the myth of the "runner's high"

So I've been a "runner," or at least a jogger, with varying degrees of seriousness and regularity, for at least a year now, and I'm still awaiting the arrival of this so-called "runner's high." It could just be that I'm not running for long enough, or with enough intensity, which I'm willing to accept. But there has never been a point, in the entire year, where I ever a.) forgot that I was pounding the ground repeatedly, or b.) felt like I was floating on air and could go on forever. I do experience a high the moment I stop running, if I've completed it successfully, wherein I feel great euphoria, and that I am basically the coolest human being ever on the face of this planet. This could be due to the endorphin release that is said to cause runner's high. Maybe I am just unable to enjoy these endorphins until I stop, which is fine.

I did, however, experience a breakthrough this morning, and to a lesser extent, yesterday. It could just be because I'm enjoying a change of scenery and weather. I'm visiting my sister in a little town in Maryland, and it's absolutely beautiful. It looks just like all the little towns I've visited in New England, and I love it. Plus, it took me a mile and a half to get down to a wharf, and I was able to run along the water for a few hundred feet and then turn around, which was nice. There was a big hill, even, which I've never run through without wanting to quit, but which I completed without significant complaint twice now. What happened, I guess, is that I managed to force myself to think about something, really think about something, other than the non-stop exertion of my body. At no point did I forget I was running, or was I not aware of the pounding and my labored breathing, but I just managed to turn the volume of those thoughts down just a little bit, which made the whole thing seem easier, and go faster. Amazing. 

I wasn't able to sustain this sweet spot for more than a minute at a time, but it got easier to get into it, and it just made me wonder how I could nurture and develop this technique. That was the reason I ended up giving up the idea of doing a half-marathon, was because I just got so unbelievably bored while running more than half an hour, and didn't think I could mentally handle the training. But I may have struck gold here. I think listening to music while running worked well for me to a certain point, and certainly made it more enjoyable than silence, but at this point it's not helping me anymore. I know all the words to the songs, so the music doesn't engage my brain at all, leaving it free to think about nothing but my physical discomfort. So now I'm going to start trying new things... Maybe good podcasts, or audiobooks? Even guided meditations might work well for me. Anything to keep my mind occupied. I'm pretty excited about this development.