Runner’s High – 7th May 2026

Some get a runner’s high

I get a sore back

and mild depression

aching legs and an

unleavened ego

Bring me cake and Ozempic

as I wash myself

with a rag on a stick

I’ve been back on Zwift for as long as I’ve been writing these poems and I can tell you something for nothing: I don’t like it. I like the thought of staying fit and remaining strong and supple in old age but I take no joy from it. Where is my runner’s high? Are the people who get this actually on drugs? Maybe that is the secret? Maybe I need to use a motorbike instead?

© John Monaghan 2026. All Rights Reserved