The importance of rest

Some runners try to go hard every single day. They are ignoring the truth about
muscles — your muscles grow by giving them stress, and allowing them to rest
after the stress so that they can grow. If you run hard every day, you will just
continually break your muscles down, and improvement will be slow and difficult —
and it could lead to burnout or injury.
It’s best to rest the day after a tough run, to allow your body to recover. Does this
mean you should rest completely, with no running or exercise at all? Not necessarily.
The important thing is that you don’t run hard two days in a row. But you can do a
very easy, short run (or other type of easy exercise) in between harder runs and still
allow your muscles to recover.

First 5K
One of the most motivating things in running is an upcoming race. I suggest you sign
up for a 5K after a month or two of running, even if you don’t think you’re ready.
Why? It will motivate you to keep running, so that you’re prepared to do the 5K.
Now, some people have a nervousness about signing up for a running race, because
the other runners are so much better than them. Relax. There are plenty of very good
runners in every race, but there are also many beginners. Don’t worry about the other
runners. There’s usually so many people at a 5K that you won’t be noticed. And don’t
be afraid to walk or run/walk. Many, Reflectors and flashing lights if you run when
it’s still dark.

 Body glide, or Vaseline, applied in the crotch, underarms, and anywhere you
might chafe — really only important for longer runs.
 Heart Rate Monitor: Best ones are by Polar. You can get fancy ones, with
GPS built in, or just a simple one that tells you your heart rate. This is useful if you
do HR training, which is a way of optimizing your training. Probably not necessary
for beginners.
 Mp3 player: Also not necessary, but pretty cool and can add some inspiration
to your running. However, if you run on the road, headphones can be dangerous, as
you might not hear traffic coming your way.
 Fuel belt or Camelback: A way to keep yourself hydrated while you run. Not
necessary for short runs. Also, for longer runs (60 mins or more), I just place water
bottles along my route.
Mechanics
I can’t advise you here, as I’m not a trainer. But most of the time, you don’t have to
worry about this. Just try not to fall down. One thing to watch out for is how tense
your upper body is — try to relax your shoulders, relax your hands, relax everything
but the muscles needed to propel your body forward. The reason is that you may be
using extra energy (and tire yourself out faster)
worse.
The runner’s best friend is ice, and rest. In fact, it’s good to ice your muscles and
joints down after every run, if you can. It helps with the healing