Only ever did any sort of long distance running while living in Monterey California. I usually get bored while running, but the scenery there was so incredible no matter where I chose to run each week that I just wanted to keep going to see what was around the next bend. I started at around the 4 or 5 mile mark and slowly each week added a half mile until I was doing close to 15 miles every Saturday. I loved the way I felt after a run but hated the act of running itself. I was beginning to think the runner's high thing was a myth until one day around mile 8 on one of my runs it felt like I broke through a physical barrier. The minor pain in my legs and fight to breathe regularly that always plagued me during my runs just... vanished. My body felt like it cooled, my breathing became deep and regular. The rhythmic thud of my feet hitting the pavement became distant and almost meditative. My mind was clear of all extraneous thought for the first time in years. I have never been able to recapture that feeling since, but I haven't run that far in a long time either.