I think you can go take it up to an inch and it wouldn't impact your comfort. I'm sure when you put it on there may be excess space there when you have them on. Otherwise, you can try to offset it by tapering the legs a bit more below...
This is normal. If you haven't worked the muscle before your body isn't used to it so it takes longer to repair the muscles. Eat lots of protein and carbs to recover quicker. But don't workout if you're sore. It defeats the purpose of...