How much should I jog? (how often/how far)

[laohaire]

Except for doing a bit last year, I've never been a jogger.

My goal would just be physical fitness. I'm not trying to run a marathon or make my calves look a certain way or whatever. I'd love to lose weight while doing it but my real goal is just plain vanilla fitness.

When I was in high school and was made to run/jog I ended up with shin splints. Yay. Then, when I kind of pushed myself last year while jogging, same thing. The shin splints were diagnosed by a professional physical trainer in high school, and just self-diagnosed last year (they felt the same). I don't know what shin splints really are, but I remember the PT told me to take them seriously and they aren't something to just work through like sore muscles. How can I avoid them in the future?

I'm completely out of shape right now so I'd just start running one lap around the track (1/4 mile). But I know pretty soon I can be jogging a mile (4 laps). That's not very much, I know. Is there any advantage to doing more?

Should I be running 3 times a week? 5? 2?

Should I be trying for distance (getting up to jogging a mile, then maybe 2 miles) or speed (running instead of jogging) or endurance (running for X minutes)?

If I get shin splints, what do I do? Take a week off from jogging? Take it easy when I start again? How do I figure out what exactly is causing them (running too often or too fast or what)?

BTW I weight lift too.. or, I WILL be doing that again soon. So I am not intending for jogging to be my sole exercise or anything.

Sorry for the stupid questions. I'm not an athlete at all.

[elizawill]

i would invest in a great pair of running shoes & get some running socks. if you can find a running store in your area, i would really urge you to go there and they'll find the best shoe for you. this should eliminate your shin splint problem. as for how much to run, it just depends. i usually do a short run daily. i do a long run once a week, and i take the following day off for recovery. in the beginning, i think running every other day would be good, as it gives you time to recover. but you may be able to do it daily depending on the intensity of the workout, ykwim? i'm sure others will chime in with advice and wisdom. i absolutely love running. i hope you enjoy it too! have FUN!

[chiromamma]

Originally Posted by elizawill

i would invest in a great pair of running shoes & get some running socks. if you can find a running store in your area, i would really urge you to go there and they'll find the best shoe for you. this should eliminate your shin splint problem. as for how much to run, it just depends. i usually do a short run daily. i do a long run once a week, and i take the following day off for recovery. in the beginning, i think running every other day would be good, as it gives you time to recover. but you may be able to do it daily depending on the intensity of the workout, ykwim? i'm sure others will chime in with advice and wisdom. i absolutely love running. i hope you enjoy it too! have FUN!

Ditto to all of the above. I will add a few things.
Perhaps consider starting out walking. This is a great way to set a strong running form. In addition to poorly fitting shoes, poor form is a major contributor to shin splints. Often we pull ourselves forward with the front leg when we should propel our selves forward with the back leg.
Many running stores offer a gait analysis at no additional charge. You put on shoes, jog on a treadmill and they video tape it. This is useful for seeing how your foot strikes and also for illustrating the tendency I referred to above.
As far as how far and how much running...I like Hal Higdon's training programs. He offers everything from beginning runner to a personal record marathon. I believe it's just halhigdon.com. And they are free!