A few questions about running

1st well done you .. keep up the good work .. The important thing .. are you enjoying it?

1) Personally I move my arms around (especially if they get tired) - shake them out from time to time.

2) I think that I tend to do most of my breathing through my mouth - so never had the problem that you mentions ... Why not try a little dab of Vaseline on your nose before your run if they get sore?

3) On normal days I never drink during a short run (you really shouldn't need to on a 5Km .. I've just done a 10Km race and still didn't feel the need to drink) .. BUT it's its HOT you may need to.

1st well done you .. keep up the good work .. The important thing .. are you enjoying it?

1) Personally I move my arms around (especially if they get tired) - shake them out from time to time.

2) I think that I tend to do most of my breathing through my mouth - so never had the problem that you mentions ... Why not try a little dab of Vaseline on your nose before your run if they get sore?

3) On normal days I never drink during a short run (you really shouldn't need to on a 5Km .. I've just done a 10Km race and still didn't feel the need to drink) .. BUT it's its HOT you may need to.

I agree with this poster.

I also breathe thru my mouth when I run, but I think that has to do with my asthma and me just making sure I'm getting enough air.

1) relax your arms! Just let them hang somewhere they are comfortable rather than thinking about where you are going to hold them.

2) +1 for vaseline. Loads of runners and cyclists get a runny nose. You know you are a 'real' runner when you are happy to blow your nose into an invisible handkerchief.

3) you don't need to drink while you are running unless you are thirsty, in which case it's fine to carry water.

Okay, so! I've trained myself to run a 5K (completing week 9 day 1 of the program today), but here are few things I was wondering:

1) When I run, I keep my arms up at all times. This seems like a normal running position, but after twenty minutes of holding my arms up, they start to get really tired. Is there anything I can do for this, or will it get better on its own?

2) If it's windy or cold, my nose runs and I get sores on the inside from it. Has anyone found a way to treat these? Weird question, I know.

3) Is it strange or bad for some reason to carry a water bottle? Not only do I never see runners holding one, but one girl told me you're not supposed to drink water during a run. Something about making your stomach full or something.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll have more later.

1. I shake mine out from time to time...sometimes roll my shoulders back, sigh, whatever I can do to make my shoulders and upper back relax. If they are getting super tired usually that means you are carrying unneeded tension in them. Just focus on making them relax and eventually it will become second nature.

2. + 1 on Vaseline.

3. The water thing is all about personal preference. I don't -need- to take water with me on anything less then 10K, but I still do. I prefer to stay hydrated and sip water during my runs. I carry one of these:

1. I run with my arms at around a 120-140 degree angle. I keep them loose from the elbow down. One thing that will always stick with me from my HS cross country days is my coach telling me not to let my arms cross in front of my body. Most women naturally run this way but it diverts a lot of forward energy off to the sides. Is that massively important for the casual runner? Probably not but it's always something that's stuck with me.

2. When it's really cold, I get the same thing. I'll sometimes rub a little Vaseline/chapstick on the outside of my nostrils before I go out and it helps me a lot. Running with a handkerchief and keeping the area snot free also helps. I also tend to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth which, for me, lessens the amount of drainage (drying it out before it drips) and keeps my mouth from drying out. Though I know this increases the number of times I hock a loogie.

3. If it's really hot and I'm going to be sweating a lot, I'll carry one. It's not bad to drink water during a run but it can make you cramp up if you drink too much. Little sips periodically are fine. When I do run with one, I tend to switch it from hand to hand every few minutes.

Sounds like you received great advice. You may also want to consider a water bladder and backpack while running to free your hands. One of the big differences in running and arms since the 1970s running boom is the movement towards weight lifting. When I was running in college the coach would have screamed at us if he saw us picking up weights. You wanted strong legs and no other extra weight. Now you see really cut middle distance runners.

I would add some really low tech weight lifting in between runs. Grab stuff around the house at random and lift them slowly up and down. Random sets of ten throughout the day can do wonders. The idea isn't to necessary build huge biceps, but just tone. Also just more running will get your arms in shape.

The other hand issue is a dead feeling, puffiness, or soreness in your hands. Raising you arms above your heart will help circulate any blood that may be pooling in your hands, you may also wish to clench your hands into fists a few times, or even just stopping to adjust your shoelaces or to pick things up. It may also be a serious sign that you are drinking too much water without balancing with the proper amount of salts. The condition is hyponatremia. And affects maybe 10% of the hikers and runners with the puffiness in their hands. Odds are you are not affected at all, but it is something to know.

As far as whether to breath through your mouth or nose, your body will let you know in a hurry. You can pull much more air through your mouth than nose. If you are pushing yourself a little harder you will find yourself breathing in and out through your mouth. I'd try not to think about breathing, it's a habit you've had all your life. :-)

hi !
1) I shake my arms around a little bit every 5-10 minutes. it felt awkward to me too if i had to hold my arms in the same position all the time.
2) i have the same problem, but only when i do cycling.. maybe take tissues with you and blow your nose on time if it gets runny? Idk
3) Sometimes i feel the need to take a water bottle with me too but it's so annoying to keep it in my hand all the time. The other day i was in a sport stuff store and they had a belt/fanny pack type thingy where you could fit tiny water bottles in it maybe you can look for something like this?

1) When I run, I keep my arms up at all times. This seems like a normal running position, but after twenty minutes of holding my arms up, they start to get really tired. Is there anything I can do for this, or will it get better on its own?

Do your arms get tired, or your shoulders sore?
I can tell how tense I am if my shoulders get sore after a couple miles. Got to get them to relax.

2) If it's windy or cold, my nose runs and I get sores on the inside from it. Has anyone found a way to treat these? Weird question, I know.

Farmer's blow. Snot rocket. Learn it. Love it.

3) Is it strange or bad for some reason to carry a water bottle? Not only do I never see runners holding one, but one girl told me you're not supposed to drink water during a run. Something about making your stomach full or something.

No one will look at you weird unless you wear a camelback for a 5k . Besides that, it's a personal preference.
I personally avoid water stations on a 5k. You can survive without water for 20 minutes!

In high school, we'd have a 12 mile loop we'd do every once in a while. Our coach would stash a couple gallons of water at the turn around point.