What did the study require of the runners?<\/p>\n
A set of 42 healthy, adult runners – who all identified as regular cannabis users<\/a> – ran on a treadmill at a moderate pace for 30 minutes while scientists monitored their physical and mental state before, during and after the bout of exercise.<\/p>\n A second experiment saw participants able to choose to use either THC or CBD products before embarking on another 30-minute run.<\/p>\n The effects of smoking weed before exercising <\/p>\n The research revealed that while smoking weed<\/a> won’t directly enhance athletic performance, it can make exercise seem more enjoyable, and running high was more enjoyable for participants in contrast to running sober.<\/p>\n “The bottom-line finding is that cannabis before exercise seems to increase positive mood and enjoyment during exercise, whether you use THC or CBD,” says<\/a> psychologist Laurel Gibson from UCB.<\/p>\n “But THC products specifically may make exercise feel more effortful.”<\/p>\n Heather Mashhoudi, an ultra-runner who took part in the study, spoke about the feeling she experiences when running while high and how it compares to a natural ‘runner’s high’.<\/p>\n “When I run for a really long time, and I get kind of tired and just worn out, this thing kicks in where it makes the colours brighter and it makes my thoughts clearer. It makes me more emotionally attuned.<\/p>\n “That’s how I feel when I run 30 plus miles. Then, when I use cannabis, and I run, I get to feel that at a less intense mileage,” she said in UCB’s YouTube clip about the study.<\/p>\n However, those who used THC did find exercising slightly harder compared to participants who used CBD products.<\/p>\n THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound in cannabis<\/a> responsible for its psychoactive effects and CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound that gives muscle-relaxing or anti-inflammatory effects.<\/p>\n However, scientists insisted it is not recommended to use THC or CBD before exercise as there could still be potential side effects<\/a> and consequences to health.<\/p>\n In the experiment, participants who used THC displayed an increased heart rate before beginning running.<\/p>\n There is also still plenty to be explored when it comes to mixing exercise and smoking weed, with neuroscientist Angela Bryan – also part of the UCB research team – warnign that it is ‘too early to make broad recommendations’.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHQ2ZjA2Mzcy.webp\"\/)
A study sought to explore the effects of weed on runners (Getty Stock Image)<\/p>\n![\"It](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHQ4ZmFhM2M0.webp\"\/)
It seems smoking weed before exercising makes the experience a bit more enjoyable (University of Colorado Boulder)<\/p>\n