What are some good tips/advice for a beginner jogger?

I’m an 18 year old female with a lot of time on her hands who wants to start jogging. I tend to go in and out of being fit, and right now I haven’t been doing any cardio in half a year. I have always wanted to do long distance jogging, but have never been able to jog for more than 20 minutes at a time. Right now I’ve realized I can’t jog for even 10 minutes. I’m looking for advice as how to train my endurance, how to keep motivated, and other little tricks you are kind enough to share.What are some good tips/advice for a beginner jogger?
You are where I was one year ago!





I suggest taking a slow approach to running. Get a goal in mind of what you want to do and set out to do so. When I first started, I'd run a block, if I had to walk it I did. Once I could go around the block without feeling like I was about to die, I'd go around two blocks and so forth.. I went every other day and slowly built up. Í haven't had one injury and i believe it's bc I believe more about listening to your body than doing what some set plan is on the internet.





Breathing believe it or not while running isn't as natural as one may think, it takes a bit to find the breathing method that works for you.. If you have a hard time breathing, stop until your breathing gets back in check. It may take a while to fully breathe comfortable


http://www.livestrong.com/video/2712-bre…





Stretching--I stretch just 10 mins before going out and when I first started running a year ago I'd stretch 10 mins after. You don't want to over work your muscles and over stretch them before running.





Drink water through out the day that way you won't need anything before a run. If you drink/eat wait at least one hour before heading out. Rushing a drink of water or a breakfast too quickly you'll be asking for cramps and side stitches.. I haven't had one stitch or cramp and I usually try to get up at 6 am for running and I don't eat or drink anything prior.





Shoes--they're your key equipment so get fitted at sports store and be prepared to spend good money on them. By cheapening up or wearing the wrong shoes will result in shin splints and other problems.


http://www.asicsamerica.com/sports/runni…





I'm not into the clique-y thing of running gear, I wear what's comfortable. Cotton shorts/pants and t's and tanks. I do have invested a good winter coat when I'm running in -20's and I have a good rain coat but that is all I have. Nothing fancy, just comfort.





Best approach to running is to realize that it doesn't matter how skinny or how in shape you think you are. Running is about the mind and whether or not you can psych yourself into running and eventually loving to run. The body getting in shape is just the result of running. But you need to tell yourself that you can do it and not give up.





Have fun with running as well, don't take it seriously and just relax.





Good luck!!What are some good tips/advice for a beginner jogger?
Keep pushing yourself. Generally, most joggers will tell you to work up to a 6k without stopping. Then you start working on speed. Just record how far you go and how fast, and challenge yourself every time you go.





But, I will say this. Jogging is tough on your joints. And simply put... there is really no way you can become an avid jogger/runner without significant risks to your joints; each time you come down, you will be placing up to 4x your body weight of force on a single joint. Unfortunately, the damage to your cartilage can accumulate without you feeling pain... until you hit 40-50s years old.





I love jogging. But I try to keep it to a minimal. If you just want to get fit, join a gym and discover the elliptical, stair masters, etc. As someone who knows several MDs (I work with them... and applying to medical school myself) including 2 podiatrist, I have yet to meet one who thinks jogging is ';good';.
Try this:


D1: run 1 min - walk 1 min


D2: run 2 min - walk 2 min


D3: run 3 min - walk 2 min


D4: run 4 min - walk 2 min...


This will help you catch your breath and build up your stamina.


The longer you are going at it, the less recovery time you will need.


Find another novice jogger to team up with.


But most of all: have fun.
Run with a buddy. It will be harder to blow it off then. Start out slow, so you don't get unmotivated. Walking is ok too.
You've decided to start jogging. That's great. If you want to get better at it I think you have to try to figure out what made you decide to improve your time. The only one that can answer that is you. And it;s not easy to figure out sometimes. But if you can manage to do that, then try to find out if you are really getting what you want out of jogging. If you do, then it becomes easier and easier until it's just automatic.





The really interesting thing about jogging is that once you get into it more and more, you find so many more interesting things about it. you might find that you meet more intersting people - because joggers are really interesting people. Or you might do more serious running and run some races and travel around a little more. Or you might find that you have more energy or your diet changes or all sorts of interesting things that you may never have thought about. All of these keep motivating you to keep jogging.





Certainly, jogging with a friend or jogging with a running group helps. Also, running while listening to music helps but you have to be very careful. Jogging on trails is probably best when listening to music.





I used to run a lot but not anymore and I really enjoyed it. Not because of anything physical, just because I have no time. Fortunately you have the time and I hope you come to enjoy jogging.