Does Weed Make Running Easier? A New Study Has A Surprising Answer.

We’ve all heard of runner’s high: the brief, euphoric feelings that come with an intense run. But a new study is delving into a different kind of “runner’s high” ― one that concerns marijuana and its effects on how exercise feels.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder recently found that using cannabis before a run can improve one’s motivation, make workouts more fun and increase the euphoria from runner’s high. The study, published Dec. 26 in the journal Sports Medicine, is the first of its kind to look at how commercially available cannabis makes a difference to the feel of exercise.

“Participants reported more enjoyment, positive affect, and more runner’s high symptoms when they ran for 30 minutes after using cannabis compared to when they ran for 30 minutes sober,” said Laurel Gibson, an author of the study and a researcher at the CUChange Lab at CU Boulder.

There’s one drawback, though: Weed use also makes exercise feel significantly harder.

“Participants who used a THC-dominant product reported more exertion during their cannabis compared to their sober run,” Gibson told HuffPost.

That’s likely due, at least in part, to the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC ― the compound most commonly associated with psychoactive effects ― can increase your heart rate. “The more you feel your heart beating, the harder exercise can feel,” Gibson said.

In an earlier study, researchers at the CUChange Lab had found that 8 out of 10 marijuana users in states where cannabis was legal had used it before exercise or shortly afterward. That’s a surprising percentage, given that weed is usually associated with more stationary behavior: Many cannabis users can attest to having experienced “couch lock” ― an overwhelming