Tired legs when jogging

[Sheryl]

There is a possibility that you are getting back problem, get a MRI done and see if you get any slip disk etc. When this happen it press the nerves going to your leg and make you tired. Take care of it before it is too late.

Anything is possible but IMAO unlikely as you are young and as far as I know only have the problem while running. You have many good suggestions to explore before this one.

Agree. I doubt a back problem and certainly not any of the other medical issues some posters have suggested. An otherwise healthy 29 year old whose legs feel tired only after >30 minutes of hard jogging = not suggestive of a disease process. Most likely being out of shape + fluid/electrolyte depletion. The latter can be solved by rehydrating properly (with more than just water when there had been profuse sweating) and the former, by exercise/stretches and taking things more gradually.

Sweat contains, in addition to water, high concentrations of sodium and chloride, and lower amounts of potassium and magnesium. Someone who is sweating heavily and replacing with only water is definitely going to be hyponatremic (low sodium) which can cause muscle cramps and weakness and may also be low in potassium and magnesium, ditto. Low potassium in particular leads to muscle weakness. Your body will usually compensate for all this within a few hours, but in the very short term your electrolytes will be out of whack and this will most definitely affect muscles.

I suspect switching to, or at least adding, a balanced electrolyte solution will make a dramatic difference.

[brit1984]

I have a few too many friends aged 45+ who used to jog or run every day; by their late 40s - early 50s most had to have knee operations.

Cycling is good, as pointed out above, but several doctors and sports scientists have told me over the years that swimming is the best exercise (with sex a close second, not joking) as it gets the heart rate up and uses a lot more body muscles than running/jogging, but without the adverse impact on bones and joints.

This is a very good point and especially relevant for me here in Bangkok.

Back home I was normally jogging on grass, which was often damp/soft.

Until (and if) I find similar surfaces here I should focus more on swimming/cycling.

[Gandtee]

I used to cycle everyday until about five years ago doing about 30 kl. I used to get leg cramps in the night and still do if I have been out in my garden/jungle cutting grass and chopping back vegetation. I drink water while in the process, but sometimes not enough. To avoid the cramps I drink a couple of packets of electrolyte drink. This seems to work. But if I forget to do this and get cramp I hobble to the kitchen and dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in water and drink that. The cramp disappears almost immediately. I now await the avalanche of warnings about salt. By the way I am eighty and have used salt all of my life.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Gandtee

[BlackJack]

what is lactic acid ?

[shadmo63]

what is lactic acid ?

Muscles get energy from oxidizing glucose during exercise and lactate aka lactic acid is produced during that process. With very heavy muscle use the lactate levels can build up.

In the recent past it was thought that lactic acid buildup was what gave you sore muscles in the days after strenuous activity. Some recent research suggests that is incorrect and that lactic acid buildup is more associated with the 'burn' you feel when say body building and working a muscle to its limits. The sore muscles you feel in the days after a hard workout is now thought to be part of the process of breaking down (damaging) the muscle to be rebuilt bigger and stronger afterwords.

Many people will still talk about lactic acid causing muscle soreness as I described because that's how it's always been understood for the last 50 years or so. It was always common for athletes to go on a slow run in the days after say a marathon or football game to 'burn up the excess lactic acid'.

[robertson468]

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............

What utter rubbish. You need to do two things. 1) See your Dr and have a check-up. Always advisable if you a restarting an exercise regime after quite a long lay-off. 2) Drop the distance you are running, you might have higher expectations, based in previous exercise regime, than you are capable of now. Take it easy and allow your body to benefit from you exercise. If the Dr says you are okay - crack on and ignore transam scare mongering. By the way, I am shortly to turn 70 and hope I am still jogging at 90 and feeling so good. Mind you might get hit by a bus tomorrow.

[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............

What utter rubbish. You need to do two things. 1) See your Dr and have a check-up. Always advisable if you a restarting an exercise regime after quite a long lay-off. 2) Drop the distance you are running, you might have higher expectations, based in previous exercise regime, than you are capable of now. Take it easy and allow your body to benefit from you exercise. If the Dr says you are okay - crack on and ignore transam scare mongering. By the way, I am shortly to turn 70 and hope I am still jogging at 90 and feeling so good. Mind you might get hit by a bus tomorrow.

As I said, all bodies are different, such as guys smoke and live to be a 100. You class all folk to be like you cos your stuff worked for you........

I lost two friends in their twenties............

[shadmo63]

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............

What utter rubbish. You need to do two things. 1) See your Dr and have a check-up. Always advisable if you a restarting an exercise regime after quite a long lay-off. 2) Drop the distance you are running, you might have higher expectations, based in previous exercise regime, than you are capable of now. Take it easy and allow your body to benefit from you exercise. If the Dr says you are okay - crack on and ignore transam scare mongering. By the way, I am shortly to turn 70 and hope I am still jogging at 90 and feeling so good. Mind you might get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Great stuff Robertson, keep it up.

I don't think a 29 year old needs to see a doctor. Maybe if you're 50+ or have health issues.

[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............

What utter rubbish. You need to do two things. 1) See your Dr and have a check-up. Always advisable if you a restarting an exercise regime after quite a long lay-off. 2) Drop the distance you are running, you might have higher expectations, based in previous exercise regime, than you are capable of now. Take it easy and allow your body to benefit from you exercise. If the Dr says you are okay - crack on and ignore transam scare mongering. By the way, I am shortly to turn 70 and hope I am still jogging at 90 and feeling so good. Mind you might get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Great stuff Robertson, keep it up.

I don't think a 29 year old needs to see a doctor. Maybe if you're 50+ or have health issues.

Total rolox..........Why did my friends die of heart failure in their late twenties...........?

Please answer.

[brit1984]

with regards to whether or not i should visit a doctor, it's always smart to get a check up, but with regards to my specific case, the replies to this thread have opened my eyes to lot's of stupid things i'm doing, which i should fix before there is any reason to believe there is an underlying medical issue

[CaitlinHappyMeal]

hi, did you gradually build up to the amount of time you are running non stop or did you just go for it again after 10 years absence, because if you didn't you may still not be able to progress from this point as your body may still be struggling to cope with what you want it to do 10 years down the line, it may be a case of dropping down a notch, try some interval work etc and gradually build up again. do you warm up and stretch before and after, do you hydrated enough, are you trainers right for you, could you changing your breathing technique to get more oxygen flowing, plus i take it you are in Thailand so factor in the heat....might not be just one thing. hope this helps

[MyFriend You]

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............

Our High School Coach used to tell us "If you can't walk five miles in forty five minutes, you're not ready for running.................we all scoffed at that but try it - its Hard!!! but with a lot of practice muscles toughened up and we were able to do it.............(I grew up in a hilly area of the US so its even harder up & down hills)

[shadmo63]

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............

What utter rubbish. You need to do two things. 1) See your Dr and have a check-up. Always advisable if you a restarting an exercise regime after quite a long lay-off. 2) Drop the distance you are running, you might have higher expectations, based in previous exercise regime, than you are capable of now. Take it easy and allow your body to benefit from you exercise. If the Dr says you are okay - crack on and ignore transam scare mongering. By the way, I am shortly to turn 70 and hope I am still jogging at 90 and feeling so good. Mind you might get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Great stuff Robertson, keep it up.

I don't think a 29 year old needs to see a doctor. Maybe if you're 50+ or have health issues.

Total rolox..........Why did my friends die of heart failure in their late twenties...........?

Please answer.

Firstly I was a trained nurse but haven't worked in the field for a while, and I used to run a fair bit when I was young. These days I am old (50) and fat and stick to the mountain bike. I have a functional heart murmur myself - completely benign. The fact you lost two friends in their twenties is extraordinary. Sudden death from cardiac failure is extremely rare, and cannot be predicted. But it happens. I can see why you think like you do, and I am guessing they were close friends too, to affect your thinking like this. It is just a very rare thing for a young person to die that way. As is a young person dying of cancer but it happens all the time. I was in a mountain bike event once and a 26 year old, who'd won the race the year before, dropped dead. I lost an uncle at 33 y o from cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart), who collapsed while playing squash.

What sort of heart failure? There are a few different types of heart attack. Usually someone of Rik Mayalls vintage suffer complete or partial blockage of some of the 4 coronary arteries. But that's not going to happen in a 29 year old (or extremely rarely). Were there signs and symptoms? There's a limit to what a doctor would pick up in a surgery when you are at rest. I repeat - sudden death from cardiac failure cannot be predicted. The Dr will listen to your heart and can pick up an arrhythmia or murmur if present but that's about it. Only an ECG or a cardiac stress test would pick up other structural or conduction problems and you will only conduct those tests if other signs and symptoms are present first.

I hope that helps

[transam]

This guy was a hero of mine, champion power lifter and won The Worlds Strongest Man title 4 times.

He died about 20 years back at the age of 32 from heart failure. It was found his problem was hereditary.

But don't think the OP will be doing Jon Paul's stuff...... ...........

[helvellyn]

I think this is an interesting video on the possible effects of extreme running, over a long period of time, on the heart. Basically the gist is that a light running regime is good for the heart, but marathon running and related high intensity training isn't, if sustained for many years. Incidentally, the OP mentioned running for about an hour a day at a speed of roughly 10k/hour. If he was to cut that back to 4/5 days a week I think it would pretty much fall into the category of healthy running. Not trying to scaremonger here, nor claim the content of this video as gospel - just food for thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g8eEYwtfSo&feature=player_embedded#t=0

[transam]

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livestrong.com%2Farticle%2F473317-my-legs-turn-red-after-exercise%2F&ei=yYKiU465DIWMuAT2toHIBw&usg=AFQjCNGJFn6cdqAhnIVjynRZwbaXRLrsGQ

[shadmo63]

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livestrong.com%2Farticle%2F473317-my-legs-turn-red-after-exercise%2F&ei=yYKiU465DIWMuAT2toHIBw&usg=AFQjCNGJFn6cdqAhnIVjynRZwbaXRLrsGQ

Livestrong belongs to that cheating f#%# Lance Armstrong.

[transam]

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livestrong.com%2Farticle%2F473317-my-legs-turn-red-after-exercise%2F&ei=yYKiU465DIWMuAT2toHIBw&usg=AFQjCNGJFn6cdqAhnIVjynRZwbaXRLrsGQ

Livestrong belongs to that cheating f#%# Lance Armstrong.

oooooooooooooooooos e............?

[shadmo63]

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livestrong.com%2Farticle%2F473317-my-legs-turn-red-after-exercise%2F&ei=yYKiU465DIWMuAT2toHIBw&usg=AFQjCNGJFn6cdqAhnIVjynRZwbaXRLrsGQ

Livestrong belongs to that cheating f#%# Lance Armstrong.

oooooooooooooooooos e............?

Up to you

[transam]

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livestrong.com%2Farticle%2F473317-my-legs-turn-red-after-exercise%2F&ei=yYKiU465DIWMuAT2toHIBw&usg=AFQjCNGJFn6cdqAhnIVjynRZwbaXRLrsGQ

Livestrong belongs to that cheating f#%# Lance Armstrong.

oooooooooooooooooos e............?

Up to you

Sorry, slang,....Who is he..................

[shadmo63]

Who is Lance Armstrong?

Very arrogant USA cycling superstar. Won the Tour de France like 7 or 8 times in a row from late 90s. Finally admitted to being a blood doper EPO a couple of years ago after being accused by every teammate he ever had. Stripped of everything, including his dignity. Oh had testicular cancer, might have been given a year to live or something like that and lost one ball in the year before winning his first tour. Absolute Hero to absolute zero.

[helvellyn]

Who is Lance Armstrong?

Very arrogant USA cycling superstar. Won the Tour de France like 7 or 8 times in a row from late 90s. Finally admitted to being a blood doper EPO a couple of years ago after being accused by every teammate he ever had. Stripped of everything, including his dignity. Oh had testicular cancer, might have been given a year to live or something like that and lost one ball in the year before winning his first tour. Absolute Hero to absolute zero.

To be fair, Livestrong distanced themselves from Dopestrong after the USADA reasoned decision was released - I don't believe he has anything to do with the foundation anymore.

[gazzasore]

Have more Salt and Magnesium

Great advice.

Glad I took the trouble to read all the posts before I commented.

Magnesium deficiency will give tired/aching legs.

Take a supplement for a few days and see if the problem is less.

Try one with Vitamin D3 included as well.

The biomagnesium from Boots actually states, relieves muscle cramps.

Good Luck

And Salt

In a hot climate you need more salt and remember Salt is good for you Not Bad We have been told a lie that salt is bad for you so more people get sick and the Big Pharma make more money We need salt to make stomach acid and if we don't have enough Stomach Acid we cant digest food correctly then this will cause many other ailments

Most Humans are deficient in magnesium we also need more Magnesium for our Bones even more so than Calcium I I heard

[Aforek]

I do jogging 7 kms every two days, 6.30 am ; I am 64 years ; I think that you run too much ( one hour every day, not good for the body )

run on paths, better than roads, use good shoes ( in Thailand, not expensive :1300 bahts, change them every 1000 kms ) ; alternate you activites ( I walk and cycling every day )

as said above, diet is very important

Listen you body : if your thighs and calfs hurt at 29 years, it's a message from you body ; running can be dangerous for some people ( excuse my english, it's not my language )

[ChiangMike]

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).

Good thread. 10k an hour in Thailand is actually fast and would make you a sprinter. I ran frequently in California (casually) and my pace was around 40/45 minute 10k, the first time I ran in Bangkok it was around 2pm at Benjasiri Park - nobody was there, I thought wonderful. I quit at 5k and god knows what my pace was - something awful. Also never sweat that much before in my life - literally seeped through my socks and made my shoes wet.

Always run at Benjasiri now early morning when in Bangkok. It's become a ritual I enjoy, seeing the all night partiers stumble out into the light (walk over from Suk soi 13 - good warm up) provokes a chuckle. Tried to increase my distance quick when I first arrived and ran smack dab into plantar fasciitis and was forced to take a few months off. Now have a comfort level about 8-10k a day, and aggressively stretch. I kinda wish I would've followed some of the advice on this thread when I started.

Anway good luck.

Ps. ANYONE who's run a marathon in Thailand - I bow in deference to. It's a significant challenge.

EDIT: Wrote Benjasiri up above but meant Benjakiti. BAH! Second time I've done that, last time was supposed to meet someone and sent them to the wrong park. In conversation I just call it Sirikit Park (also incorrect), but people know what I mean. Proper name Benjakiti, over next to Sirikit convention center. Great place to run in the morning.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ChiangMike

[shadmo63]

Who is Lance Armstrong?

Very arrogant USA cycling superstar. Won the Tour de France like 7 or 8 times in a row from late 90s. Finally admitted to being a blood doper EPO a couple of years ago after being accused by every teammate he ever had. Stripped of everything, including his dignity. Oh had testicular cancer, might have been given a year to live or something like that and lost one ball in the year before winning his first tour. Absolute Hero to absolute zero.

To be fair, Livestrong distanced themselves from Dopestrong after the USADA reasoned decision was released - I don't believe he has anything to do with the foundation anymore.

Thanks I stand corrected

[shadmo63]

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).

Good thread. 10k an hour in Thailand is actually fast and would make you a sprinter. I ran frequently in California (casually) and my pace was around 40/45 minute 10k, the first time I ran in Bangkok it was around 2pm at Benjasiri Park - nobody was there, I thought wonderful. I quit at 5k and god knows what my pace was - something awful. Also never sweat that much before in my life - literally seeped through my socks and made my shoes wet.

Always run at Benjasiri now early morning when in Bangkok. It's become a ritual I enjoy, seeing the all night partiers stumble out into the light (walk over from Suk soi 13 - good warm up) provokes a chuckle. Tried to increase my distance quick when I first arrived and ran smack dab into plantar fasciitis and was forced to take a few months off. Now have a comfort level about 8-10k a day, and aggressively stretch. I kinda wish I would've followed some of the advice on this thread when I started.

Anway good luck.

Ps. ANYONE who's run a marathon in Thailand - I bow in deference to. It's a significant challenge.

EDIT: Wrote Benjasiri up above but meant Benjakiti. BAH! Second time I've done that, last time was supposed to meet someone and sent them to the wrong park. In conversation I just call it Sirikit Park (also incorrect), but people know what I mean. Proper name Benjakiti, over next to Sirikit convention center. Great place to run in the morning.

I am going back a few years but agree - I used to do 10k comfortably in 50 minutes in Australia at the time, but in Udon I could only plod half way around Nong Prachak park before walking, and it's only a few km's around. Like the air was too thick or lacked oxygen, and your limbs were like heavy weights.

[infinity11]

the few times i did not stretch (the legs) before jogging caused severe pain later

stretching after, optional

[shadmo63]

Have more Salt and Magnesium

Great advice.

Glad I took the trouble to read all the posts before I commented.

Magnesium deficiency will give tired/aching legs.

Take a supplement for a few days and see if the problem is less.

Try one with Vitamin D3 included as well.

The biomagnesium from Boots actually states, relieves muscle cramps.

Good Luck

And Salt

In a hot climate you need more salt and remember Salt is good for you Not Bad We have been told a lie that salt is bad for you so more people get sick and the Big Pharma make more money We need salt to make stomach acid and if we don't have enough Stomach Acid we cant digest food correctly then this will cause many other ailments

Most Humans are deficient in magnesium we also need more Magnesium for our Bones even more so than Calcium I I heard

Your blood has a rough salt (NaCl) concentration of 0.9% which is also the concentration and contents of 'normal saline' too. This is the standard fluid given in a drip - IV therapy in hospital. Pretty much every fluid in the body will contain NaCl including gastric acid. Salt is essential for life. But it's not a lie - a diet high in salt will raise your blood pressure (via actions of the kidneys) and is especially not good for anyone with cardiac or kidney problems. Salt is extremely cheap and widely available - I don't see any relationship between salt and big Pharma but maybe Gatorade are making a killing selling us 'cordial' with a bit of salt. Coke does just as good a job; you'll see Tour de France riders drinking coke during the race. Some people lose a lot of salt when they exercise and some don't. For most people water is fine.

And yep magnesium is needed for bone health just like calcium, but...too much salt is bad, mkay.

[marcusd]

If muscles are HURTING that is a sign,of oxygen deprivation.

If they ACHE like you need a massage, type ache, this could be body salt issues.

Drinking lots of bottled water in the heat of Thailand will deplete your natural,salts.

You need to drink something like Gatorade.... But don't jog. That will destroy your knees bone structure and also places immense strain on your vertebrae...SPINE,

The gym is just as good and safer