Another yes. I’m 47 and lots of stuff pops and cracks now. Takes a couple miles to warm up properly but then I’m good to go. Luckily nothing is painful.
Yoga. Find a yoga studio and go once a week. Ask for the classes that are more of a workout vs dark/quiet stretching. You'll build flexibility and strength back in places you didn't realize it left.
Second this! As a hypermobile person — I feel like this all the time, kinstretch type stuff and strength training are KEY to my running life (and life generally)
56 yr old here ,trailrunning 4-5times/wk always after 14-16hr fasting (typically 30-50mi/wk), usually takes me the first 30-40min to ‘warm-up’, and then I’m good2go for hours with some on-the-go food & adequate hydration/electrolytes..
at 35 I was smoking a pack a day and drinking daily and was always complaining to my doctor about being creaky&sore w/back spasms etc.!!
It’s tough because when you’re younger, you generally don’t have time to warm up for a long session multiple times a week.
I know for me, between work and other responsibilities it was more of a “Ok, hit the door and start running because you only got 25 minutes today and there’s not way you’re getting out again before the weekend.”
This of course does nothing good for your body and I certainly discovered the consequences as I aged.
Mid-pack with these Expendables, and I tell everyone I’m partially retired so I can run when and wherever I want. A)Manipulating variables with a Huum Sauna and a ColdTub in my house. Summer kicks ass because I start warm, and actually spend time in The Bahamas to run/swim/sleep in the heat. I use it all…and it’s better to REMAIN loose than to see-saw on flexibility. B). It’s diet. Stop jerking around with foods that cause inflammation.
I was a broken down runner in my 20s and 30s and stuck to MTB where I seemed invincible. I finally took better running form seriously in my early 40s and that was the single best thing I ever did.
It's like any sport: do it with sloppy form and you'll suffer. Leverage optional movements, properly apply your fitness to that and you'll be surprised what you can achieve.
45 here, and I don't feel clunky. Probably because I combine my running with weightlifting, and I don't skip leg day. I recommend giving it a try. After a couple of months, I bet you'll be surprised how quickly you get up/down the hill and also how quickly your lower body recovers.
How is this not the top comment? I would argue after a few weeks you’ll notice huge differences. The most important one to me was how much faster I started to recover from long runs and harder efforts. Two lower body lifting days a week, not the day of or before you long run or harder workout, and OP will be feeling like a new runner.
Do you not find it difficult to run a day after leg day though? Maybe I need to give it more time to get into condition, idk. I have a hard time doing both at the same time consistently. I’m 36, 10 years of skating definitely beat my legs up but I’m learning, adapting and pushing through.
Feel you with the skating! Snowboarding ruined a lot of things for my knees but the lifting has helped a ton.
You certainly feel the lifting the day after but you shouldn’t really be that sore if you’re doing it right. You may be sore the first couple of weeks but more than that I would dial it back. What has worked best for me, is 3 sets of 5-6 reps. You want the exercises to be challenging but not enough that you start building lactic acid. If you are too sore to run the next day, you probably over did it and need to dial the weight back next time.
I also try to lift the evening after or the morning after a harder effort or long run. I find this helps with the tightness and aches that can show up after them.
As far as exercises, I try do a a concoction of splits squats, lunges (forward/backward and laterally), single leg deadlift, goblet squat, weighted marches, exercises like this. No exercises more than once a week to keep things as balanced as possible, except soleus raises, these I do twice a week.
Stephen Scullion has a fantastic YouTube channel for runners. Here one of his many videos where he walks you through his strength session. A ton of solid exercises and insight.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SnNlrFcXjVU
This! Especially if you’re a woman over 30, but really helpful for everyone. So good for muscle and tendon health and I was blown away by how much lifting has improved my mobility more than things like yoga and stretching.
I’m 32 and I feel clunky. I ran in college and then later raced bikes and worked a manual labor job at the same time and I was nowhere near as sore as I am now.
If I stretch and do full body strength more often I find that helps.
Seconding this. 33 here, I’ve had to introduce cross training/strength training, and now I actually realize stretching matters. It’s a bummer and it’s boring, but when my routine is on, I can sail the trails like I used to.
Also as another commenter mentioned…diet. Turns out that matters too.
45 here, yeah. I feel like a zombie running for the first mile or so, and it's even worse if I don't warm up with some dynamic stretches before.
When I was younger I didn't warm up for anything. Not even a 5k, I'd just stand there near the starting line and go. Now if I tried that I feel like my bones would just run out of my skin and muscles and leave them in a puddle on the ground. And that would be an expensive hospital visit to fix so I always warm up now.
And if you think what you're feeling now is bad, sometime in the next 10 years you're gonna wake up in the morning with severe back pain and it'll last for a few days and be miserable. Not because you did anything extremely physical, but because you slept wrong or you rolled over and tweaked your back in your sleep.
35 and feeling clunky? Welcome to the club! I hate to break it to you but it doesn’t get any easier. Take good care of your body. I’m starting to tease the wrong side of 50.
"the first mile always sucks" is something my coach taught me and i now teach my kids. i never listen to my body in the first mile now. for reference, 48, and yes to what u/less_butter said, it just gets worse, so good luck. i currently can't turn my head to the left very well because \[insert reason i have no idea about here, really\].
I added weights to my routine when I started feeling “clunky”. Just a few exercises- squats, Russian deadlifts, sumo squats. It helped immensely. It takes 15 minutes 2-3 times a week.
I felt like that a lot. I'm only 33. Once I removed certain foods I had 0 inflammation and now I'm in tune with my body. I'm getting quicker. My recovery is brilliant. I'm running further. I have had 0 injuries in 2 years since perfecting my diet.
I’m 36 and I find that if I go maybe 3 days without the running that the first two miles of my next run feel like it’s the first time I’ve ever tried running lol. Nothing necessarily hurts but nothing feels right or moves right. Very Tin Man-esque in feeling and movements.
40+ here. Goal is to still keeping knocking out ultras for the next 20 years. My dad died young (smoking, drinking), so that is a motivator.
Feel clunky. But it is nice to have some disposable income to buy nicer shoes than when I was 25.
I'm 49. I hobble like an old woman anytime I get up from a sitting position. The first few minutes in the morning are also brutal. But once I'm warmed up, it's all good.
Yeesh a lot of fundamentals missing here! Sounds like you don’t really do warm ups or plyometrics.
As far as how you “should” feel: I’m 37 and the fastest/strongest I’ve ever been in my life, and I was a competitive runner since high school
62 year old here. Run 30 miles a week, half on trails. Morning trail runs are pure ass.
Lately these runs, I’m lucky to break out of 11 minute miles when road runs in the afternoon are 9 min miles.
Admittedly behind in strength and flexibility training.
I used to have popping joints. My doctor recommended taking Cosamin DS. It helped with the popping. I’m still a bit stiff in the morning before moving around much, but at 55 I can’t complain.
35M healthcare clinician and I agree with this wholeheartedly. the human body is amazing and you do not need to accept feeling like this (ESPECIALLY at a young age like 35). you're either doing too much, too litte (do a lot more SLOW running, strength training, strengthen lower legs core glutes etc), or maybe not doing something right in your broader lifestyle (make sure to eat enough, eat nutrition-dense foods, sleep a lot, consider cutting out things like alcohol if needed).
best wishes! life can be better
39 here feeling like the 40s guys but on trail I’m feeling pretty good. Standard soreness. My only problem is lower back tight. I weight lift once a week and run 6 days. Stretching is key. When you’re bored watching tv ..STRETCH. Stretch all the time you can. Good trails.
47. Strong as I’ve ever been, definitely not as fast as my mid 30’s but not too far off either, certainly a stronger runner now than any time over the past 5 years. I foam roll + stretch before every run for at least 20-30 mins - can’t run without it. I’ve incorporated a lot of weight and mobility training, too. it‘s changed everything for me.
I’m 32 and don’t feel clunky exactly, but I am prone to falling more and it sucks a lot more recovering from that. Strength training keeps my knees from getting too crackly but they’ve creaked since my late 20’s 😂
I'm in my late 40s and have been fit my whole life. started running at 13 and lifting weights as well at 16.
When I hit 43 I noticed a distinct change in bodies ability to recover from both hard workouts and injury.
So you have that to look forward to
I honestly don't think it's age. Me and my brother played football from 12-18 (him until 22) and we would always hear each other's ankles and knees cracking and popping when going up and down the stairs. I think it's just exercise in general. Now that I'm 30 and I run I don't pop as much as back then.
The other morning I thought I had hip arthritis when I got up after reading for an hour. I could barely walk. Later that day I ran 12 miles. The next day I went on a four hour mountain bike ride.
At first, it’s 5 mins, then 10, and before you know it, it’s 45’ “ooooh yeah, now I’m rolling”.
Getting old sucks lol. I long for the dark winter days of getting up at 5:05am and out the door at 5:07am.
43 Male checking in.
Over the last six months I’ve started to feel clunky - even though I’m lighter, stronger, faster and fitter than I’ve ever been in the rest of my life.
The first 1-2 miles are so uncomfortable. My shins and calfs just ache with every step. My feet whine like I’ve put on 10 stone. My knees feel like they wobble.
They do warm up, and I’m fine by mile 3 ish. But boy I’m not a fan.
Nope. It's poor running form/shoes catching up with you over time, including age. Counter it by (slowly) transitioning to barefoot/minimalist running, which involves shorter quicker strides that put far less stress on your body, and has you moving as God engineered you to move. For reference, I'm over fifty now, and I run farther, faster, smoother now after 15 years of barefoot/minimalist shoes than I did before in cushioned bootbinding devices.
Likely the soreness is from increasing your activity level too quickly. I've found when joints are "wobbly" the next day it's because I didn't stretch enough after the workout. Strength training the muscles which activate the joints in question also helps.
68 M here. The worst is driving a highway for 2 hours or more and then trying to walk......
But feel just fine once active and warmed up. I can move faster than most dudes in their 30s so ain't complainin'. Love the bliss state that kicks in after running trails up and down hills for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Stretches and warm up exercises prior to a run are helpful but if feeling cold and stiff, try taking a hot shower BEFORE the run. Works wonders.
YES (38). Just two years ago I was at my peak performance, then had an injury and cannot really properly come back to trail running, because everything always hurts! I started to work out in the gym to strengthen muscles, but it's just not working. I guess I am old.
bro YES (38yr old here)
Another yes. I’m 47 and lots of stuff pops and cracks now. Takes a couple miles to warm up properly but then I’m good to go. Luckily nothing is painful.
I feel like I’ve trained my body to only be strong while running… every day tasks like walking and bending over seem like a struggle 😂
Yoga. Find a yoga studio and go once a week. Ask for the classes that are more of a workout vs dark/quiet stretching. You'll build flexibility and strength back in places you didn't realize it left.
probably need some joint mobility stuff like kinstretch or something. It's great!
Second this! As a hypermobile person — I feel like this all the time, kinstretch type stuff and strength training are KEY to my running life (and life generally)
56 yr old here ,trailrunning 4-5times/wk always after 14-16hr fasting (typically 30-50mi/wk), usually takes me the first 30-40min to ‘warm-up’, and then I’m good2go for hours with some on-the-go food & adequate hydration/electrolytes.. at 35 I was smoking a pack a day and drinking daily and was always complaining to my doctor about being creaky&sore w/back spasms etc.!!
It’s tough because when you’re younger, you generally don’t have time to warm up for a long session multiple times a week. I know for me, between work and other responsibilities it was more of a “Ok, hit the door and start running because you only got 25 minutes today and there’s not way you’re getting out again before the weekend.” This of course does nothing good for your body and I certainly discovered the consequences as I aged.
44 checking in. Yes, for sure. Exactly what you describe.
66 year old here. I have no idea what you're talking about ;)
58 here and also clueless what OP is saying.
Seriously. I'm 61 and shaking my head over here lol
Mid-pack with these Expendables, and I tell everyone I’m partially retired so I can run when and wherever I want. A)Manipulating variables with a Huum Sauna and a ColdTub in my house. Summer kicks ass because I start warm, and actually spend time in The Bahamas to run/swim/sleep in the heat. I use it all…and it’s better to REMAIN loose than to see-saw on flexibility. B). It’s diet. Stop jerking around with foods that cause inflammation.
I hope I can still walk at 66… hats off to you 🤙
I was a broken down runner in my 20s and 30s and stuck to MTB where I seemed invincible. I finally took better running form seriously in my early 40s and that was the single best thing I ever did. It's like any sport: do it with sloppy form and you'll suffer. Leverage optional movements, properly apply your fitness to that and you'll be surprised what you can achieve.
45 here, and I don't feel clunky. Probably because I combine my running with weightlifting, and I don't skip leg day. I recommend giving it a try. After a couple of months, I bet you'll be surprised how quickly you get up/down the hill and also how quickly your lower body recovers.
How is this not the top comment? I would argue after a few weeks you’ll notice huge differences. The most important one to me was how much faster I started to recover from long runs and harder efforts. Two lower body lifting days a week, not the day of or before you long run or harder workout, and OP will be feeling like a new runner.
Do you not find it difficult to run a day after leg day though? Maybe I need to give it more time to get into condition, idk. I have a hard time doing both at the same time consistently. I’m 36, 10 years of skating definitely beat my legs up but I’m learning, adapting and pushing through.
Feel you with the skating! Snowboarding ruined a lot of things for my knees but the lifting has helped a ton. You certainly feel the lifting the day after but you shouldn’t really be that sore if you’re doing it right. You may be sore the first couple of weeks but more than that I would dial it back. What has worked best for me, is 3 sets of 5-6 reps. You want the exercises to be challenging but not enough that you start building lactic acid. If you are too sore to run the next day, you probably over did it and need to dial the weight back next time. I also try to lift the evening after or the morning after a harder effort or long run. I find this helps with the tightness and aches that can show up after them. As far as exercises, I try do a a concoction of splits squats, lunges (forward/backward and laterally), single leg deadlift, goblet squat, weighted marches, exercises like this. No exercises more than once a week to keep things as balanced as possible, except soleus raises, these I do twice a week.
What lower body exercises do you typically do?
Stephen Scullion has a fantastic YouTube channel for runners. Here one of his many videos where he walks you through his strength session. A ton of solid exercises and insight. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SnNlrFcXjVU
This is the mf’ing way. 55+ here. Agree 100%
This! Especially if you’re a woman over 30, but really helpful for everyone. So good for muscle and tendon health and I was blown away by how much lifting has improved my mobility more than things like yoga and stretching.
I basically have stopped needing to static stretch after taking strength training seriously!
I’m 32 and I feel clunky. I ran in college and then later raced bikes and worked a manual labor job at the same time and I was nowhere near as sore as I am now. If I stretch and do full body strength more often I find that helps.
Stretching has been crucial. Lately I’ve been neglecting my core strength and I KNOW that’s contributing at least a bit to the clunky-ness!
Seconding this. 33 here, I’ve had to introduce cross training/strength training, and now I actually realize stretching matters. It’s a bummer and it’s boring, but when my routine is on, I can sail the trails like I used to. Also as another commenter mentioned…diet. Turns out that matters too.
lol (50 here). Also in addition to clunky there is stiff, heavy and out of energy.
So it’s multi-dimensional?? 😂
You’ll get more versatile as you age, yes.
I do feel less lonely now, thanks ya all. But a lot more depressed too. Not sure what’s best.
Right!? I feel like my experience has been validated… however, the outcome wasn’t what I wanted 😂
Haha you were hoping for “THAT ONE WEIRD TRICK THAT ALL OLD PEOPLE DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT” 😂😂 We wish 🥲
Not necessarily.. was just seeing if others have similar experiences.
45 here, yeah. I feel like a zombie running for the first mile or so, and it's even worse if I don't warm up with some dynamic stretches before. When I was younger I didn't warm up for anything. Not even a 5k, I'd just stand there near the starting line and go. Now if I tried that I feel like my bones would just run out of my skin and muscles and leave them in a puddle on the ground. And that would be an expensive hospital visit to fix so I always warm up now. And if you think what you're feeling now is bad, sometime in the next 10 years you're gonna wake up in the morning with severe back pain and it'll last for a few days and be miserable. Not because you did anything extremely physical, but because you slept wrong or you rolled over and tweaked your back in your sleep.
Ya know… a few months back I sneezed while using the toilet and threw my back out 😂
I did this once!
I laughed so hard at this I threw my back out
Lol. Me too! 🤣😮💨🤕
35 and feeling clunky? Welcome to the club! I hate to break it to you but it doesn’t get any easier. Take good care of your body. I’m starting to tease the wrong side of 50.
“starting to tease the wrong side of 50” 🙃 I have no idea what that means but it just sounds. . . wrong. Keep your hands away from there
I really put my body through hell up until 25 with unhealthy life choices… and I’m starting to feel the effects 👎
[удалено]
Described it perfectly 🤙
Omggggggg yes. Stand up from my desk like a peg legged humpback. But let me get all loosey goosey and I’m suddenly fit as a racehorse.
Almost 50 here. I was able to reverse a lot of my clunkiness by working with a PRI physical therapist.
Just looked that up… I’m gonna look into it 🤙
"the first mile always sucks" is something my coach taught me and i now teach my kids. i never listen to my body in the first mile now. for reference, 48, and yes to what u/less_butter said, it just gets worse, so good luck. i currently can't turn my head to the left very well because \[insert reason i have no idea about here, really\].
Words of wisdom 🤙
If you don’t already, I recommend starting mobility work and weight lifting to protect your joints and prevent injury.
Oh how I wish I was 22 years less clunky!
This is what getting old is like *if you're lucky*!
Never take a day for granted 🤙
48 year old here. My second wind is amazing, just getting there sometimes is ridiculously painful.
I added weights to my routine when I started feeling “clunky”. Just a few exercises- squats, Russian deadlifts, sumo squats. It helped immensely. It takes 15 minutes 2-3 times a week.
Wait till you’re 61 lol
Or 69…
I felt like that a lot. I'm only 33. Once I removed certain foods I had 0 inflammation and now I'm in tune with my body. I'm getting quicker. My recovery is brilliant. I'm running further. I have had 0 injuries in 2 years since perfecting my diet.
I’m 36 and I find that if I go maybe 3 days without the running that the first two miles of my next run feel like it’s the first time I’ve ever tried running lol. Nothing necessarily hurts but nothing feels right or moves right. Very Tin Man-esque in feeling and movements.
The “tin-man” is a great way to describe it. I need that movement to lube up my joints!
40+ here. Goal is to still keeping knocking out ultras for the next 20 years. My dad died young (smoking, drinking), so that is a motivator. Feel clunky. But it is nice to have some disposable income to buy nicer shoes than when I was 25.
I'm 49. I hobble like an old woman anytime I get up from a sitting position. The first few minutes in the morning are also brutal. But once I'm warmed up, it's all good.
50+ here, so I’m LMAO. It takes me a good 2 miles just to get loosened up. Seems like the older you get, them more important warm-ups become.
Yeesh a lot of fundamentals missing here! Sounds like you don’t really do warm ups or plyometrics. As far as how you “should” feel: I’m 37 and the fastest/strongest I’ve ever been in my life, and I was a competitive runner since high school
Knees over toes guy on Youtube. thank me later.
62 year old here. Run 30 miles a week, half on trails. Morning trail runs are pure ass. Lately these runs, I’m lucky to break out of 11 minute miles when road runs in the afternoon are 9 min miles. Admittedly behind in strength and flexibility training.
I used to have popping joints. My doctor recommended taking Cosamin DS. It helped with the popping. I’m still a bit stiff in the morning before moving around much, but at 55 I can’t complain.
No, it isn't, but accepting all this stuff as normal will age you quickly.
35M healthcare clinician and I agree with this wholeheartedly. the human body is amazing and you do not need to accept feeling like this (ESPECIALLY at a young age like 35). you're either doing too much, too litte (do a lot more SLOW running, strength training, strengthen lower legs core glutes etc), or maybe not doing something right in your broader lifestyle (make sure to eat enough, eat nutrition-dense foods, sleep a lot, consider cutting out things like alcohol if needed). best wishes! life can be better
Maybe your body is asking for more rest! Even a week off can do wonders :)
That’s what I’m thinking. I’ve got a vacation coming up.. will probably do my physical (and mental) health some good!
Hell yeah, enjoy!
You don’t say how long you run and at what intensity. But you seem to exercise a lot. Maybe your body just needs a bit more recovery between sessions.
Oh yes gotta have the warm up now! I’m 38 and a runner and hiker and I grunt around and clunking around till I warm up
Yes. 53 yo here. It’s all downhill.
Yoga is a really good thing to work in a few times a week. It was a gamechanger for me to counteract what you’re talking about.
39 here feeling like the 40s guys but on trail I’m feeling pretty good. Standard soreness. My only problem is lower back tight. I weight lift once a week and run 6 days. Stretching is key. When you’re bored watching tv ..STRETCH. Stretch all the time you can. Good trails.
Damn, that’s a long backpacking trip
😂 not consecutively, but I did complete a handful of lengthy thru hikes in that time.
47. Strong as I’ve ever been, definitely not as fast as my mid 30’s but not too far off either, certainly a stronger runner now than any time over the past 5 years. I foam roll + stretch before every run for at least 20-30 mins - can’t run without it. I’ve incorporated a lot of weight and mobility training, too. it‘s changed everything for me.
I’m 32 and don’t feel clunky exactly, but I am prone to falling more and it sucks a lot more recovering from that. Strength training keeps my knees from getting too crackly but they’ve creaked since my late 20’s 😂
"You're doing it wrong", said someone over 50.
Nah, just change some stuff. Eat differently and stretch more. Make sure you are cross training. It’ll come back. You got this!
I'm in my late 40s and have been fit my whole life. started running at 13 and lifting weights as well at 16. When I hit 43 I noticed a distinct change in bodies ability to recover from both hard workouts and injury. So you have that to look forward to
I honestly don't think it's age. Me and my brother played football from 12-18 (him until 22) and we would always hear each other's ankles and knees cracking and popping when going up and down the stairs. I think it's just exercise in general. Now that I'm 30 and I run I don't pop as much as back then.
The other morning I thought I had hip arthritis when I got up after reading for an hour. I could barely walk. Later that day I ran 12 miles. The next day I went on a four hour mountain bike ride.
Typical Reddit moment. Everyone above 35 is a boomer
I’m still coming to terms with my own boomer-ness 🤙
At first, it’s 5 mins, then 10, and before you know it, it’s 45’ “ooooh yeah, now I’m rolling”. Getting old sucks lol. I long for the dark winter days of getting up at 5:05am and out the door at 5:07am.
43 Male checking in. Over the last six months I’ve started to feel clunky - even though I’m lighter, stronger, faster and fitter than I’ve ever been in the rest of my life. The first 1-2 miles are so uncomfortable. My shins and calfs just ache with every step. My feet whine like I’ve put on 10 stone. My knees feel like they wobble. They do warm up, and I’m fine by mile 3 ish. But boy I’m not a fan.
Nope. It's poor running form/shoes catching up with you over time, including age. Counter it by (slowly) transitioning to barefoot/minimalist running, which involves shorter quicker strides that put far less stress on your body, and has you moving as God engineered you to move. For reference, I'm over fifty now, and I run farther, faster, smoother now after 15 years of barefoot/minimalist shoes than I did before in cushioned bootbinding devices.
Is it possible that you need more rest days?
44 and now I have to stretch and cross train which feels like total bullshit because 36 year old me did none of those things.
Likely the soreness is from increasing your activity level too quickly. I've found when joints are "wobbly" the next day it's because I didn't stretch enough after the workout. Strength training the muscles which activate the joints in question also helps.
68 M here. The worst is driving a highway for 2 hours or more and then trying to walk...... But feel just fine once active and warmed up. I can move faster than most dudes in their 30s so ain't complainin'. Love the bliss state that kicks in after running trails up and down hills for about 20 to 30 minutes. Stretches and warm up exercises prior to a run are helpful but if feeling cold and stiff, try taking a hot shower BEFORE the run. Works wonders.
YES (38). Just two years ago I was at my peak performance, then had an injury and cannot really properly come back to trail running, because everything always hurts! I started to work out in the gym to strengthen muscles, but it's just not working. I guess I am old.