Tired legs when jogging

[brit1984]

I used to do a lot of jogging (include marathon). When I was in uni, I would jog 2 hours almost everyday without a problem.

Now 10 years later (I'm 29) I'm getting back into it (for the last 5/6 months).

BUT my legs get tired very quickly (within the first 30-40 mins), well before my heart/chest starts to play up.

I normally struggle to finish 1 hour and I do the same 5/6 days per week.

(I don't do much other exercise except walking and occasionally swimming/cycling)

Is this leg pain just a consequence of getting older? (I'm 80kg and have been around that since I was 16/17)

Am I just being a wimp? (I try to tell myself that leg pain can be ignored as it's not important like my heart)

Can I eat or do something about it? (I do eat a healthy diet with lots "energy" foods like cereal, bananas, apples, bread, etc)

[AyG]

What part of the leg? Thigh? Knee? Calf? Shins? Ankles? It makes a difference.

Any sort of pain shouldn't be ignored. It's your body telling you that something isn't right. Push through the pain and you run the risk of doing permanent injury.

[brit1984]

What part of the leg? Thigh? Knee? Calf? Shins? Ankles? It makes a difference.

Any sort of pain shouldn't be ignored. It's your body telling you that something isn't right. Push through the pain and you run the risk of doing permanent injury.

its my thighs and calfs

[transam]

Lack of oxygen to those parts perhaps. Leave that stuff alone chum............Jogging really is not good for you......Unless you are in tip top condition.

Take a leaf out of the book of the sad demise of Rik Mayall............

[brit1984]

Lack of oxygen to those parts perhaps. Leave that stuff alone chum............Jogging really is not good for you......Unless you are in tip top condition.

Take a leaf out of the book of the sad demise of Rik Mayall............

thanks! but i'm trying to get into tip top condition by jogging!

[transam]

Lack of oxygen to those parts perhaps. Leave that stuff alone chum............Jogging really is not good for you......Unless you are in tip top condition.

Take a leaf out of the book of the sad demise of Rik Mayall............

thanks! but i'm trying to get into tip top condition by jogging!

Noooooooooooooooooo, not from jogging. Nobody knows your internal chemistry until it is tooooo late. Tell tale signs must be taken into consideration. Believe me......... Go to a gym and use one of those running machines. You can rig up your ticker with these to see whats going on. Post your problem, weight, whatever.......

[Sheryl]

If this problem is only when jogging then unlikely to be abnormal, morel likely your muscles are just out of shape. But indeed not a good idea to ignore your body's signals.

Do some stretched and exercises to strengthen calves, quads and hamstrings daily, and go more slowly with the jogging - stop when your legs begin to complain. Gradually that time interval will lengthen.

[Display]

Are you wearing good quality footwear while running and in general? Also swimming could help till you increase your fitness as you don't put any pressure on your joints and its good for easing muscle pains.

[Globalist]

I would doubt it's related to you "getting older" since you're only 29.. (unless you meant you were born in -29 :-) )

Regarding diet, I once experienced a similar problem when I was testing a virtually carb-free diet. That made me feel weak in the legs when running, so I changed back to carb-eating, although less than normal, and it was fine again.

Otherwise it can be that your muscles in your legs need training, or that your shoes are not suitable. Or perhaps that it's too hot, and you get overheated or dehydrated (?) Just throwing out wild ideas to test..

[AyG]

If this problem is only when jogging then unlikely to be abnormal, morel likely your muscles are just out of shape. But indeed not a good idea to ignore your body's signals.

Do some stretched and exercises to strengthen calves, quads and hamstrings daily, and go more slowly with the jogging - stop when your legs begin to complain. Gradually that time interval will lengthen.

I agree with Sheryl that it's most likely that your muscles out of shape. However, recent research suggests that stretching is probably counterproductive - it increases the risk of injury. Do go more slowly with the jogging. Gradually build up speed as you run. Maybe cut the time in half, then add a minute or two each day. If you start getting pain, then stop and next time do perhaps five minutes less and build up from there. In no time you'll be back to where you were.

Good luck.

[transam]

There is a difference between jogging and running/walking.........

[brit1984]

There is a difference between jogging and running/walking.........

what's the difference?

[Briggsy]

Were you jogging in this heat 10 years ago?

Experiment by overhydrating before you start and keep drinking as you run. Also consider drinks like M-Sport if you want to keep going for more than 40 minutes.

[sotsira]

Brit, i also jog for about an hour doing 6km but only do it 3 times a week resting

and jogging on alternate days, this way i give my legs time to fully recover.

At your age you are at your physical peak compared to myself being 48yrs old,

but i find that jogging on alternate days much better for the leg muscles and joints.

I also stretch before and after every run and walk about 1/2 km as soon as i finish my

jog for the body to warm down gradually.

Swimming is also beneficial for muscle recovery soon after your run or on days you don't

run.

[brit1984]

some great ideas thanks so much...

weak legs muscles... yes i have chicken legs... i need to do some gym work (or maybe squats in my room holding random heavy objects)

bad footwear... yes the air bubbles have burst on both my trainers but the last 5/6 months coincided with a time i've been too poor to buy a replacement pair... i will try to find a cheaper but decent pair

carbs... i have a big bowl of muesli every morning and maybe half a loaf of bread per day, but very little rice (no potatoes, no pasta)... not sure if it's enough but i will try carbo loading the night before a jog and see if it helps

dehydration... by the end of each jog i am normally soaked wet through with sweat (except only the bottom corners of my tee-shirt) so this could well be an issue, i currently drink 600ml water per 1 hour jog but i will experiment drinking more (or using energy drinks)

swimming... i should do this more, i think (almost) everyone should, thanks for the push

Edited June 16, 2014 by brit1984

[transam]

There is a difference between jogging and running/walking.........

what's the difference?

It's that word "jogging", which means jogging your stuff. Walking or running is a smooth operation which has a very different effect on your joints and internals. Many folk have dropped dead from what they assumed was harmless "jogging".

Lets be careful out there eh. I am in my seventh decade and can weight train, I mean WEIGHT train, not pussy foot around, BUT, I can read whats going on, not my ticker though, it just goes ...................

[Briggsy]

600 ml per 1 hour jog = nowhere near enough, not even close.

You can lose 3 litres of water per hour exercising vigourously in tropical heat.

Drink before you start and keep drinking. Exercise in the cool of the day. Energy drinks only necessary if you want to jog for over 40 minutes due to blood sugar/glycogen depletion.

[casualposter]

I used to do a lot of jogging (include marathon). When I was in uni, I would jog 2 hours almost everyday without a problem.

I used to cycle round the Oxford ring road almost every day.

Is this leg pain just a consequence of getting older?

No.

I'm 80kg and have been around that since I was 16/17

Stating weight sans height is silly. BMI is a useful indicator. 80kg @ 5'4'' is not the same as 80kg @ 6'2''.

Am I just being a wimp?

No.

I try to tell myself that leg pain can be ignored as it's not important like my heart

The footwear you're using is not appropriate for the surface you're jogging on.

[ClutchClark]

You are logging quite alot of miles for coming out of a long hiatus.

As you get older you have to be more careful of overuse injuries since healing times are longer.

At 29, you are still bullet-proof, or atleast I thought I still was at that age, and ignoring body signals can result in those injuries.

And then you find yourself not being able to run for a month or more.

Not sure your stretching practices but its suggested nowadays to do warm-up before running and save stretching until post-run. Ten years ago, the practice was still before the run also. Stretching during a run is still OK and I often have to stop and stretch my calves. I find a minute break for a calf stretch mid-run gives me a great boost when I pick up the pace again.

You may want to mix in some general weight conditioning.

And, not trying to make a joke, but massage is very useful for recovery and you live in the land of cheap massages.

Incorporate a massage into your training and I bet you will see gains and maybe less leg discomfort.

There is also some interesting research on changing running form from heel striker to midfoot striker and shortening your gait and increasing steps per minute allowing runners relief from long-time pain, but this is best accomplished with a coach. Have you considered joining one of Thailands many running clubs? Maybe I will see you at Lumpini Park some morning.

Cheers

Edit: Casualposter hit on a very important topic above--the wrong running shoes!

Edited June 16, 2014 by ClutchClark

[shadmo63]

Mix it up a bit - alternate your activities. Do weight work or bike riding every second day. Or shorter faster runs.

I am guessing you were running in the cold of England before; heat and humidity are incredibly energy sapping. Keep hydrated.

And please, 80kg is not light - spend some money on high quality foot ware. You're bulletproof now but you'll be old one day.

[brit1984]

I used to do a lot of jogging (include marathon). When I was in uni, I would jog 2 hours almost everyday without a problem.

I used to cycle round the Oxford ring road almost every day.

Is this leg pain just a consequence of getting older?

No.

I'm 80kg and have been around that since I was 16/17

Stating weight sans height is silly. BMI is a useful indicator. 80kg @ 5'4'' is not the same as 80kg @ 6'2''.

Am I just being a wimp?

No.

I try to tell myself that leg pain can be ignored as it's not important like my heart

The footwear you're using is not appropriate for the surface you're jogging on.

Good point about height, I am 183cm and 80kg (with most of that weight in my big nose and ears) so not fat but still a lot of weight for my chicken legs to support!

[brit1984]

You are logging quite alot of miles for coming out of a long hiatus.

As you get older you have to be more careful of overuse injuries since healing times are longer.

At 29, you are still bullet-proof, or atleast I thought I still was at that age, and ignoring body signals can result in those injuries.

And then you find yourself not being able to run for a month or more.

Not sure your stretching practices but its suggested nowadays to do warm-up before running and save stretching until post-run. Ten years ago, the practice was still before the run also. Stretching during a run is still OK and I often have to stop and stretch my calves. I find a minute break for a calf stretch mid-run gives me a great boost when I pick up the pace again.

You may want to mix in some general weight conditioning.

And, not trying to make a joke, but massage is very useful for recovery and you live in the land of cheap massages.

Incorporate a massage into your training and I bet you will see gains and maybe less leg discomfort.

There is also some interesting research on changing running form from heel striker to midfoot striker and shortening your gait and increasing steps per minute allowing runners relief from long-time pain, but this is best accomplished with a coach. Have you considered joining one of Thailands many running clubs? Maybe I will see you at Lumpini Park some morning.

Cheers

Edit: Casualposter hit on a very important topic above--the wrong running shoes!

Thanks, this is a very helpful post (clearly written by someone who knows what they are talking).

My running style is not great hence the heels of my shoes wear down so fast. I definitely need to buy some new running shoes to minimize the negative effect of that on the rest of my body.

I will research about stretching; I've never done any stretching since PE class at school.

I agree about massage being helpful for sore muscles. I'm in the spa business (not a massage boy) and we have a lot of customers who play sports / dance / ballet.

I would like to join a running club if I can find one open to slow runners (I barely cover 10k over the course of an hour).

[OxfordWill]

Do squats.. like you were considering. It will help immensely. Just alternative the heavy squatting and the jogging days.

Im the same in that I can't jog/run for very long (im 1 year older than you). I have never been able to although have been trying to change that. I can cycle long distance (100km+) in a few hours and feel fine, but jogging at 8-10kph for anything more than 30 mins is almost impossible for me (I start to feel all kinds of weird). Would love to know how to improve it as have once or twice enjoyed the "natural high" from running, but it is very elusive.

+1 for not stretching, according to current thinking.

Edited June 17, 2014 by OxfordWill

[shadmo63]

Do squats.. like you were considering. It will help immensely. Just alternative the heavy squatting and the jogging days.

Im the same in that I can't jog/run for very long (im 1 year older than you). I have never been able to although have been trying to change that. I can cycle long distance (100km+) in a few hours and feel fine, but jogging at 8-10kph for anything more than 30 mins is almost impossible for me (I start to feel all kinds of weird). Would love to know how to improve it as have once or twice enjoyed the "natural high" from running, but it is very elusive.

+1 for not stretching, according to current thinking.

Wouldn't your long distance cycling give you the "natural high"? With less stress on your knees and hips.

Interestingly (Wikipedia informs me) the runners high is now thought possibly to be a cannabinoid high - ie. a dope smokers high. With maybe serotonin & dopamine involvement. Jim Fixx, the running guru from early 80's, always preached endorphins and increased life expectancy until he dropped dead of a heart attack at 52. Wrong on both counts.

[transam]

Also important is to concentrate on a breathing regime, you must have a continuous "wanted" supply of oxygen for the blood to pick up to feed the muscle group you are working, in your case legs. If you don't then you will get the "burn". Same with my weight training, was a bit of a learning curve. Seen guys try doing heavy stuff and not breathing properly and get into trouble.

[brit1984]

Also important is to concentrate on a breathing regime, you must have a continuous "wanted" supply of oxygen for the blood to pick up to feed the muscle group you are working, in your case legs. If you don't then you will get the "burn". Same with my weight training, was a bit of a learning curve. Seen guys try doing heavy stuff and not breathing properly and get into trouble.

I normally breathe well with my mouth wide open, except when I pass a pretty girl coming in the opposite direction (thinking about it that happens a lot because i jog in a university park, so yes maybe breathing could be ANOTHER issue to deal with)

[brit1984]

Do squats.. like you were considering. It will help immensely. Just alternative the heavy squatting and the jogging days.

Im the same in that I can't jog/run for very long (im 1 year older than you). I have never been able to although have been trying to change that. I can cycle long distance (100km+) in a few hours and feel fine, but jogging at 8-10kph for anything more than 30 mins is almost impossible for me (I start to feel all kinds of weird). Would love to know how to improve it as have once or twice enjoyed the "natural high" from running, but it is very elusive.

+1 for not stretching, according to current thinking.

Cycling is a good idea. Sometimes I rent a bike and ride around Suan Rot Fai (the big park near Chatuchak) for a few hours. I should buy a bike and do more cycling.

[transam]

Do squats.. like you were considering. It will help immensely. Just alternative the heavy squatting and the jogging days.

Im the same in that I can't jog/run for very long (im 1 year older than you). I have never been able to although have been trying to change that. I can cycle long distance (100km+) in a few hours and feel fine, but jogging at 8-10kph for anything more than 30 mins is almost impossible for me (I start to feel all kinds of weird). Would love to know how to improve it as have once or twice enjoyed the "natural high" from running, but it is very elusive.

+1 for not stretching, according to current thinking.

Cycling is a good idea. Sometimes I rent a bike and ride around Suan Rot Fai (the big park near Chatuchak) for a few hours. I should buy a bike and do more cycling.

Yep, that way your legs are working, calories burnt, plus you do not carry your weight, which is good for your ankles and knees.

[seb2015]

One thing that worked for me was to stop drinking filtered water (80% of the water you can find in any shop).

If you make a point in drinking mineral water, you'll have a better overall hydration and that reduces a lot of the muscle pain, cramps, etc that you could have while practicing sport

Hope you find a solution

Cheers

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[brit1984]

One thing that worked for me was to stop drinking filtered water (80% of the water you can find in any shop).

If you make a point in drinking mineral water, you'll have a better overall hydration and that reduces a lot of the muscle pain, cramps, etc that you could have while practicing sport

Hope you find a solution

Cheers

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

yes this is good point, need to be careful here

does anyone know if Singha water is mineral water?