Exercise is kicking my feets' butt(s?)!

the recommendation for beginning runners seems to be about 3 times a week, that's what I do...make sure you have a rest day (or at least a day where you do something else other than running) in between. Running is hard on the body and you might want to ease into it...

And make sure you're stretching really well afterwards, it will help immensely.

Never work through the pain, that's the fastest route to an serious injury. If your body is telling you it hurts, stop. The old adage of 'no pain, no gain' is a bodybuilding holdover from the 70s when no one knew any better.

What's going on with your foot is not normal at all. It's more than likely a combination of inflamed joints, microtorn muscles, and bad shoes. Give your feet time to rest otherwise, you're going to end up at a podiatrist with some type of fasciitis or worse.

I also have started running and, like you, have trouble taking days off!!! I have several blisters on both feet and I'm also wearing correct shoes (got fitted at a real shoe store).

I think it's just the name of the game. I find I'm not as sore and I use to be when I first started several months ago. I'm also trying to create a similar schedule as C25K - only with more sessions per week and different intervals of time. I've finally realized that it would benifit me to have a set schedule that way I'm not running too much or too little.

Year old running shoes are probably completely broken down by now. Shoes only have a certain amount of "milage" until they start to stop doing what they are supposed to do-support and stabilize your foot, ankle, and leg. They lose shock absorption the more you wear them which leads to a lot more stress on your foot and leg, which is probably what is causing the pain. Active runners who run around 4/5 times a week usually have to change their shoes every3-5 months, more or less depending on how much you use them. When I was in cross country, I had to buy new shoes every 3 months because when I didn't (and didn't know that shoes had milage) I got a stress fracture in my heel and one in my hip. It was NO BUENO so buy new shoes!!

But good job on working out regularly! Swimming is great cardio and has the least impact on your joints/body-running is one of the worst things for your joints (but I love running and HATE swimming.)

Biking is also a really great cardio and is easy on your joints, I love doing interval biking (going really hard and fast for a few minutes then getting my heart rate back down, then going hard again.) I lost a lot of weight by biking an hour everyday to work and it didn't hurt like running does.

A very important thing that a lot of people don't do when exercising/running is ensure that their shoes are tied tightly enough. I made this error last year while training for a 10K, and even though I'm an avid runner and have been running for years, I'm guilty! I just thought they felt more comfortable looser, and allowed my feet more "breathing" room. Wrong! As a result I developed a very bad case of plantar fasciitis. And these were shoes that I had fitted at a running store, so it wasn't a case of the incorrect fit. My chiropractor advised me that one small change people can make that makes a HUGE improvement is to make sure you are lacing up your shoes ALL the way. He said that most people (myself included), don't lace their shoes all the way up and normally leave the last hole at the top of the tongue of your running shoe empty - but it should be laced. Shoes that are tied properly shouldn't even have enough space to slide a finger in between your ankle/foot and your shoe. Sounds like they would be too tight, but since I adjusted the way I tie my shoes I'm noticing a huge improvement in my PF. Thought I'd pass the advice along!

i started running about 8 weeks ago, using the C25k program, 3 times a week...now i've built up to 3-5 times a week, about 1.5-2.5 miles each time...my calves have only JUST stopped aching since day 1, lol...turns out i wasn't stretching good enough or long enough after i finished my jog...now that i stretch better, my legs feel better...it's important to rest though, i wouldn't do it EVERY day...

I replace my running shoes about every 6 months. I run 2-3 times a week and mix in the eliptical and strength training during the week. It is very important to do squats, lunges, leg extentions, weighted squats etc when you are running. If you have weak quads, you will begin to have knee problems. This happened to me! I had to stop running for about a month because I had a hard time going up and down stairs (I live in a third floor condo)! I had to go up the stairs one at a time on the opposite leg.

I try to give my legs a strength workout once or twice a week. Stretching is also important after you do cardio. I stretch everytime for about 5 minutes after my workouts and it makes a difference! My gym has stretching devices that stretch my hips and hamstrings.

Best of luck with your running! It is a great workout and it leaves you feeling great once you're done.