Advice for a new runner

I would start with the c25k or similar program. That's a pretty agressive schedule for a new runner but if you stick to it and push yourself, you'll do okay.

start slow and easy.

c25k for sure! I started off running in April; I could barely make it a half mile without feeling like I was going to die. I did c25k and now run a min of 3 miles 3-4 days a week, and even did a 5 mile run last week. Good luck!!

Today is October 9th 2012-I have never ran a day in my life and just quit smoking 2 wks ago.
I signed up for a Mud 5K Run that will happen on November the 3rd.


How should I train effectively?

many people on here have used c25k - i suggest you try that. as for competing in a mud run make sure you work on upper body strength as well as overall strength training. i've done 2 mud runs and you need to be strong as well as be able to run.

The tough mudder workout:
Exercise 1 - Running Man
To get yourself in peak cardio condition, you can either:
1) Get on a treadmill. Start jogging at a slow comfortable pace for the first 5 minutes, then increase the speed to a full sprint for a full minute before reducing the speed back down to a jog for a minute or two. Alternate between jogging and sprinting for 35 minutes. Build up to 1 hr.
2) Free run. As you head outside for a jog, choose a point or landmark in the distance that’s reasonably far and sprint to it. Do this 10 or so times throughout the course of your run, paying attention to mixing in jogging and sprinting equally. Again, build up to running 3-4 times a week and increasing your distance gradually until you can comfortably run 5+ miles.
Related Obstacle: The Braveheart Charge (& all of Tough Mudder)

Exercise 2 - TM PUSH-UP
Start out in a regular pushup position with two dumb bells in each hand. As you push your body upwards, rotate your torso at peak height and bring your right hand up behind you so that your hands are in a vertical line. Lower the weight so that you are once again in push up position. Do a push up, repeating with your left hand.
Related Obstacle: Boa Constrictor

Exercise 3 - THE FIST AND THE FURY
Grab a dumbbell, kettle bell, or anything heavy with a handle, in one hand and let it hang in front of you. Lower the weight below your hips and let it swing between your knees and legs. Try to keep your core sturdy and straight, explode
upwards and swing the weight up to about eye level in a fully upright position. With control, do this as many times as you can, spending about 45 seconds on each arm.
Related Obstacle: Berlin Walls

Exercise 4 - SCISSOR KICK
From a regular standing position, take one big step forward and lower yourself into a forward stepping lunge. This is the start position. From there, explode off the ground, getting enough air under you to scissor kick your legs and land with your opposite leg forward and ready to crouch down to the lunge position. Keep doing this, alternating your legs on each jump/repetition for 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Fire Walker

Exercise 5 - BACK ROW
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettle bells and bend over, holding them in each hand, making sure your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your core steady and pull the weights in a controlled manner up to your chest, hold at the top for the rep, pause, and repeat.
Related Obstacle: Hold Your Wood
Exercise 6 - DUMBBELL SIDE LUNGE

Grab your dumbbells and let them hang by your sides. Take a lateral step with your right leg, completely straightening your left leg. From there, bend forward at your hips, and touch the dumbbells to the floor by your right foot. Push off your right leg and make the same lateral lunge on your left leg. That's one rep.
Related Obstacle: Swamp Stomp
Exercise 7 - PUSH UP plus ROW

Grab two dumbbells and assume a pushup position, with your arms straight. Perform a regular pushup, but as you fully extend your arms at the height of the push up, take one dumbbell and bring it all the way to the side of your chest. Lower your arm and descend back ot the start position. Repeat with the other arm. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Devil’s Beard
Exercise 8 - LUNGE & TWIST

Grab a heavy object and clutch it tight to the middle of your chest as you stand with feet shoulder length apart. Take a step forward as you would with a normal lunge, but as you lower your body with the weight, twist your torso to the right, pause, and return to a full upright position. Do the same with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Sweati Yeti
Exercise 9 - SHOULDER PRESS

Grab some dumbbells or small kettle bells in each hand and spread your feet shoulder length apart as you would for a squat. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders as if you were doing a shoulder press. Lower yourself as you keep the
weights cocked at the shoulder, as you explode upward from the squat position, push the weights up and above your head.
Related Obstacle: Cliffhanger
Exercise 10 - DECLINE PUSH UP

Simple, quick, and easy. Get into a normal pushup position, but put your feet on top of an elevated park bench or box, arms extended out in front of you so that your body is perfectly parallel to the floor above the ground. Begin to do as many pushups as you can in the next 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Kiss of Mud

Exercise 11 - Quick Feet
Staying in the pushup position, rapidly bring each knee towards your chest, as if you were sprinting in place or pedaling a ridiculously small bike.
Related Obstacle: The *kitten*

Exercise 12 - Tough Chin Up
Just like your old man used to do, hang from a bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and pull yourself up – be sure to try and touch your chest to the bar, or get as close as you can. This will get progressively harder as the set wears on. Remember to do as many as you can for the full 60 seconds. Even if you have to take a slight break, be sure to finish the set.
Related Obstacle: Underwater Tunnels

Exercise 13 - Superman Plank
Get back into the pushup position you’ve grown accustomed to, placing your forearms on the ground and keeping your core – abs and hips – tight as possible. Hold this position for a full 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Greased Lightning

Exercise 14 - Drunk Superman Side Planks
Get on your side and hold yourself up by left forearm, creating a half triangle between your lats, forearm, and ground. Like a regular plank, keep your core tight – flex if you have to – and hold the
Related Obstacle – Walk the Plank

Exercise 15 - Angelina Jolie
Get in between two chairs, bars, or if at a gym, a dip machine. Grab each bar or handle with each arm and lower yourself slowly and with control, as you push up with your arms try to explode up, lifting yourself completely off. Be sure to start out slowly until you get used to jumping off and regaining control of the bars.
Related Obstacle: Ball Shrinker

Exercise 16 - THE TOUGH SQUAT
Take a dumbbell, kettle bell, or large stone, anything you can find, and hold it in front of your chest. Stick your hips out behind you, bend your knees, and lower yourself until you’re in a full squat position. Pause for a second for the burn to really set in and then push back to the start position.
Related Obstacle: Death March

This is not my original workout plan. It was found on toughmudder.com

Those mud races look like fun. If you've never run before and the race is only a month away, train wisely! Don't do too much too soon, get injured, and not be able to race at all in November. No shame in having to walk parts of the 5k if it means finishing injury free.

If you don't like programs (I don't) than just find some 5K circle that would be starting and ending at your doors (use google maps). At first run slowly as long as you can, than walk a bit to rest, than run again, walk etc. And every singe time you go running try to run more and walk less, untill you can run the whole thing. Go running every second day and on the rest of the days do some other workout (biking, swimming, yoga, core excercises, zumba etc.).

That's what I did when I was starting and after just two weeks I was running the full 5k (slowly at first).

Good luck!

Oh and I'm making a shirt that has this on it for my first mud run hehehe

As everyone else said, slow is the way to go when you are starting running for the first time or if you are getting back into it after not having run for a while.

Programs like Couch to 5K are especially helpful in helping build up your endurance and insuring you do not increase your mileage too quickly.

I made a rookie mistake of going from not running for years, to running 3 miles just 8 days after I got back into it. I ended up with runner's knee and I definitely learned my lesson. So, even if you feel like you CAN do it, doesn't mean you should! Slow and steady!

Long story short? You won't be prepared. Sorry, but it's too late for you to possibly get up to a 5K run at a decent pace in a month from nothing, let alone prep for the obstacles... You should have probably started two or three months ago.

Luckily it doesn't really matter. Mud runs are great fun, and if you can't run the whole thing, walk part of it. If you can't make it over an obstacle, take the penalty and keep going. You weren't going to win anyway, so do the best you can with the prep time left and set a really crappy PR that you can break next year when you are prepared. Don't kill yourself trying to do the impossible and be "ready" for the thing.

C25K isn't a bad way to get going, though that's just going to help with the "run" portion of the program. You probably also want to do some upper body work (pushup, crunches, burpees, pullups, planks... weights if you've got access to a gym) and some squat and lunge type exercises to get ready for the obstacles. explosive power is different from running endurance and you'll need both.

Just have fun with it. If you kill yourself trying to be ready; you stand a good chance of injury. Even if you don't injure yourself, you may burn yourself out and sabotage future efforts. Like I said, you can't possibly get really "ready" in the time you have, so go slow and be better prepared next time