What do you do when your knees are an aching miserable mess?

First off, welcome to mylot. It sounds that you are overfatigued. I advised that you take enough rest after jogging for how many miles. That is the result of overexertion or exercise. I recommend that before doing any strenuous or light exercise, you have to warm up your body first. Start by stretching your body and making yourself warm, as this will help condition your body. Avoid making yourself wet in a cold water after doing strenuous exercise, as this will cause you to have muscle spasms and joint pains. Try to take over-the-counter medicine such as pain reliever for better relief of your pain. I advised also that you avoid any foods that are rich in uric acid, as this will cause you to have joint pain. Have a nice day and God speed!

Sensible Advice from a long-time runner:-Take a couple of days off. Do some R.I.C.E. -Invest in better shoes. If you are in pain, your shoes are obviously wrong for your own running style. Go to a running store, not a mall or discount sporting goods place. Running-specialized stores have very knowledgeable staff that can answer your questions, and let you test drive some shoes. -Get back to running gradually. -See if you can adapt yourself to a softer style of jogging, with a shorter stride and less up-and-down impact. Slamming your foot hard onto the pavement repeatedly can't possibly help. -If you really need to run hard, do it on a cushioned track (one with a rubbery surface most parks and schools are using nowadays) once a week as a supplement to your daily jogs. Or let your dog loose in a grassy park, and run after her.;) And finally, assume it can be done. Over the years I've built up to 10k a day (more if there's an event coming up), and I've gotten into pretty good shape in the first four months, which isn't bad for a wimpy little asthmatic.