, early international market reports today suggested they were edging lower, but nothing precipitous as of this writing.
Neither the House nor the Senate, which adjourned at 10 p.m. Tuesday, has a set agenda today, but will be in session.
Here's how the stage has been set for today's efforts to avoid default:
- A scathing lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal advises the Republicans to "wrap up this comedy of political errors." The business bible accused the party of blundering by choosing an unachievable goal – trying to defund Obamacare – and picking the politically unsustainable tactic of using government shutdown and threats to "blow through the debt limit" to get there.
Bottom line from the WSJ: "Republicans can best help their cause now by getting this over with and moving on to fight more intelligently another day."
- Speculation continues over what tactics Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the leader of the GOP's anti-Obamacare caucus, may use to derail Senate efforts to craft a last-minute deal to avoid default. Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss told NPR's Morning Edition today that he doubts Cruz and his loyal lieutenant, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, will act to delay. "They're probably looking at the next round," Chambliss predicted.
- And Republicans are facing down one of the most damaging periods in recent memory, one that analysts including Josh Barro at Business Insider say raises the natural question of the party's competence and ability to take care of the nation's best interests. "There is not serious argument for Republican governance right now, even if you prefer conservative policies over liberal ones," Barro writes. "A party that is this bad at tactics can't be expected to be any good at policy-making."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina put it more succinctly: "We screwed up."
Outside of Washington, here are some other stories we've been following:
- Former Secretary of State Senator/First Lady/prospective 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a closed-door appearance before a trade group reportedly took pains to note that Vice President Joe Biden opposed the administration's raid that ended up in the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden. Biden has not ruled out a presidential run in 2016.
- The Federal Reserve today releases its periodic "Beige Book" report that tracks economic conditions, including home sales, consumer spending, lending activity and employment. The anecdotal data is the Reserve's 12 regional banks. In September, the report found "modest to moderate" growth nationally.
- Voters in New Jersey go to the polls today to elect a new U.S. senator. Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, is expected to prevail over Republican Steve Lonegan.


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In colorful Newfoundland turn of phrase, you might say that Fogo Island is far away from far away. The island is remote; only accessible by ferries and helicopter flights that defy dramatic weather and waves to drop visitors on a a rocky outpost in the North Atlantic that until recently was a centuries-old, declining fishing community.
This is not where you might expect to find a hotel that has won world-wide acclaim for its architecture, experience, social responsibility, and design.
Designer Karen Sealy and BestTrip.TV visited the extraordinary Fogo Island Inn to see what happens when local maritime craftsmanship meets 21st century global design.


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More Snow Coming - No Parking On Both Sides Of Roosevelt Island's Main Street Beginning Monday 12 AM Say RIOC
According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
The National Weather Service is forecasting for snow to begin falling in the NYC Metropolitan area after midnight tonight through Tuesday, March 4th, 2014 at 12:00 A.M. with an accumulation of anywhere from 6 - 12 inches.UPDATE 3/3 - According to RIOC:
Thus, effective at 12:00 A.M., Monday, March 3rd, 2014, there will be no parking on both sides of Main St. on Roosevelt Island until 12:00P.M., Wednesday, March 5th, 2014.
Free parking will be available at the Motorgate garage and underneath the Helix Ramp beginning at 12:00 A.M., Monday, March 3rd, 2014 through 12:00 P.M., Wednesday, March 5th, 2014. This accommodation is for Roosevelt Island residents ONLY. It is imperative that vehicles parked underneath the Helix ramp be moved by 12:00 P.M. Friday, March 7th, 2014 in order to accommodate the Farmer's Market on Saturday, March 8th, 2014.
Vehicles that do not abide by the aforementioned regulations may be summonsed and subject to being towed at the owner's expense.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department at 212- 832- 4545. You may also visit the Motorgate Parking Garage offices located on the 4th floor of the garage.
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
Be advised Main Street is open for parking.
If you have parked your vehicle in the Motorgate Parking Garage due to the snow emergency, please remove your vehicle at your earliest convenience.
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group


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When the local fire department responded to Princeton University's Frick Chemistry Laboratory last spring, they found Michael Kervan on scene ready to help. Kervan is both a member of the University's volunteer firefighter program and a senior maintenance mechanic in Frick Laboratory.
"I was able to help other firefighters quickly navigate the lab's mechanical systems using my knowledge from working inside Frick every day. If I was not part of the Princeton Fire Department, I would have had to evacuate the building with everyone else," said Kervan, who also is chief of his hometown volunteer department in Cranbury, N.J.
Though the incident involving a broken chemical container turned out to be minor, Kervan's story is just one example of how the Princeton Fire Department Associate Member Program has benefited the campus and greater community during the past three-plus years.
The program allows University employees to volunteer with the Princeton Fire Department during their work shifts, augmenting the municipality's volunteer ranks during critical daytime hours. The University also provides release time for staff to attend certification classes and trainings during business hours, with approval from supervisors.
"The University's partnership with our department has been a godsend," Princeton Fire Chief Dan Tomalin said. "Our membership has been on the decline for the past 10 years and it's always hard for volunteer departments to rally firefighters during the day because people are busy working."
Launched as a pilot in 2009, the associate firefighter program became permanent in 2011 and has grown from 24 to 30 University volunteers. The majority of members work in Facilities, Public Safety, and Environmental Health and Safety. While most participants had experience, eight employees were certified through the program. Eight new members will join the ranks after going through the training process this spring.
While University faculty, staff and students have long volunteered on their own with the fire department, as well as the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, this is the first formal partnership of its kind between the University and the Princeton Fire Department.
"It is unusual for a town the size of Princeton to still be protected by an all-volunteer fire department," Director of Community and Regional Affairs Kristin Appelget said. "Our University staff can have a hands-on, immediate impact on the greater community by supporting a critical emergency service."
Princeton Administrator Robert Bruschi said he knows of no other community where a university and municipal fire department "have come together in the way we have in Princeton."
"Throughout many areas of the country, fire companies are facing extinction because of the shortage of volunteers," Bruschi said. "Our collaboration has proven to be nothing short of an extremely successful program that benefits not only the community but the University."
More firefighters to help 'town' and 'gown'
University volunteers have an on-call day Monday through Friday, ensuring at least six firefighters from campus are usually available during the workday.
"As soon as that pager goes off, we are members of the Princeton Fire Department," said Assistant Vice President for Facilities Roger Demareski, who helped launch the program and also is a member.
Demareski said the volunteer squad received a welcome benefit over the summer when the fire department provided the University members with a reserve fire engine. Before, employees would meet on campus, drive to the Witherspoon Street fire station and then get on a fire truck. Now, they gather their gear, hop on the engine stored at 306 Alexander St., and head directly to a call.
"The engine has cut our response time by five minutes or so, which is huge when you are talking about a possible fire," said Craig Stapfer, operations and safety coordinator for Facilities' Site Protection department.
Stapfer, Kervan and Thomas Hewitt, also of the Site Protection department, are experienced firefighters and help coordinate the University program.
Established in 1788, the Princeton Fire Department is one of the country's oldest fire departments. Municipal officials said maintaining a volunteer force, rather than having to pay firefighters, means considerable savings for taxpayers.
"The partnership with the University has pretty much solidified our daytime response. It's been incredibly beneficial," said Bob Gregory, director of emergency and safety services for Princeton, a municipal position supported by funding from the University and a federal grant.
Garth Walters, director of the University's Office of Environmental Health and Safety, said the program has been a win-win for emergency officials on campus and in town.
"Providing the fire department with more personnel puts us all in a better place to get a quicker and more robust response," he said. "When there is a call on campus, the University firefighters also can approach the situation with some familiarity of the building and its operations."
Paying it forward
The program also has proved valuable beyond Princeton. Many of the University employees who became first-time firefighters also volunteer in their hometowns on nights and weekends.
"I would have never become a firefighter without the University because of the time commitment involved," said Chris Shannon, a Site Protection mechanic and member of the Chews Landing Fire Department in Gloucester Township, N.J. "It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of training."
Case in point: Shannon recently spent the morning at the Mercer County Fire Academy participating in a car fire drill with University volunteers and other members of the Princeton Fire Department.
Teams of five approached a dummy car obscured by thick gray smoke with flames shooting from its hood and trunk. Firefighters briefly planned their approach before one methodically opened the back hood and doors with a metal tool so other firefighters could spray the car down with a hose from a nearby fire engine.
"The object of the exercise is to watch out for all the hazards that may be in the car. It also gives everyone a chance to build teamwork and camaraderie," said firefighter Sandra Kearney, an administrative assistant in Facilities and member of the Cranbury fire department.
As a longtime firefighter, Robert Allen said it's great to see new people join the ranks through the University program.
"When you are depending on another firefighter to protect your life, it's a strong bond," said Allen, an architect and code analyst in the Office of Design and Construction.
When asked to recall a particularly memorable incident that firefighters handled since they joined the associate program, most volunteers had the same answer.
"It's any call — from something as small as a carbon monoxide detector alarm to a house fire," Shannon said. "As soon as we arrive, you can see the person who called start to feel at ease because firefighters are on scene."


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This gives layer cake a whole new dimension. We've had a couple of those within the Daring Bakers' challenges this year, but none quite like this one. This was an exquisite example of taking a few of the most delectable desserts, loved by many, and putting it together, layer upon layer all in one dessert. Trust the French to pull off something like this so elegantly!
This delightful dessert was selected by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux for the December Daring Bakers' Challenge - a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.
It was exactly a year ago when Hilda and I got together via Google chat to make buttercream and genoise for our Yule Log - Bûche de Noël, which was our Daring Bakers challenge last year. So, the fact that my sweetest Hilda was one of the hostesses this year and she was challenging us to make a French Yule Log made me smile.
In France one can buy two kinds of Yule logs, either the Genoise and Buttercream type that the Daring Bakers made last December, or what is more commonly purchased, a frozen Yule Log very reminiscent of an ice cream cake. However it is often not made of ice cream but rather a frozen mousse of some sort. In French this is called an entremets, which is sometimes loosely translated in English as simply a cream dessert. This also means that this recipe is not holiday-specific, it is also just a scrumptious dessert recipe.
I, however did make this as our Christmas dinner dessert. We spent Christmas with Tom's family and with the 8 of us there was enough dessert for 2 meals.
The French Yule log had 6 components and we had to make all 6. However, Hilda and Marion gave us enough leeway by offering several different flavor varieties for each component. The components of the French Yule log were:
- Dacquoise Biscuit
- Mousse
- Ganache Insert
- Praline (Crisp) Insert
- Creme Brulee Insert
- Icing
Even though Hilda had posted a warning about the length of the recipe, I still freaked at the 18 pages Word document! But then realized she was right. Once I had chosen my flavors and the elements the recipe reduced drastically. I read the entire document several times and finally decided to go with a chocolate-coconut Yule log.
Another thing that seemed very important to me was to make sure to organize myself perfectly. I wanted to make this French Yule log in one day and had taken the day off from work. I shopped the day before and then sat down to work out the order in which I would tackle each element of the French Yule log. Once I had all that sorted, I went to bed feeling more relaxed.
I started early the following day and read through the instructions again. Then began with setting out all the ingredients for the first Yule log element. I counted off each element of the log, one by one, as I completed them. I got excited as I found I was breezing through them without any major problems. Finally, albeit for the icing, I was done! The icing on the cake and decorations was completed the next day.
The order I tackled each component seemed to have been the trick:
- Praline (Crisp) Insert
- Creme Brûlée Insert
- Mousse
- Dacquoise Biscuit
- Ganache Insert
- Icing
This order worked really well, I had enough time for each component and could go on to the next when one was either infusing, cooling, freezing or hardening. I always made sure to weigh and set out my mis-en-place for each component so that I would not get into a stress while preparing it.
I cannot believe this is the last challenge for 2008! It all zoomed past so fast. I missed out on just one challenge this year, my first challenge in the 1 1/2 years of being a Daring Baker. I do look forward to 2009 and all the sweet and savory challenges it will bring.
- Monthly Mingle theme this month World of Spice Cookies
- Deadline January 5
- Bake delicious cookies sweet or savory highlighted by a spice
- One lucky winner will win the cookbook a Field Guide to Cookies
- Come on over and join us. Details here.
The recipe below is for the chocolate coconut version of the French Yule log I made. You may view the entire French Yule Log recipe separately with all the offered varieties as provided by Hilda and Marion.
Recipe Chocolate & Coconut French Yule Log
Printable version of recipe here.
Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)
Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn for baking
Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10"x15" jelly-roll pan, parchment paper
Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.
2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner's sugar
2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
- Finely mix the almond meal and the caster sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).
- Sift the flour into the mix.
- Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
- Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
- Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
- Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
- Let cool and cut to the desired shape.
For the Coconut Dacquoise
Substitute ¼ cup of almond meal and add 2/3 cup shredded coconut in Step #1 of the Almond Dacquoise.
Element #2 Dark Chocolate Mousse
Preparation time: 20mn
Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula
Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousse and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen, so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brûlée insert.
In the Vanilla Mousse variation, pastry cream is made to the same effect.
In the Mango Mousse variation, Italian meringue is made to the same effect. Italian meringue is a simple syrup added to egg whites as they are beaten until stiff. It has the same consistency as Swiss meringue (thick and glossy) which we have used before in challenge recipes as a base for buttercream.
The Whipped Cream option contains no gelatin, so beware of how fast it may melt.
Gelatin is the gelifying agent in all of the following recipes, but if you would like to use agar-agar, here are the equivalencies:
- 8g powdered gelatin = 1 (0.25 oz) envelope powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp Agar-Agar.
- 1 Tbsp. of agar-agar flakes is equal to 1 tsp. of agar-agar powder.
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1+1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
- Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)
- Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in color (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
2a. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it's easier to do this with an electric mixer.
2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
- In a double boiler (or one small saucepan in a larger one), heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
Whip the rest of the cream until stiff.
Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of whipped cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.
Element #3 Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert
Preparation time: 10mn
Equipment: pan, whisk.
If you have plunging mixer (a vertical hand mixer used to make soups and other liquids), it comes in handy.
Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened
- Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month's challenge).
- While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
- Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
- Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.
Element #4 Praline Feuillete (Crisp) Insert
Preparation time: 10 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)
Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or use an empty bottle of olive oil).
Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. Presumably they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them.
I used plain wafer rolls or cigarettes russes often used to decorate ice-creams.
Gavottes (lace crepes - recipe by Ferich Mounia):
Makes 2.1oz / 60g1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
2/3 Tbsp (8g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup – 2tsp (35g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp / 0.5 oz (15g) beaten egg
1 tsp (3.5g) granulated sugar
½ tsp vegetable oil
- Heat the milk and butter together until butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
- Sift flour into milk-butter mixture while beating, add egg and granulated sugar. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Grease a baking sheet and spread batter thinly over it.
- Bake at 430°F (220°C) for a few minutes until the crepe is golden and crispy. Let cool.
Coconut Crisp Insert
3.5 oz (100g) white chocolate
1 oz (1/3 cup/25g) shredded coconut
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) unsalted butter
2.1 oz (60g) Wafer rolls or cigarettes russes cookies, placed in a Ziploc bag and then coarsely crushed using a rolling pin.
- Spread the coconut on a baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes at 375°F (190°C) to toast (a different temperature might work better for you with your own oven).
- Melt the white chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir until smooth and add the toasted coconut.
- Add the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.
Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brûlée Insert
Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking
Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper
Note: The vanilla crème brûlée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc...
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
- Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
- Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
- Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
- Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
- Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.
Note: You can bake the crème brûlée without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things). However, a water bath is recommended for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
I used a loaf pan and placed it in an ovenproof dish filling the dish with water just below halfway up the loaf pan.
Element #6 Dark Chocolate Icing
Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don't count softening the gelatin)
Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan
Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.
For other gelatin equivalencies or gelatin to agar-agar equivalencies, look at the notes for the mousse component.
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
- Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
- Add to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
- Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.
How To Assemble your French Yule Log
Depending on whether your mold is going to hold the assembly upside down until you unmold it or right side up, this order will be different.
You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.
You have two choices for Step 2, you can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log as in version A you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log as in version B.
I prepared the French Yule Log using version A, the instructions to which you will find below. For the instructions and recipe in its entire form you can view the document here.
- Line your mold or pan, whatever its shape, with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it's easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR plastic film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you're using.
- Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
Version A
- Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
- Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
- Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
- Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
- Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
- Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
- Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn't seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
- Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.
- Freeze until the next day.
The order of the French Yule Log will be as follows:
- Dacquoise
- Mousse
- Creme Brulee Insert
- Mousse
- Praline/Crisp Insert
- Mousse
- Ganache Insert
- Dacquoise
Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the cake with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc..
I used chocolate shards, grated coconut and left over praline feuillete, which I crushed coarsely.
Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than ½ hour before serving. The mousse is quite robust and will hold up quite well.
This was my kind of dessert and my kind of challenge. I love mousse au chocolat and I adore crème brûlée. Adding this to a delicate layer of cake and crunchy praline is truly incredible. It certainly did get the well deserved AHA! effect when I presented this after our meal. Only Soeren knew what we were having for dessert as I managed to keep it a secret from Tom and the rest of the family. After a long guessing game I unveiled the French Yule log. It is a filling dessert so thinner pieces are advisable after a big meal. Anything else and it is an an ordeal to finish the portion off no matter how much one loves mousse and crème brûlée. I cut relatively thin slices and was relived to see everyone enjoy this in heavenly silence.
Being partly frozen it had something of a frozen parfait. I let it sit in the fridge to defrost for a little over 45 minutes and the consistency was just right. The mousse was chilled, yet still creamy and the crème brûlée was a delight. This was like eating a frozen crème brûlée ice-cream!
Would I make this again?
Yes! The fact that similar desserts can be enjoyed anytime of the year I am very much looking forward to spring and summer to create fruity versions of this Bûche. I am thinking of raspberries, blueberries, apricots and mangoes! The possibilities are ample. I can hardly wait to finish writing up this post to go and check out what my Daring Bakers buddies have been up to!
What did I learn from this challenge?
Organization is the name of the game! If you have a plan and can organize yourself, the making of is rather simple. The instructions on the recipe were very clear and there was nothing that left me in confusion. For those who want to re-create this recipe of the French Yule log, my word of advise is to read through the recipe well, plan out the order of the elements you want to tackle, organize yourself prior to each element by preparing the mis-en-place prior to making the Bûche and finally take it step by step - or rather element by element.
I thank dearest Hilda and Marion for making this one of the most exquisite challenges this year. What a way to end the year. Special thanks to Hilda for motivating me through this - Love you babes! I really advice you to take a few hours off and see what all my fellow Daring Bakers have conjured up - you won't regret it. That's exactly what I am off to do right now.
À Bientôt!
The Daring Bakers Challenges 2008 - A Recap
January 2008: Lemon Meringue Pie
February 2008: French Baguette
March 2008: The Perfect Party Cake
April 2008: Cheesecake Pops
May 2008: Opera Cake
June 2008: Danish Braid - Chocolate & Raspberries
July 2008: Sat out!
August 2008: Chocolate Éclairs - Hostess
September 2008: Lavash Crackers & Ajvar
October 2008: A Medley of Pizza
November 2008: Caramel Cake with Caramel Butter Frosting
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