Muscles Do Hurt More Than When You Were In High School – Here’s Why

A day in the life of a marathoning joggler in haiku.

Joggler in the Morning:

Open eyes, feel pain
Back, arm and leg movement hurts
Night sweat soaked pillow

Joggler in the Afternoon:

Feel stomach grumble
Need lunch but there is no time
Heed the treadmill’s call

Joggling bags in hand
Step on platform, press buttons
Six leg throbbing miles

Joggler at Night:

Three story stair climb
Echoes of daytime run pain
Shuffling feet relieves

Don’t let anyone kid you, training for a marathon whether your juggling it or just running is painful. Your legs hurt. Sometimes they hurt a lot. And scientists have now found out why your legs hurt even more when you get older.

According to the Standford researchers, as we age, a signaling problem develops between your muscles and your brain. Basically, your brain doesn’t activate the right repair mechanisms at the right time. Your left with incompletely healed muscles and persistent soreness. This is especially true if you never take a day off from your running and juggling streak.

Not to worry. As I like to say…

Pain reminds you that you’re alive.

*Joggling photos taken by Emory Kimbrough at the 2007 IJA Joggling World Championships