RUNNERS!

1. Check out Brooks running shoes -- I've used them for years!
2. Water
3. Took me about a month, but it depends on what other workouts you have been doing
4. Listen to your body -- don't do too much, too fast. You'll burn out and be more prone to injuries. Also, don't pay attention too much to your iPod (I've seen people put more effort into looking for a song rather than actually running!) Some other things that helped me were running for time instead of mileage, and vice versa.
5. Run outside as much as possible to get your body used to the impact. Treadmills are a last resort!!!

1. What are the best shoes under $100 to run in? I have New Balances and my feet hurt so bad afterwards!
My shoes aren't fancy - I think they might be New Balances too so I'm no help there.
2. Do you drink water or a sports drink during your run?
Water - or just chew gum.
3. How long did it take you before you were ready to run your first 5k?
I took forever to actually complete C25K - started and stopped a few times, but I did a race around the same time I finished it.
4. Any other advice on starting out?
Run slow - work up to the speed.
5. Good things to eat before and after runs?
For a 5k I don't do anything special
6. Whats best, Treadmill or outside?
Outside - that's where your races will be. But I mostly do the treadmill in all honesty - especially now since it is winter.

Thats some great advice guys! Do all running stores measure your gait? And also, I started running a trail over summer and it was gravel... scared me to death! I am looking for indoor places that have tracks since its so darn cold outside. Another question... anyone use preworkout formulas?

Not sure if all would but I am guessing any running store that sells sneakers will.

I would not recommend a pre workout formula. Most are just caffeine. Have a cup of coffee. Its cheaper. Anything else in it will not affect your performance.

I've been running only about 6-7 months. but I'll put my two cents in just because I wish someone had with me when I was starting...

1. Shoes: I use Asics, You can get them for around 100-150. I honestly think they are worth the money. I started running with just my regular everyday kind of tennis shoe, and that was just bad, very very bad. My feet were a mess, and I was starting to get shin splints and was just begging for other issues to start. I did a lot of research and when to a shoe store and got fitted and everything... I tried on at least a dozen shoes, and the Asics were just the ones that felt the best. Since I've started using them I've had zero shoe related running issues.... I love them.

2. Drink: water, I'll also chew gum or have a cough drop. I don't really drink much water during my runs because it doesn't setting well with me (its the whole sloshing/moving in my stomach thing), but after I run I always drink TONS of water.

3. first 5k: I haven't done mine yet, I've signed up for my first one in April. So I'm no help there

4. Advice: Listen to your body, learn the difference between hurt and sore. A run is a run, doesn't matter how fast or slow or how long or short it was, you did it and that's what matters.

5. Food: I'll have a snack not a meal. Normally I do bananas and/or granola bars (sometimes both). I get horrible leg cramps at night sometimes, so I started eating bananas regularly (every time I run or workout), and they have pretty much stopped. I try not to eat right after a run, I like to cool down, relax, shower, and what not, then I'll eat like an 30-60 mins after. And I don't really anything special after (maybe another banana lol).

6. Treadmill or outside: There's pros and cons to both... I treadmill out of convince. I go to the gym and everything is there. Treadmill is easier on impact, and you can set a pace supper easy. I'm starting to run outside (hence the 5k in April) and I'm having a hard time. There's a huge difference.... Impact, air (yes air), weather, etc... I can do a 5k on the treadmill but not outside... Im working on that part. The impact seems to be harder on my body in general. The air is much different than in a gym setting, so it's harder to breathe (I think this is the biggest issue for me, the cold dry air hurts). And of course weather issues, but the actual weather isn't really an issue to me, I just dress accordingly. But honestly running outside is more rewarding, there's just this feeling from running outside that I get that I don't get from the treadmill.

I hope that helps some even though I don't have that much experience, that's just my own trial and error advice.

I won't add much since its been covered. except get too a running store and find your best shoe. hi slow even if it feels like you could do more. run outside. that's where the race will be so get used to it from the start.

^^THIS^^ GAIT ANALYSIS

When you find the shoe that works for you, stick with them. For me, it's Brooks minimalist shoes. I had 2 pair and then tried something else. And then promptly bought another pair of Brooks.

The only thing I have to add is BE SURE TO STRETCH PROPERLY!!

Most people think you can just jump up and go, but it's really important that your muscles are ready to go!

If you need to stretch, warm up first. Or stretch after your run. Best not to stretch cold muscles.

I'm running 10km twice a week and I've registered for a half marathon at the end of March.

What would be the best training routine to increase my distance between now and March?

ATT: Runners! I have started C25K and my goal this year is to run my first 5K! I am new to this world though and have been wondering some things...
1. What are the best shoes under $100 to run in? I have New Balances and my feet hurt so bad afterwards!
2. Do you drink water or a sports drink during your run?
3. How long did it take you before you were ready to run your first 5k?
4. Any other advice on starting out?
5. Good things to eat before and after runs?
6. Whats best, Treadmill or outside?

Thanks everyone!

1. Never judge a shoe by the price. Judge it by if it is for your foot. Go to a running store and get properly fitted. The shoes might end up being $100, $110 or even $120...but would you rather spend $120 on shoes, or $500+ on medical bills? Improper footware is one of the top reasons beginner runners end up injured.

2. Water, until I got up to over 60 minutes in my long runs. You don't really need the electrolytes until you start getting into longer runs, your normal every day diet will provide you with enough.

3. 9 weeks...was ready by the end of C25K.

4. Go slow, find a running group, and join the running club in your town. Even if you prefer to run alone...as they have lots of knowledge on the best stores, the best PTs should you get injured, and sometimes you can get discounts on races. And trust the C25K program. It will get scary that last few weeks, but trust it. Invest in a foam roller and use it! DO NOT USE COTTON ANYTHING. Especially not cotton socks. You want water wickering materials, and cotton doesn't do that. Same with your shrit and shorts (or tights). Invest in some good running gear that is water wickering but will keep you warm. Layer during the cold. There is a guide on Runner's World that will help you with this. If you need to repeat a week in C25K, the do so. But at the same time don't be scared...the C25K will challenge you. Learn your body. If you are running and a pain or an ache creeps up, then study it. If it gets worse as the run goes on then stop. Allow your body to heal. The first few weeks might end up feeling really easy....but I recommend not doing more running that the program says. If you feel you want to do more then do some form of crosstraining, such as walking or riding a bike. Something low impact. Don't see the rest days as rest days...they are recovery days, they are there to allow your body to recover from what you did, don't ignore them. Stay hydrated....you can use your body to make sure you are staying hydrated for your runs. Lgiht yellow pee, stuff like that. Another trick is measure yourself before and then after your run. For every lb lost you should drink 16oz of water to recover the fluid lost. Eventually you will find your individual trend and will know how much to drink without having to do this.

5. This is something you will have to play with. What people eat before and after runs is as individtual as the person's running form. What I eat might not work for you, and what you eat might mess up my GI. For the shorter runs though, you can get by with minimal things...maybe half a banana or a few orange wedges. Water through...I would recommend drinking a glass of water if you didn't drink during your run.

6. If you plan on running 5Ks, then train outside. Treadmills are great for foul weather. I use them once a week because one of my weight lifting days falls on top of my half marathon training now, so I end up doing a 3 mile run after. But stick to outside right now if you can. DO NOT train for the 5k on the treadmill with out having run outside. Your legs need time to adjust to new terrains, just as they need time to adjust to running period. And you will hear, "adjust it up 1% or 2% etc..." but that still will not account for terrain difference. All the elevation increase does is mimick wind resistance. Allow your legs to adjust to the terrain you will be running on. If weather becomes a concern, and you need to bring it inside then fine. But try to get at least one or two days outside, so that your legs can adjust to the new terrain.

I'm running 10km twice a week and I've registered for a half marathon at the end of March.

What would be the best training routine to increase my distance between now and March?

Generally the rule of thumb is to increase your long run (one per week) by around 10%. Every 4th week, you cut back on the distance of the run for a recover week.
So for your next long run, you would run 11, the next 12, the next 13 then drop back to maybe 8 or 9. (some people might up by 2k each week).
There are tons of online training plans. Hal Higdon's are pretty popular.

Thanks!

ATT: Runners! I have started C25K and my goal this year is to run my first 5K! I am new to this world though and have been wondering some things...
1. What are the best shoes under $100 to run in? I have New Balances and my feet hurt so bad afterwards!
2. Do you drink water or a sports drink during your run?
3. How long did it take you before you were ready to run your first 5k?
4. Any other advice on starting out?
5. Good things to eat before and after runs?
6. Whats best, Treadmill or outside?

Thanks everyone!

1. Go to a running store and get fitted. You need to find the perfect shoe for you. It's worth the investment to find the right shoes. Your shoes should not cause you any sort of pain!

2.Stick with water. Sports drinks are not necessary until you are working out for over 90 minutes. Personally I don't even carry water with me for shorter runs (less than an hour) unless it's the middle of the summer and the humidity is really high. In the winter I can typically go 90 minutes without needing to carry water.

3. I don't remember really. I think I trained for a couple of months with my trainer. But in hindsight, I know that I was physically ready well before I was mentally ready.

4.Stick with it. Be consistent with your training, but don't rush it. On I personal note I'll tell you that I didn't really enjoy running until I built my milage up over 3 miles. Even now, the first two miles are often the hardest. Then autopilot kicks in and that's when I start to enjoy it.
Also, if you are going to do a race - at the start, line up towards the back.

5. Depends on when and how long I'm running. Early morning runs less than an hour, just coffee. Maybe coffee and a banana. My prerace meal is an English muffin with peanut butter and a banana, which I eat 2-2.5 hours before the race starts. Experiment with different things and find what works for you. In general think about 150-300 calories, mostly carbs, 1.5-2 hours pre-run.

6. Outside. As much as possible try to get outside.

1. What are the best shoes under $100 to run in? I have New Balances and my feet hurt so bad afterwards!
2. Do you drink water or a sports drink during your run?
3. How long did it take you before you were ready to run your first 5k?
4. Any other advice on starting out?
5. Good things to eat before and after runs?
6. Whats best, Treadmill or outside?

Welcome! I'm doing Ct5K myself, after many years when I was too heavy for my knees to appreciate running. Back in the 90s, though, I ran 10-15 miles a week and worked up to a 25K race, so I have a fair amount of running experience to draw on. And I'm a long-distance cyclist (up to 125 miles in a day), so I have recent endurance experience. With my bona fides established, here are my answers to your questions; I hope they're useful.

1. If you have a specialty running shop near you, by all means visit them and ask for advice. If possible, bring the shoes you're running in now, so they can look at how you're wearing out the soles. Shoes may cost more at a specialty store, and you may end up paying a little more than $100, but a really good salesperson should take your budget into account.

By the way, track how far you run in each pair of shoes you have. Depending on the quality and the material in the shoe, and your weight and running style, you should replace shoes every 300-500 miles.

2. I drink water if I'm thirsty. The only time I drank sports drink when running was during my 25K race; I didn't drink it even on the 16-mile training runs I did beforehand. On my bike, I only eat and drink when I'm going to be out for at least 40 miles. Unless you're running for over 2 hours, your body has plenty of energy available in stored carbohydrates and fats. You want to train it to use those, so don't eat or drink any calories during your run. There's an entire sports drink industry that wants you to believe that you need sugary drinks if you're doing anything more than walking from the car to the elevator, but they are wrong.

3. I think it was probably about 2-3 months before I reached the 5K distance. I don't run competitively, though, so I never actually ran a 5K at a race pace (i.e., a pace that was at my physical limit, faster than I would run the distance normally). Even when I did the 25K, I ran it at at comfortable 8:00 pace, which was about what I had done in training.

4. Pay attention to your body. If something hurts after running, make a note, and see if it gets worse after your next run. If so, ease off. If something hurts while running, especially if it has done so before, slow down, or even stop. You don't want to exacerbate an injury by running through it. If you do injure yourself, try to find a primary care physician with knowledge of sports medicine, or get a referral to someone who specializes in the area.

5. See #2. Unless you're running for a couple hours or more, you don't need any special foods before or after running. The exception is if you have a tendency to be hypoglycemic, in which case having a piece of fruit or some juice before the run might be useful. i used to run in the morning on an empty stomach, or with a little coffee. If you are training hard, a cup or a pint of low-fat chocolate milk makes an excellent recovery drink (really! see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23075563). But that's really necessary only if you're doing a hard workout and then plan another hard workout the next day.

Lots of people who take up exercise find that it's a great excuse to eat even more calories than they burn, because they have pre-exercise meals, then they drink sports drinks during the exercise, then they have a recovery food. Don't be one of them.

6. Outside is generally better. I would make an exception, though, if the only outside surface you can run on is concrete. Concrete is really hard on your joints. Asphalt is a lot softer (it may not look it, but it is). Dirt, grass, or a running track is even better; if you live near a school, you might use their track if it's open to the public outside of school hours. Treadmills are boring, but they are also so flat that your foot always strikes them in the same position, which can lead to injuries. Outdoor running usually means that your foot strikes the surface in different ways, which helps to strengthen the foot and calf muscles and reduce the risk of injuries.

Enjoy running, and good luck finishing Ct5K!