Alisha looking like the badass mother runner she is.

Alisha looking like the badass mother runner she is. (She sprained her ankle during this shoot, but we think the pic is worth it.)

Today’s Most Important Mile comes from Alisha Perkins

The Runner’s High: I heard people talk about it. Every time it was mentioned, I would just nod and play the part, act as though I was in the inner loop. I would smile, agree, and fake that I had been there too, that I had experienced that runner’s orgasm.

The truth was that I had not; in fact I had never even gotten close. I was still faking it and wondering what all the hoopla was about. I was running about 2 miles a day (the distance, I determined, where I could still eat chocolate and not get fat) and I hated it. I did it because my metabolism was not what is was when I was 18, so I had to do something to eat that Kit Kat after my kids went to bed.

I was not a running newbie by any means. I ran track in high school and for a very short time in college, but I was a sprinter who refused to do anything over 200 meters. Once out of college, married, and then a new mom I was running to stay in shape. But I had yet to love it.

That all changed one day in spring training of 2010. My husband, Glen, is a major league baseball player, and our family of four—two daughters, plus us—were in Florida without my family, friends, or babysitters. Day in and day out, my only break was the run I squeezed in when Glen got home from the field.

One day, I went out for my 2-mile run after I had more than enough of Dora and refilling snack cups. When it was coming to an end, I realized I was not ready to re-enter the world of diaper changes, temper tantrums, and the inevitable bedtime fight. So I kept running.

5 miles later—two miles further than I had even gone before in my life—I finally achieved it. The big running “O”. Something happened in that moment. I fell in love with running, which experts say can happen when you get that feeling (wink wink). I felt euphoric yet relaxed, motivated yet Zen, craving another run yet exhausted. I entered the house a better mother and wife—and my husband took notice.

That said, the effect of five miles on me was the most noticeable. Since the birth of my daughters I have struggled with anxiety, which became worse with each hormonal shift. I could not sleep alone in my house when Glen was on a road trip (which was often), so my mom stayed over. She wasn’t just in my house though; I made her sleep in the same bed with me. I was a 25-year-old mother and wife who couldn’t sleep at night unless my mom was cuddled up with me.

Talk about anxiety that had spiraled out of control. It took me a long time to put a name to it, but once I did I was proactive in getting the help that I needed.

On the day of my most important mile, I had been seeing a therapist regularly for three years and was on medication for a year, but I still felt like there was something more I could do to control the adrenaline and anxiety that coursed through my body. On hot Florida pavement, I found the last piece to my anxiety puzzle, the one thing I needed keep it all in check.

I found running.

Since that day, I’ve completed over 15 half marathons, several 10 mile races, and one full marathon—and I hope to cross the 26.2-mile finish line again.

I never take a Runner’s High for granted, as I know now that that release drains the anxiety from my veins; it is funny to me to think back to when I used to have to fake the running orgasm, I used to wonder how it could really be something so profound that people felt the need to talk about it. Now I know, I get it, and I am a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend for it.

Question for you: Have you experienced the Runner’s High? Or do you just nod your head and fake it?

What was (or will be) the most important mile? Share it with us! Best way to submit is to email us your story with a picture: runmother {at} gmail {dot} com with “Most Important Mile” in the subject line. Please try to keep your mile stories around 400 words. Thank you!