Why More Runners Are Turning To Cannabis
- 1. Should you smoke a joint before a run?
- 2. Benefits of cannabis for running performance
- 2. a. Cannabis boosting mindfulness for running
- 3. Benefits of cannabis and post-training recovery
- 4. The bottom line
The world of cannabis and its uses is one that, just like our real world, keeps constantly expanding. However, whenever we approach the sports field, some people may automatically react with a no-go.
But what do we know about the relations between cannabis and sport? We've heard indeed of several athletes, even professional ones who openly use marijuana as a natural way to boost their training sessions and recovery afterward.
However, we still hear and see people shaking their heads and saying no to a joint, vaporizing, or perhaps some edibles because they think that cannabis makes you lazy. This stigma about marijuana isn't completely accurate though.
Many runners, and every time more, are now turning to cannabis, most especially edibles, as a resource to enhance their overall running experience. It is because marijuana in measured doses can actually provide the following effects:
- Boost focus;
- Improve the mood;
- And provide a body high, a great ally for running.
Let's understand how marijuana and running can go hand in hand.
1. Should You Smoke A Joint Before A Run?
Before we begin, we must make clear that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug, or at least that's not the common use people make of this substance. Of course, we will not recommend that you go and light up a joint or hit your bong before you hit the streets for a long run because you could end up degrading your performance. 1
We disrecommend smoking or hitting a bong mainly because no smoke and sports will ever go hand in hand. Smoking will reduce the capacity in your lungs, making your running day slightly less effective than a normal one, and no one really wants to negatively affect their own training.
Just like eating a full cake after you've worked out isn't precisely ideal, smoking, no matter what you smoke, before you train isn't the best thing to do either. Nevertheless, a small dose of cannabis edibles or a few puffs off a vaporizer might be just the perfect measure for boosting your workout with marijuana.
2. Benefits of Cannabis For Running Performance
Cannabis is famous for its stress-relieving and mind-opening effects, therefore having small doses in non-smoke forms could actually provide positive effects for a run. In fact, marijuana can be highly motivating, ideal for those who prefer engaging in long steady runs rather than a fast and shorter sprint.
Given most of the times, in almost every sport, the limit is our own selves, the true necessary strength, and motivation we need to be able to proceed and is pushing the limits in our own heads. And this is specifically true for running, where no external machinery is used, just a couple of moving legs and arms.
How many times have you been running and just when you thought you couldn’t keep it going any longer, that voice in your head told you that you could? Cannabis and this voice when combined together are your perfect remedy for those days when you’re simply not vibing with the outer world. Or maybe on a normal day too, why not?
This small dose of weed will get you all happy and about, you’ll likely feel as if nothing is able to stop you, or as I like to describe it, as if you were a dog running free on a field or cruising in a car with the head out the window and the tongue flying out.
Cannabis Boosting Mindfulness for Running
For those who are hearing the term mindfulness for the first time, mindfulness is a type of meditation, which contrary to common meditations where the goal is to empty your mind, you seek to be completely aware of everything going on at the present time. This means that you are conscious of your breath and blinking, your heartbeat, how the air feels on your skin, the movements in your muscles, and more.
But mindfulness is not just for sitting, in fact, quite the opposite, it is more of a practice that should be taken to every aspect of your life, even running. When you actively perform some mindfulness meditation as you run, you are positively affecting your performance and without even realizing it.
It is because, by doing mindfulness we forget about distracting and ineffective thoughts that are counteractive for your run, such as wondering how much distance is left and so on. And since cannabis can help boost this state of mind, taking a small dose or even microdosing it could be just what you need to reach this level of mindfulness and improve your running session
3. Benefits of Cannabis And Post-Training Recovery
There are two undeniable properties of cannabis, its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, considering marijuana as an aid for a post-run recovery only makes sense.
Let's walk through a case scenario. You've just closed your laptop after a long day of work, or perhaps you've barely crossed the door after driving home from the office, and you're already thinking about heading outside for that relieving run where you'll get rid of the weight of the day.
Now you're back home feeling tired and full of endorphins, you have already done some stretching, never forget about stretching or you'll regret it the following days, and now you're ready to go get into that shower and get rid of all that dirty sweat.
Once you're finally clean it's time to put the cherry on top. Pull out your rolling gear, or as some like to call it, the kit, go take a seat on your living room's couch and it's time to roll yourself a loving joint. It sounds like the perfect routine for a responsible human being, am I right?
But little did you know that this ritual joint you're smoking isn't just a way to top your long day but it is also working wonders on your body on an internal level. You're making the most out of cannabis' compounds properties.
On one part, CBD will aid your recovery, easing inflammation, and relieving any post work out the pain. Secondly, THC is an amazing sedative, helping release any leftover stress, and the stress caused by the workout, since exercise is indeed a form of physical stress too.
CBD isn't used only in the medical field for treating different illnesses or alleviating their symptoms. You can actually make the most of cannabis' compounds in many ways. Some of the benefits of CBD and THC for sports include:
| CBD | THC |
|---|---|
|
Relieve pain, both post-workout and chronic joints pain; 3 Reduce inflammation and promote muscle recovery; Improve sleep quality. |
Boosting the focus for an enhanced workout; Improve the mood; Aiding sleep, providing relaxation and sedation. |
Those who are struggling with extreme post-run muscle pain could make use of cannabis-based topicals, such as lotions and creams, and transdermal patches, which provide a much stronger effect.
Transdermals will enter through the bloodstream, providing more general effects, while topicals will take action only on the area applied.
4. The Bottom Line
While some could sit and argue for a couple of hours about the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of using cannabis in combination with sports, at the end of the day, everyone is different so it just makes sense that it might work for some and not for others.
If you keep an open mind and try to see for yourself if cannabis and running work together you might find the results to be positively surprising. Even more, what works one day could not be working the next, and that's okay too. Just get to know yourself by trying different things until you find what's comfortable. Just make sure not to smoke too much or take so many edibles that you end up couch-locked and dismissing the run overall. Don't forget to comment on what are your favorite strains to combine with your runner lifestyle.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
- "Cannabis in Sport" Marilyn A. Huestis, Irene Mazzoni, and Olivier Rabin. July 2013.
- "Is cannabis an effective treatment for joint pain?" Richard J. Miller and Rachel E. Miller. September 2018.
- "Onset of regular cannabis use and young adult insomnia: an analysis of shared genetic liability" Evan A Winiger, Spencer B. Huggett, Alexander S. Hatoum, Naomi P. Friedman, Christopher L. Drake, Kenneth P. Wright Jr., and John K. Hewitt. September 2019.
