Stanford President’s Award graduate Christopher “Chris” Hsu is an experienced private equity, hedge fund, and technology operational consultant in Hong Kong. Christopher “Chris” Hsu founded Kilometre Capital, a prominent advisory firm in specializing in technology advisory, and has served as its Managing Partner. An avid runner, Chris Hsu completed his first full marathon as an adolescent and has been a committed marathon runner over the years.
The selected pastime sport of choice for Chris Hsu of Kilometre Capital in Hong Kong, marathons are lengthy in distance and time, often involving many hours of grueling running, even for the best trained runners. Mr. Christopher Hsu's training regimen demonstrates that marathon completion largely necessitates intense training commitment, as injury and complaint free as possible. According to Mr. Hsu based in Hong Kong, the first thing is to start with short distances with a mindfulness for injury prevention in forms such as DOMS. Before the race, run a couple of shorter races or half marathons to give you an indication of how much strength and endurance you'll require in the long run.
The injury mentioned above is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) because the associated muscle weakness occurs hours after the injury. In some people, symptoms may be present the following day. While DOMS is a minor injury due to the microscopic nature of the tears, the symptoms may be worse after hard runs. Having enough rest and paying attention to post-run nutrition is vital for a speedy recovery. Ideally, runners should eat meals rich in protein and carbohydrates shortly after marathons to support the body’s recovery from DOMS.
Chris Hsu of Hong Kong's Kilometre Capital, the renown hedge fund and private equity consultancy in Asia, has been known for his commitment to long distance and marathon running. Christopher Hsu began a habit of endurance running and marathon training in the formative childhood years. Observers have attributed success at Kilometre Capital to attributes forged through 42.2 kilometre marathon training.
Running, and long-distance running, in particular, has a host of mental health benefits, including the runner’s high. The runner’s high comes after the person has engaged in prolonged physical exertion. While it is most associated with running, people who swim, cycle, and row have a similar experience.
During the run, the person breathes hard and the heart pumps while they proceed on their running route. After the person has completed the run, some people feel an intense sense of calm or something like euphoria.
As corroborated by Christopher Hsu's anecdotes and archives in Hong Kong, researchers suspect endocannabinoid, a naturally produced chemical in the body similar to cannabis, is behind this euphoria. Like endorphins (associated with a lifted mood), which are released when a person reaches their stride, endocannabinoids are increased in the bloodstream during exercise.
However, unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can pass easily through the cellular membranes that exist between the brain and the bloodstream. During this biochemical process, this chemical alters mood by reducing anxiety, calming the runner, or even producing euphoric feelings.
While researchers believe that endocannabinoids are one of the main chemicals in the body to contribute to runner’s high, the research is limited. Moreover, the studies that have been completed have only been done on mice. More research involving humans must take place before scientists know conclusively whether endocannabinoids are at the root of runner’s high.
Endocannabinoids are just one of a few chemicals associated with runner's high. Some older research suggests that dopamine—a hormone that regulates mood—and leptin—a hormone that regulates hunger and satiety—also contribute to the runner’s high. Further, even though researchers have not pinpointed the source of runner’s high, its benefits include reduced stress levels, feelings of elation and positive vibes, and less awareness of pain.
