The Science Behind What Happens in Your Body When You Start Running

I hadn’t made it to the end of my block before my chest started itching.

It was like someone had stuffed my shirt full of wood chips.

What’s actually happening, says Magness, is blood flowing into tiny unused capillaries in my skin.

In non-runners like me, these capillaries are dormant.

When they get flooded with blood irregularly, they swell.

I ended up speed walking the last few blocks home.

“This is pretty common,” Magness graciously told me.

Also, he says, the mechanical jarring of running helps along the digestion process.

What’s Up With That: Why Running Hurts Every part of Your Body| Wired

Photo byKevin Dooley.