Is There A Runner's High ?

Is there such a thing as a runners high? If a none runner questions if there is they will have to give it some time to find out. Studies date back to B.C.
A feeling, usually unexpected, of exhilaration and well-being directly associated with vigorous physical activity. Runner's high has been attributed to a number of things including secretion of endorphins and the activation of endogenous cannabinoids, lipids that have an effect similar to cannabis. See also flow.
Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Pituitary gland
The most structurally and functionally complex organ of the endocrine system. Through its hormones, the pituitary, also known as the hypophysis, affects every physiological process of the body. All vertebrates have a pituitary gland with a common basic structure and function. In addition to its endocrine functions, the pituitary may play a role in the immune response.
The hypophysis of all vertebrates has two major segments—the neurohypophysis (a neural component) and the adenohypophysis (an epithelial component)—each with a different embryological origin. The neurohypophysis develops from a downward process of the diencephalon (the base of the brain), whereas the adenohypophysis originates as an outpocketing of the primitive buccal epithelium, known as Rathke's pouch. The adenohypophysis has three distinct subdivisions: the pars tuberalis, the pars distalis, and the pars intermedia. The neurohypophysis comprises the pars nervosa and the infundibulum. The latter consists of the infundibular stalk and the median eminence of the tuber cinereum.

The structural intimacy of neurohypophysis and adenohypophysis that is established early during embryogenesis reflects the direct functional interaction between the central nervous system and endocrine system. The extent of this anatomical intimacy varies considerably among the vertebrate classes, from limited contact to intimate interdigitation. Vascular or neuronal pathways, or both, provide the means of exchanging chemical signals, thus enabling centers in the brain to exert control over the synthesis and release of adenohypophysial hormones.

Neurohormones, which are synthesized in specific regions of the brain, are conveyed to the neurohypophysis by way of axonal tracts, where they may be stored in distended axonal endings. Axons may also contact blood vessels and discharge their neurosecretory products into the systemic circulation or into a portal system leading to the adenohypophysis, or they may directly innervate pituitary gland cells. See also Neurosecretion.