Sorry for the misunderstanding. I know what a gerontologist is. I was just saying that a doctor's understanding of one's problems would be deeper had they some personal experience of one's issues, or indeed any medical experience. One of our problems here is that we are a cohort that's new to this society. To say that the problems of the 60+ endurance athlete are poorly understood would be an understatement. I ride with a 64 y.o. research physiologist who tells me that he doesn't know of anyone my age who is as active as I. Most folks get broken in one way or another by the time they get this old. The pool of people to study is currently very small, but increasing every day. In another generation there will be a lot more knowledge concerning the care and feeding of the aging athlete.

Not just a pet theory or worthless anecdote. Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks - Mayo Clinic

There's been a lot of discussion of this over in T&N with some folks getting off statins so they could ride well and keeping their markers in range through diet and exercise.

To ramp up the intensity a bit, do like I did: Alpine ski over 20,000 vertical feet, then go home and do an hour of one-legged pedaling on your rollers, then go to the gym and do full body work, lifting to failure and PRing your squat. My legs were so sore the next day I couldn't touch them. That was a bit much. I won't do that again.

Don't worry, you're still below my 63 age threshold for when it starts to hit the fan. You ain't seen nothin' yet. I was riding doubles, randonneuring, and doing RAMROD when I was in my early 60s, no problem. I'd like to ride RAMROD again this coming summer and climb Mt. Rainier again. The latter should be fairly easy but not the former.

These are my hobbies and I add a little kayak for a water sport, but gyms are claustrophobic. My apologies for not reading all the posts, if already stated.
In addition to the 'growing old explanation' and the 'rest your body explanation' there is a chance of something out of balance. Check hydration/electrolite + mineral/vitamin balance. For me the answer (if that's what it is?) required changing Dr's twice and a simple blood test that revealed an elevated muscular creatine kinase (CK) level. The feeling for me was similar in a way to excess lactic acid and loss of endurance. Trying to push through the pain for better exercise only made things worse; supposedly to the extent of destroying muscle tissue. Not sure what caused it, but less time with endurance activities has lowered it considerably. No more winter ski patrol or summer wilderness ranger but I can enjoy still enjoy my hobby time with some limitations.

Disclaimer: not a doc, so = see yours, or another, or another.......

I used cherry juice for some arthritis pain i had, not muscle pain. It did the job. After reading your post would i assume that the cherry juice acts as a NSAID?

If I can stay off the drugs, thrash around the roads for a few hours a week; survive the occasional, multi-day, ocean race; and cruise a bit with the wife, I'm a happy little guy.

Op, you seem to do a LOT of intense training and workouts. Relax and enjoy? Rest days? Yoga? Massage stuff?

I'll do that when I get old. The less I do, the less I can do. That's a slick chute. Meanwhile, after a 30 year lapse I'm almost back skiing like I could at 25. When I was 18 and skiing at our local area, I took an oath that I'd ski there for free at 70. Yeah, so it's not free anymore, but close enough. I just hope I don't break something, but hopefully heavy leg work will help there.

Hope you got a full workup and the various myopathies eliminated as causes. My CK is normal. No leg pain during exercise, only after. I always take 15g whey protein before and at least that much immediately after exercise. Have done for many years. There's a study showing that 200 cal. BCAA taken after exercise helped CK levels. No great surprise as that's a heckuva lot.

Will ask Dr next visit. But CK not an issue with reduced intensity&duration. I just mostly buy-in to the slow-it-down-a-little-bit (if you want to enjoy it for many more years) theory. Sorta like - speed is not my friend, no crashes on the slopes, keep the rubber side down, backpacks less than 35lbs - if the dream is to kayak with the orcas.
As to the full work-up = presently on 2nd neurological work-up with new neurologist. Rheumatology was within limits. At least I pass basic health indicators with no meds and get outside daily.

If any of you guys are having trouble with leg pains, specifically the Restless Leg Syndrome, please get a work up by a neurologist should you have any sign of tremors, swallowing issues, or balance problems. Those were one of the symptoms I had, and didn't relate to what they could be part of. RLS and swallowing issues were what the docs picked up on that led to my Parkinson's Disease diagnosis. Caught me totally by surprise, no idea that PD was setting in and it wasn't on the radar for a family trait. Once the diagnosis was confirmed, and the proper management routine and medications were sorted out, things have gone pretty well.

Just a heads up based on some comments here, sorry for the hi-jack, CFboy. I will second what Wildwood said about making sure that proper rest is included in your program. One thing that I took away from reading Joe Friel's, "Faster After 50", was that you had to get your rest, in order for the body to recover from strenuous rides, runs, or whatever you do. Yep, intensity and effort yield rewards, but things have to get the chance to rebuild afterwards. JMHO, YMMV. Keep up the good work, too.

Bill

Several months ago I read a book about anti-inflammatory properties of various foods. The author graduated from Yale and then played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins on special teams. At the conclusion of his NFL career, he entered medical school and is now an MD in Connecticut. His special interest is nutrition and he is a proponent of natural foods for their anti-inflammatory properties. After all is said and done, the chemical interactions of various substances as as shown in medical research, you are looking at the mediterranean diet. Top 15 Anti-Inflammatory Foods - Dr. Axe So plenty of exercise, even strenuous exercise, and good diet is a proven path to good health.