Jogging for Beginners

A while back, I had my millionth attempt at starting to jog. Having failed to follow through several times before, this time I researched a bit first. Here are the consolidated 123s of Beginning Jogging for Dummies. It's just a rough guide -- apply common sense and never overdo it:

• Week 1, start slow, as in walking. Walk for 20 minutes 3 times a week. If you take off like crazy, muscles will be too sore and the desire to jog will be completely gone. Also, jogging/running hard suppresses the immune system somewhat, and overdoing it can result in extremely sore muscles and a cold! This was my biggest mistake in the past.
  
• Week 2, walk briskly for 20 minutes 3 times a week. We're working up to actually jogging here.
• Week 3 & 4, alternate between jogging for a couple minutes and walking for a couple minutes. Gradually shorten the amount of breather walking time. Jog slowly! Do not run! The "jogging" part is to not walk, and to just plod along.
  
• Start trying to slowly jog continuously for 20 minutes. This is a huge step! I'd recommend "getting good" with this step for a few weeks, such that you don't feel slammed or out of breath at the end.
• Mark off a couple miles, and jog it more slowly than normal just to see how it feels the next day. Use this length for a few weeks until it also feels comfortable.
• At this point, I found that jogging further or faster was much easier. I recommend Googling for "jogging forum" etc, as there are thousands of ideas for further improvements!
• As you expand your personal goals, don't increase distance more than ~10% at a time. (Again, the don't overdo it rule.)
• If something hurts unusually, STOP. See your doctor, and have it checked out. There are fancy runner shoes, leg and knee wraps, etc that are available. Ask an expert.
• Hydration (ie, water). I personally like the lower sugar "G2" sports drink. Straight Gatorade is too sticky sweet, and Cytomax is difficult to find and a little pricey. You need the bit of sugar/salt in the sports drink. Drink some before and after. Your body tells you when it is thirsty, so listen and avoid letting it get thirsty -- keep ahead with the hydration. Read online about proper hydration when you start to get serious -- lack of water or salt is very, very bad for you.
• Supplements. Just FYI, they make these weird little power pills, gooey gels, etc that you can take during longer runs. I haven't gotten that far yet to need those. I've read that running past 20 miles needs these, and they call it "hitting the brick wall" with respect to your muscles' energy levels.
  
• Medicine. Don't take advil, ibuprofen, etc and then stress your body jogging. This is bad for your kidneys. As suggested by a couple websites, I too have found that Aleve works best for muscle soreness the next day.
• Treadmills. Running with 0% incline is like running downhill. Use at least a click or two of incline for better real-world training. Never increase speed quickly -- only add 0.1-0.2 mph per session. 3.5-4.5 mph is a slow jogging speed to start with to get the feel for a treadmill initially. Be careful with the treadmill -- ask the gym rep for a demonstration or proper training.
  
• Some websites insist that you need to jog everyday. Bah. I jog every 3-4 days, or about twice a week. The most rigorous routine I maintained in the summer was every other day. So no, you don't have to jog everyday for the benefits. (If you can, wow that's awesome!) Recent research suggests that that resting a day or two between runs allows the body to properly recover.
  
• Random information for after you've moved on from beginner to intermediate -- a recent study showed that "intensity" was more important than "duration" for health. ie, for better health, it's better to push yourself to the limit for half hour on the treadmill than to maintain a slow pace for 45 minutes. Of course, either is good for you ultimately. Depends on your goals of course (health, marathon, etc).
  

Happy trails!