Interesting Article

Oh yes, absolutely.  I traded in nicotine for endorphins too.

I found it to be a surprisingly easy transition, but I set about it quite intentionally.  In fact, I did crunches if I was home and found myself with a craving for a cigarette.

Yes! It worked for me too. Former smoker here. I always jokingly tell people too that I traded one addiction for another but lately I've come to be annoyed by that comparison.

Yes, we crave the endorphins, we prioritize training, we go to extremes we never thought we'd survive, we sacrifice time with friends and family... But what is the "normal" we compare our lifestyle to? An addiction is usually defined as something that has a negative impact on your life, health, profession and the people around you. Why is what we do and crave an "addiction?" In what way is it negative? If you have kids then you should spend time with them, that's about it. Everything else is my choice and by all accounts has been positive. So what if I'm less "social." Who determines what a healthy level of "hanging out" is?

Off to a pre-race dinner talk by Jack Daniels. It should be a very social event with lots of local running folks present.