My daughter has veins that show in her lower legs after she runs. Also her knee is bothering her. Should I make her stop running?
Reply - Janet
Without knowing a whole lot more about your daughter (age, previous injury history, previous medical history, current mileage and training paces, etc) it's impossible to say.  I don't think making her stop running is the first answer -- I think you'd be wise to take her to her pediatrician and inquire about the veins (it's probably normal - increased blood flow tends to make veins more prominent).  The knee soreness may be due to simple things like incorrect or worn running shoes, adding mileage too quickly, or running at paces that are too fast for her current level of fitness.  I think once you've been told by the doctor that the vein issue is OK... then addressing the knee soreness will probably be a simple matter of a few exercises, perhaps a shoe change, and some adjustments to her training plan. Exercise is good for your daughter and I don't think you should "make" her stop running -- far more people's health is adversely affected by LACK of exercise than by over-exercise!   Take her to her physician and get some reassurance that all is well.  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

Janet, Exactly 2 weeks ago today I was doing what I thought was a normal workout for myself. I walked for maybe a mile and a half outside at a park (on asphalt with a few easy hills) then as the sun went down I went to the gym to do my running. I ran on the treadmill for about a mile at a 12 minute pace. I finished that up with another mile of intervals with my work speed being around an 11 minute mile and rest being about a 13 minute mile. When I was finished working out and went home I noticed that I was limping and looked at my right knee and it was a little swolen. I took some motrin that night. That Friday I went for another run, again a normal 12 minute mile pace and noticed my ankle started hurting which I accounted to my ankle compensating for my knee. In the past week I haven't been jogging just walking to keep exercising. I noticed that I do have a pain that runs from my knee to my ankle. I asked my doctor about it and he said it is probably just the cartilage in my knee wearing down (I had a torn meniscus removed 12 years ago) but that doesn't seem to explain why I have a pain in my shin/ankle. Any suggestions?
Reply - Janet
I agree with you that the "cartilage wearing away" explanation leaves me with questions...  Since I don't know all the details of your training history and previous injury history I'm a little limited in how much speculation I can do.  Here are a few things to consider when looking into things that may have contributed to your pain - and how you might be able to get back to pain-free running.
1.  Flexibility - adequate flexibility is needed in all leg muscles but in your case, especially calves, hamstrings and hip flexors. If you're not diligent about doing gentle stretching on a regular basis  you might want to start.
2.  Strength - if your hips and lower back and abs are a little weak, then that means your leg muscles are going to have to work harder to compensate.  If they're not up to the task -the joints take a greater amount of load.  Work on lateral hip strength and low back strength several times a week.
3.  Biomechanics - if your shoes are old or tired, or if they're just not supporting your foot correctly -- that could be allowing your leg/foot to pronate too far or too fast and this will place strain on the knee ankle and shin. 
4.  Training errors - I'm not a big fan of using treadmills for training unless they're your only choice. They're a good tool... but people tend to be too aggressive with pacing and hills and they're not the same training effect as road running.  With that said, I dont' think you injured yourself by running on a treadmill, however if your pacing wasn't appropriate for your current level of fitness, it could have contributed. 
I'd be happy to try to help with more details, specific exercises and a training plan - but I need to know a lot more about you in order to do that.  If you're interested, click over to the services page of this website and fill in the Coaching Questionnaire that's linked at the top of that page.  Send it to me in an e-mail attachment and we can get started pretty quickly on getting you back to running pain free! 
Hope this has been some food for thought...
Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

3 wks ago I ran to catch a pop fly and as soon as I took of felt a pull in my calf to the point where I couldn't walk. I didn't see a doctor and now I can walk fine but I can't run what can it possibly be and how can I fix it?
Reply - Janet
It always concerns me when someone says they felt a "pop" in their calf and couldn't walk... it usually means a pretty rough injury to the calf muscle -- a tear or partial tear.  The fact that you can walk fine now is a strong indication that it wasn't a full tear of the muscle, but the fact that you can't run yet indicates it was more than a minor strain.  I think you should see your doctor to get a solid diagnosis of exactly what you injured.  I don't recommend doing a lot of stretching until you know exactly what you're dealing with.  If it's a partial tear to the muscle, then stretching it will not be a good idea and may make things worse. You'll need to be conservative with this.  Please go see a doc!  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor