I have been running cross country for 3 days.?

Question

This year in 8th grade I am doing cross country. I didn't do it last year though. We started practice on the 7th and it is the 9th so we have had 3 days of practice. We practice from 8-9:30 every morning except on the weekends. Over the 3 days that we have had practice we have done a lot of running. Our coach told us to go at our own pace which I do. Now my legs hurt anytime I move them. My right knee is also hurting. Is this normal and what can I do to minimize the pain?

Answer 1

The pain in the muscles is normal muscle soreness and should decrease over the next couple of days. The pain in your knee is most likely from patellofemoral syndrome...which is a poorly tracking knee cap. If your knee pain continues for more than a couple more days then you should ask your parents to take you to see a doctor to have the knee examined. You should NOT have knee pain when running or after running at your age.

Answer 2

this is normal because your muscles are being overused. You need to take a break for a few days to allow your muscles to recover.

Take a hot bath with 2c. of dissolved Epsom salts. Soak for 30 minutes. The Epsom salts will help eliminate the lactic acid that forms on the muscles from over exertion.

Massage an analgesic cream into the sore muscles.

Dehydration can cause severe pain in the muscles. I recommend you drink purified water mixed with mineral water 50/50. This will replace the minerals that are exiting your body continuously. You must drink beyond your thirst to get the benefits of hydration.

I suggest that adults and children drink 40 ounces of water per 100 pounds of body weight every day. Realize that exercise, ambient temperature, and state of health affect the water needs of your body. One tip for athletes: it is healthier to drink a sports drink or water than fruit juice, soda, coffee, or milk during competition or active training periods.

500mg of calcium and magnesium, taken twice daily, can help with diminishing the pain.

Advil liqui capsules work very quickly on pain. Take them four times daily.