Last night, I read yet another rave review about how distance running boosts your mood. Natural highs. Endorphins and that sort of thing. I'm sure this is true. In my younger days, I occasionally felt a distinct, florescent glow inside after a hard trail run or difficult track workout.

In years gone by, I occasionally noticed a buzz after particularly rewarding races. Rarely did the buzz turn to a lion's roar. Almost as often, I felt like a deflated balloon or a wet singlet hung out to dry at the finish line. Sometimes both.

The science that explores the connection of mind and body in athletic performance has always seemed like a chicken and egg dilemma to me. Or, maybe tortoise and hare is more appropriate. And, for some reason, all the hoopla seems to concentrate on the effect of running on human emotions, not the other way around.

Remember the scene in Rocky where the star exudes running ecstasy after reaching the top of the stairs, and, apparently, nirvana? How often have you felt that way during, or right after, a run? Maybe a few times.

How many good runs have you had when you started out feeling like the guy Rocky beat up in the boxing ring? I'm guessing not too many.

Most often, the balance between your mental state and your running is probably somewhere in between these extremes: Life is good; it's a sunny, Sunday morning with nothing to do but run, and you feel healthy and motivated. But, occasionally, this balance seriously tips.

Last August, I had a temporary running setback that hurt more than any running injury I ever had. Our cat, MacDuff--a constant companion for my wife and me for over 19 years--went to pet heaven. The big orange guy was like our child. It was a tough loss. Tough enough that I was barely able to muster a jog for several weeks.

I'm not a person who wears his emotions on his sleeve. But after old Duff passed on, they certainly wore on my running.

I asked Dr. Joanne Dahlkoetter, a sports psychologist, to explain the seemingly potent influence of emotions on running performance. Dahlkoetter is the author of Your Performing Edge (Pulgas Ridge Press, 2004; visit www.YourPerformingEdge.com for more information). But first, I asked her about the much publicized runner's high. Is it a scientifically proven physical response?

Yes, it is, Dahlkoetter confirmed. She explained how scientific research has demonstrated that aerobic exercise produces endorphins in the brain, creating a feeling of well being, reducing stress, and making us feel that everything is going to be okay.

"It's one of the things that keep runners going," she said.

A light bulb went on. When explained like that, florescent glows produced by endorphins--rather than Rocky-like blazing fireworks-- made sense. Fireworks, maybe, are reserved for the Fourth of July--or even Patriot's Day in Boston.

I then asked Joanne if she could provide a sports psychologist's interpretation of why the brain occasionally seems to tell us not to run-- like when you lose a best-friend cat.

She told me that my reaction wasn't unusual. Remember U.S. speed skater Dan Jansen's disappointing performance in the 1988 Olympic Games when he competed just hours after his sister's death? Dahlkoetter explained that such occurrences result as a consequence of biofeedback, specifically negative biofeedback.

"The mind and body are so well connected that the body doesn't know the difference between things that we're thinking about or something we're dreaming," she told me. "If you're watching a scary movie, your whole body might be sweating. If someone in the movie is falling off a cliff, it's like you're falling off a cliff. The same thing happens with emotions."

Dr. Dahlkoetter e-mailed me one of her articles in which she writes: "Biofeedback is based on the principal that every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental-emotional state. Conversely, every change in the mental- emotional state is accompanied by a corresponding change in the physiological state."

"It's powerful," said Dahlkoetter about this phenomena. "Your mind-body connection can actually change your bodily responses and your body chemistry. For example, if you're worried about something, not only does your mind worry, your whole body worries."

The loss of a loved person or pet can cause the same thing to happen. My whole body was a mourning mess. I couldn't run. Everyday tasks presented obstacles.

"It's kind of the opposite of the endorphins when we run," Dahlkoetter said. "It's more like anti-endorphins. Other kinds of chemicals get activated in the brain."

So, the painful loss of MacDuff was smothering my brain with anti- endorphins.

Luckily, there's a prescription to trounce these bad guys: positive biofeedback. You can create it by using simple mental exercises such as visualization and creative affirmation. Dahlkoetter coaches her clients, which include top athletes, to effectively use these techniques to manage their emotions and maximize their performance. You can learn them by reading her excellent book.

Next time, I'll be better prepared when my running gets side-swiped by an unexpected emotion.

Post-Olympic Banter

The 2004 Olympic Games are history and Californians made a strong showing. If the superbly calculated marathon performances by Meb Keflezighi (silver) and Deena Kastor (bronze) in hot and hilly Athens conditions fail to give U.S. distance running a huge shot in the arm, I'm not sure what will.

Some followers of the sport maintain that getting America's distance runners to the Olympic medal stand is a matter of finding the right pieces of the puzzle and putting them together. Maybe that has finally happened.

Some of the pieces aren't new. Old-fashioned dedication, and a fierce competitive desire are as common to success today as they were when Frank Shorter and Joan Benoit won their Olympic golds. The powerful influence of group training (Shorter) and superb coaching guidance (Benoit) are certainly key factors that Americans have recognized in the past, as we do today.

Sponsor support, allowing athletes to devote the large chunk of time it takes to train for the distances, is fundamental--and, as relevant today as it was in the 1980s. Competitive opportunities, domestic and international, at the proper time, in the right doses, during the right season, prepare athletes for Olympian feats.

Along with these basics, we've found new pieces to the puzzle: Advances in sports science and medicine, our constantly evolving knowledge of sports nutrition, and of training methods and environments (for example, our refined understanding of the effects of altitude training), and new technologies (such as altitude tents and track surfaces).

Gold medals are also composed of dedicated people such as Dr. David Martin, a respected exercise physiologist and a member of USATF's Men's Development Committee. Months before the Games, Martin painstakingly researched the Athens marathon course and climatic data, anticipated the effects of hot conditions and hills on the athletes, and finally translated it into valuable advice and strategies for the U.S marathon squad and coaching staff that paid dividends.

If we've found the right medal-producing formula--and it appears that we have--now we must make it available to many other U.S. athletes who may have the same gifts, fortitude, and solid distance backgrounds as Meb and Deena.

Zapping the Status Quo

Now that the drought of Americans on the Olympic medal stand in the marathon is over--at least, temporarily--it's time to concentrate on getting our track distance runners (5,000 and 10,000 meters) there. To that end, a number of prominent U.S. distance coaches and USATF CEO Craig Masback met at the ZAP Fitness Training Center in North Carolina in October (past our editorial deadline) to discuss more opportunities for our top distance runners. One of the items they promised to address was the scarcity of timely meets with 5Ks and 10Ks to allow athletes to obtain national and world qualifying marks.

In many cases, distance runners have no choice but to peak in the spring to obtain these marks. Simply, there are few domestic meets to do so in late spring and early summer. So, many athletes are forced to unnaturally split their outdoor seasons, or attempt to maintain an extended peak. The result is less than optimal performances, and less than full U.S. squads, at the important late summer meets that come in the form of Olympic Games and World Championships.

USATF LDR Officials Sought

A few years ago, the dedicated officials that preside over USATF competition were mostly limited to track events and cross country. Today, thanks to the efforts of longtime official George Kleeman (Martinez, Calif.), that has changed. Kleeman developed a certification program for USATF officials desiring to specialize in long distance running. Today, there are almost 150 USATF-certified officials throughout the country who are specifically trained to officiate at distance running events.

These volunteer officials serve in various officiating capacities (referees, course umpires, finish line judges, etc.) in local and national USATF road and cross country races. The Pacific Association of USATF is serving as a model in this respect with a strong officials certification program. Consequently, officials are present at PA/USATF road racing and cross country championships and local Grand Prix events. Race directors and athletes largely appreciate the officials' presence. They ensure that fair competition takes place, results are accurate before they're released, ties are broken, and occasional competitive disputes (protests, etc.) are resolved.

If you're interested in becoming a certified USATF LDR (or track and field) official, PA/USATF is offering LDR certification clinics early in 2005. Check the association's web site at www.pausatf.org for details. There are also options for taking the open book certification exam at home if you can't make a clinic.

Officials' eyes required: In the closest finish ever at the 32-year-old Wharf to Wharf race (Santa Cruz, July 25), Kenyans Shadrack Kosgei (1st) and Wilson Kigen posted identical 27:51 times over the hilly, 6-mile coast-side course that ends in Capitola. It was the eighth straight year that a Kenyan won the men's race. Former Stanford standout Seth Hejny (4th) was the first American. Kim Fitchen-Young (Santa Cruz) successfully defended her women's title in 32:12, defeating Kenyan Maria Busienei (2nd, 32:18).

Coincidentally, Kigen again was involved in a winner's photo finish at the California/Heritage Oaks Bank 10K Championship in Paso Robles, Calif. on September 26. Alas, again Kigen was awarded the runner-up spot.

Prep Mile Record -- Not Only Webb's

When it comes to the fastest mile races ever recorded by a prep, first thoughts often turn to Jim Ryun and Alan Webb. Ryun held the boy's high school mile record for 36 years before Webb ran a 3:53.43 in 2001--nearly two seconds faster than Ryun's time of 3:55.30.

But there is another, almost forgotten, side of the story. Namely, an equally impressive girls' high school mile record.

Polly Plummer, who attended University High School in Irvine, Calif., set a girls' high school mile record of 4:35.24 in 1982. Plummer's mark still stands.

The former prep standout now resides in San Francisco where locals know her as Polly St. Geme (she's married to Peter St. Geme).

"I'm glad that the record has lasted 20 years, but once it's broken it will be a great day," says St. Geme. "There are a lot of fast, young girls out there who are ready."

St. Geme set the record at the '82 UCLA Pepsi Invitational, outside of high school competition.

"I had a great opportunity [to set the mark] running with elite college and post-collegiate athletes," she remarks. "If it's going to get broken, it's probably going to have to be in a race like that."

Speaking of fast young girls with record-setting talent, 13-year-old Jordan Hasay (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) set pending records (4:34.02- 1500m and 9:48.77-3,000m) in her youth age division last summer at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in Eugene.

Did you know? At last count, California led all states with the most runners (over 4 million), most long distance running events, most finishers, and most nationally-ranked distance runners. (Source: American Sports Data, Inc. 2003.)

Next time.

Mark Winitz is a longtime activist within USA Track & Field. He also assists road racing events through his company, Win It!z Sports Public Relations and Promotions in Los Altos, Calif.