I am ecstatic. I’m running a familiar route from my old neighborhood on a late-summer evening, engulfed in a symphony of cicadas and grasshoppers. The air feels silky and perfect. My legs and lungs burn, but I feel like I’m 17 years old. And I’m very literal-minded, so when I say I’m ecstatic, I don’t mean I merely feel great. I mean I feel utterly divorced from past and future: delighted, clear-headed, grounded, and fleet-footed. I’m effortlessly running about 15 seconds per mile faster than my casual running pace. And I’m high on weed.

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Before I embark on the topic of running and cannabis, let me be clear that running high isn’t for everyone, and I’ve always been a little weird. And as with all things, there are wrong ways to go on a doob run (tips and guidelines forthcoming). But for an increasing number of runners, from fair-weather 5K types to competitive ultramarathoners, cannabis and running go together like champagne and wedding night sex.

This topic has been reported on in waves since about 2015, shortly after I had first combined running and cannabis. The focus here will be on what makes running high so psychologically appealing, and on practical tips from a thoroughly experienced high-functioning pothead runner.

Chemicals, baby. Who cares which door they came in?

“The runner’s high” has long been attributed to a class of feel-good chemicals called endorphins that are naturally present in the brain. But today the prevailing explanation is that anandamide — another feel-good and pain-relieving neurochemical — causes runner’s high. Anandamide binds to the same receptors in your nervous system as THC, and shares many of its effects. If testosterone wears plaid, anandamide wears tie dye.

My first runner’s high, at age 17, was one of the defining moments of my life. My first time smoking weed was not. But there were similar chemicals at play.

Anandamide is one of a cocktail of neurochemicals that helps you get into a flow state: a deeply engaged, focused frame of mind with no awareness of the passing of time. Flow states are delightful.

In a book on this very topic, “Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work,” authors Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal note that “anandamide also plays another important role here, boosting ‘lateral thinking,’ which is our ability to make far-flung connections between disparate ideas.” That’s why runner’s lore is rife with revelations and solutions to problems.

Ecstasis is often just a more progressed flow state. It’s intense and joyful. Many experienced runners know the difference between a ho-hum run, a flow state run, and an ecstatic run. These occur naturally. But my theory based on extensive personal experience is that flow states and ecstasis are markedly more likely to occur if you’re running high. This is because anandamide, which your body produces naturally, and the THC in marijuana pair as perfectly as Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris did on their “All The Roadrunning” album.

Tips and precautions

The following beginners’ guidelines are based on a combination of personal experience, conversations with other runners, Reddit forums, inductive reasoning, and helpful articles written by and about athletes. Caveat: Some athletes have successfully flaunted these. But these are likely to contribute to your success, or at least help you avoid a crash.

Dress first: Unless you’re an exceptionally high-functioning stoner, having to change clothes while high can constitute a significant barrier to actually getting out the door.

Mode of consumption: Edibles are more likely than smoked or vaped cannabis to produce a lethargic “body high” that will derail your run. At the same time, smoking is more likely than vaping to irritate your throat and lungs. Finally, vaping concentrates is more likely to result in sub-optimal dosing (too much or too little) compared to vaping flower. So when in doubt, vaping flower is your best bet.

Strain: This is rudimentary, so I’ll summarize: sativas are generally energizing; indicas are generally relaxing. Getting high on sativa or a sativa-dominant hybrid is more likely to result in a successful run. It’s also ideal to use a strain you’re familiar with.

Just Say No … to treadmills: A big part of the magic of running high is all the elements of the outdoors. Even if you’re in a heavily urban setting, being outdoors is ideal, if not essential. Plus, it’s not exactly driving a forklift, but things can still go very wrong on a treadmill.

On your marks …

If you happen to enjoy running and cannabis separately, try doing them together. If you like weed and you’re ambivalent about running, try doing them together.

If you want to delve into this topic further, Denver journalist and distance runner Josiah Hesse just published the book “Runner’s High: How a Movement of Cannabis-Fueled Athletes Is Changing the Science of Sports.” My impression so far is that he’s a serious-minded, gifted writer (click here for our review).

But I do wish I had gotten around to publishing that book first.

John Garvey is the Chief Storytelling Officer at Garvington Creative, bringing together business impact and belly laughs through story-driven marketing. If you meet his parents, please don’t tell them how much he knows about weed. GarvingtonCreative.com