starting to jog...need advice!

Running will help you lose weight quickly, speaking from experience! I dropped the last 10 lbs as soon as I ramped my mileage up within a month or so. However make sure you have proper shoes and don't over stress your body. Try a run walk technique, and make sure you are running SLOW enough that you can speak in sentences! Anything else is too fast for you body at this stage!! Hope you enjoy it, I have found a love of running and I am currently looking for a full marathon to tackle, I ran my first half marathon last month!!!!

I am almost done with C25K and was never a runner before. I would stop at least every minute to catch my breath. It has really helped me and am now running for 28 minutes without stopping. It may also be something that can help? I am not too sure how elevation with affect this, my route does have up and down hill too but I don't think with differences like you have. It has helped me tone up more than lose weight, there is less wobbling happening!

First things first.

Get the right shoes.

Secondly~ Youtube "good running form" and watch. Shoes and the form are the very important to prevent injuries. Most injuries are from bad form striking with the heel first when landing is probably the most common and will cause shin splints.

Don't ...REPEAT...don't worry about speed. Just get the miles under your shoes. Start small distance with walking included, and add 10% or so of your previous week to the current. Whatever you think you can do comfortably. The idea is to get your body use to the pounding. I couldn't run a half mile last Christmas because of a joint disease. Now I probably average over 175 miles a month.

Gravel/rocky trail, you want some trail shoes. Thicker soles and will protect your feet from the rough terrain.

Going down hill is hard on the knees, take shorter steps and don't lift your feet to high of ground.

I can't speak for hiking, but on my jog today I burned 1358 calories on a 9.3 run this morning, I am taking it easy as I pulled a hammy while playing baseball a couple weeks ago. I can usually do 13-16 miles each day on the weekends with around 2000-2500 calories burned each day.

Lastly stretch when you are done. Don't stretch before your muscles are warmed up, that is an injury waiting to happen.

Enjoy it!

If it's a dirt trail then you'll want to look at a trail runner. You can use them on pavement too but they're designed with more support and more aggressive tread. I ran in a pair through Army ait... we ran in the rain, up and down grassy hills, and I never fell while a lot of guys frequently did. It makes a difference.

So what brand and model will depend on you. You need to go to a runner's store and get fitted as well as have your gait checked. They'll do this for free and the shoes won't cost you any more than a big chain retailer for the same model. They'll probably have a better return policy too. Plan on spending around $100 for a good pair. It might sound like a lot, as it did to my wife, but after you convince yourself to plunk down that money you'll notice a huge difference in properly fitted $100 shoes and the $60 bargain runners. She's been through countless pairs of $60 shoes and now that she plunked down the money for the good ones she's never looking back.

When you first start out you get better very quickly. If you keep at it 3 or 4 times a week you will probably be able to run the whole thing in several weeks.

Warm up with a fast paced walk for 5 to 10 minutes rather than stretching before a run. Stretching is best left till after the run when your muscles are warm and less likely to tear. I personally do yoga for runners (found on youtube by yogadownload). Also a lesson I learned the hard way (Germany is quite hilly) when running down hill keep your shoulders back, take smaller steps and slow down to intensify your run and put less impact on your knees.

Good luck, and don't psych yourself out. In no time at all you'll be running that trail like a champ!!