Sore ankles and jogging

Good shoes are really important, I would start with them and see how you go.

Ok, sorry to shout, but this always sort of infuriates me when i see novice runners getting this advice.

Good shoes are NOT THAT important. MOST people do not need to buy anything more than comfortable running shoes with minimal support.

GOOD TECHNIQUE IS IMPORTANT. Good technique is what protects your ankle, knee and hip from impact, NOT SHOES. Shoes become a crutch without technique.

WORKING UP SLOWLY IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN OVERWEIGHT. You have to acclimate to distances. Consider adding a bit of distance each week. Consider a rest day after each jogging day for now. You cannot start out by running every day if you find you are having pain from it. Your body needs rehab time in between to adapt to the new type of work it is doing.

BAD TECHNIQUE plus EXPENSIVE SUPPORTIVE SHOES = REINFORCED BAD TECHNIQUE = FURTHER INJURY and rich shoe store salesmen as you continually try to correct new problems with shoes.

Make sure you have good technique (ask someone who really knows their stuff to watch your run), THEN worry about shoes.

Once your technique is great, THEN worry about proper (usually meaning expensive) shoes IF you are having issues.

I hope I was advising both in my post - good form (technique, whatever you want to call it), yes is very important.

I disagree with you though. In my opinion, good shoes *are* important as well.

By good shoes I mean any kind of trainer with support that is still intact. Support does go in trainers if you've had them for a long time. Trying to run in crappy sneakers you've had ten years will not help a new runner. They don't need to be expensive ones, just decent ones.

(I'm also saying this as a VFF convert - however much I love them it takes time and effort to work up to running in them the whole time.)

Right, so how do you know which trainers you need, and should get until you first get into proper technique, and then practice it and determine your weakness?

Your first purchase should be 1/2 with a registered athletic therapist, I bet yous save 100 bucks on shoes every year the rest of your life. Shore stores ALWAYS find something wrong with your run that they can correct with shoes. Almost always you can correct it with technique.

I run every third run barefoot. Until not long ago, man ran without running shoes. The preferred shoe was simply canvas tied around the foot to protect from gravel. Many countries today (kenya, etc...) go completely shoeless and are fanatical about running. But they have awesome running instruction.

The local shoe store here has running clinics, the owner is a PT. She goes to Africa on missions every year and goes on and on about how they run like the wind all day long, without injury. And then goes on and on about how we need to donate our used shoes because those poor kids need running shoes to help their running. It boggles my mind.

I have been told on TWO occasions I would never run again by PTs and doctors, and on two occasions I corrected technique and made a full recovery. The first time I spent over 2000 dollars on PT and different shoes. Every time I went in they tried to "correct my feet" with a different set of expensive shoes. I finally went in and said to give me something with NO support and lots of comfort and they freaked out and told me they "strong advised I do not do that."

I then went back to square one and learned how to run. I learned I was not pawing back with my foot on the landing. I learned I was using way to much toe push. That I was to high in my stance. To much arm movement. Extending my legs to far out for my speed. All these fine adjustments did not reveal themselves. I had to learn them.

Good shoes will NOT protect you at all if your technique is bad, they will simply slow down the accumulation of injury. If your technique is good, you don't even need shoes! I run once a week BAREFOOT!

Simple, hopefully non-controversial answer! Technique and shoes can both help, but sometimes you just get aches and pains when you're doing something new, or in your case returning to it, and running's a regular culprit for this.

Stick with it, get shoes recommended by a professional IF you want to make it regular thing. Ones so worn they have holes can't help much!

I have VERY weak ankles and as a child I'd roll them on nearly every PE lesson and regularly sprained them. They've got tons stronger with regular exercise (mostly running), and they also "set" as you become an adult, so you might find the problem gets less as you ease back into running.

Just be warned that if you see a GP rather than a specialist, you might find he or she will say running's not for you. I've had many a friend warned off after the slightest knee twinge.

Good luck!