Tips to get into morning jogs!

I recommend starting with the C25K program! There are lots of phone apps. It's an 8 week program that builds you up to jogging 30 minutes straight. You start off with run/walk intervals and by week...5 or so on the third run of the week you turn it into a longer run.

The "goal" is to run a 5k by the end, but I know for me that took more than 30 minutes. Even so, once I had run the 30 minutes, I was like, "Oh! This isn't so bad! I can run 10 more" and did the 5k distance. Stretching--just make sure you do it when your body is warm. I don't stretch before runs, I just do a brisk 5 minute walk. When i get back, I sit down and do leg stretches and some shoulder/arm stretches. Important places to stretch are calves, quads, and hamstrings. However you want to accomplish that.

Morning jogs....yeah. I never got that. I did a little bit over the summer, but my motivation was that I didn't want to run if it was over 93 degrees. So 630am jogs it was (that's also when I started C25K). I know when I DID do morning jogs, I didn't eat anything before. For the most part it's personal preference. I didn't want to get up early enough to eat and then sit around before my jog. If you do want to eat, make sure it's something easy on your stomach and gives a little boost of energy. I've heard of granola, toast, fruit being normal.

I run in the evenings. I am a much better runner after a day of being awake, eating, and drinking.

Well, I am an early riser, so I wake up at 5 AM (usually before my alarm) and sip coffee, read email, watch morning news, etc. before I get going. I have Quaker Oatmeal (with splenda). By 6 or 6:30 I get changed to go for a run and by then the coffee and light breakfast are not a problem. I only have time to run about 30 minutes and then come back for quick ab crunches, some push ups, and into the shower, off to work. I find running is more enjoyable if I have had a chance to be lazy with coffee first. In other words, I don't roll out of bed and directly into running gear. I use an IPOD shuffle because it's so light weight, but you need to be very aware of your surroundings (traffic, bikes, etc), or leave one ear off. I just do simple stretching before and after, especially calves and I do a shin split prevention stretch where I flex each foot repeatedly. Muscle soreness and getting winded should not be too bad if you ease into it. If you push too hard, you'll feel sore and then not want to do it again. Start with brisk walking for at least 20 minutes, 30 or more is better. Walk like you are in a big hurry. When you get used to that after a few days, walk 10-15, and run for just a few minutes, but not hard, light jog. Then next time start alternating a few minutes of walking, few minutes of jogging. You should find over time you can increase running time, but alway start with walking to warm up muscles. There really isn't a need to run at all unless you think you'll like it a lot. Walking fast 30-60 minutes is really beneficial and doesn't create such impact and damage. Good luck to you.

yes the C25K program! google it, it's wonderful!!!!!!!!!

I am also trying to get into running as a way of strengthening my lungs and controlling my asthma. Here are some of the tips that have made a difference for me so far:

-- Be mindful of pollen and temperatures. Right now the cold would be a potential asthma trigger for me, and once it warms up the pollen might be a problem. If you can run on an indoor track, that's ideal for a beginner (unless you know these are not asthma triggers for you). Eventually I'd like to make it outdoors, but for now I'm running inside to strengthen my lungs and will move outside when it warms up.

-- Do a peak flow reading before you go out. I don't do one every single time, but I've done enough to know based on how I feel what the number is likely to be. If your number's low, it's still okay to go out (and it may, in fact, improve your PEF for the rest of the day) but don't push yourself as hard. You may also want to take one when you come in to see if you should use your inhaler. Sometimes I don't feel asthma symptoms but my PEF is down; other times I'm wheezing or coughing just a bit and my PEF is fine. I've been advised to use my inhaler in both situations (since I don't use it before I run), but check with your physician.

-- Get a heart rate monitor. I can tell based on my heart rate how well I'll be able to control my breathing during a jogging stretch. The higher my heart rate, the harder it is to breathe rhythmically, and the harder it is to recover from the jog. One of the things that gets people when they start the C25K (which I'm not doing, but know people who have) is that they start with a pace that's too fast. If I know I'm coming up to another jog interval and my HR is still too high, I have the opportunity to slow down and prepare for the jog.

-- Control your breathing: it makes a huge difference. Always breathe in through your nose. Most resources suggest breathing out through your mouth, but once I breathe out through my mouth, I usually want to breathe back in that way too! There are a number of different in-out combos you can use, but rule of thumb is quick breaths in (then either a single breath out, e.g., in-in-out through the mouth, or an equal number of quick breaths out, e.g., in-in-out-out, which I do through my nose).

-- As a beginner, give yourself a lot of recovery time between jogs (at least until you know what you can do). One of the reasons that I'm not using the C25K is because I need to walk for longer than the program allows. I know that as I get into better shape that will improve, but for now I'm still pre-C25K as far as my interval patterns go. I can get away with shorter intervals of walking if I know I'll only be going for a short period of time, but for longer distances, I need more walk time or my lungs tire out too soon. For example, on a 25 min "run" I alternated walking 0.2 mi then jogging 0.1 mi -- and couldn't make it to 30 mins; on a 45 min run I walked 0.4 mi then jogged 0.1 mi. I'm on a track so distance is easy, but a smartphone app like Map My Run will announce the distances for you on the road.

I'm sure I'll learn more as I get further into running. This week was my first week of regular training (I have a 5K in mid-April), so if you want a beginner buddy to keep you motivated, feel free to add me!