The old and the beautiful

When I get up in the morning, my back aches and my legs are sore from running two miles the day before. I'm 31 years old.

So I really can't imagine what it's like to be a professional athlete in his or her 40s. Take, for example, Chris Chelios, the longtime NHL defenseman who played 28 games for the Detroit Red Wings this past season. He's 47.

Or how about Kenny Perry, the 48-year-old golfer who has 14 PGA Tour victories to his name? Of those 14, five have come since the start of the 2008 season, including this weekend's Travelers Championship in Connecticut. In April, he nearly became the oldest man to win a major, edged by Angel Cabrera at the Masters.

Clearly it takes dedication to keep your body in top form, but it also takes a little luck. To think that Cal Ripken, who retired in 2001 at age 41, didn't take a day off for 16 seasons is just astounding. Normal aches and pains can leave guys out of the lineup indefinitely (looking in your direction, J.D. Drew).

What Tim Wakefield and John Smoltz are doing right now is nothing short of awesome (although much different, seeing as though Wakfield is a knuckleballer), and the same can be said for Randy Johnson, who recently notched his 300th victory. Heck, even Mark Martin, who at 50 has three Sprint Cup wins this year.

And with that, I'm heading out for a run ... and subsequent ice bath.