Running
With this project i've noticed vast improvements involving strength and muscle tone but especially with endurance. As of two months ago I was never a runner, at the gym I would walk at a steep grade on the treadmill and my current cardio would come from swimming. On top of swimming and weights I recently started running and within a short period of time my endurance increased an incredible amount. A few weeks ago I started running and didn't stop. It was night at the beginning and ran until the wee hours of the morning. I had ended up going 27 miles. It was slightly horrible, my feet hurt for days and the next day I could barely walk. On average I currently break about 50 miles a week, sometimes more. In order to make running more pleasant I bought some nice running shoes. Asics gt-2000. For running long distance I would definitely recommend investing in a nice pair of shoes if nothing else, shoes are the most important. Bad suport effects everything from your ankles to your knees to your hips to your spine. If you have wide feet I would't sugesst asics, there a very thin shoe and for me, they squeeze my feet causing some pain.
When it comes to workouts it is very important that you keep your back and joints free of injury. Recently I visited the chiropractor who found a multitude of problems including four discs out of alignment and a rotator cuff injury. To bypass issues like these, my suggestion would be to make sure you have proper form, strengthening the small muscle groups as that can protect your joints and keep them strong along with purchasing a weight belt. Weight belts are extremely helpful in supporting your back and preventing injury.
When it comes to swimming its very difficult to get injured, I would say just be careful to not dehydrated and drink lots of water. This also helps to prevent muscle cramps in the water which are extremely annoying and can take a chunk of time out of your workout as when they happen you have to climb out of the pool and stretch. As rule of thumb you should drink 8 fluid oz or one cup of water for every ten minutes of cardio. Water is incredibly important to living healthy and maintaining energy levels.
For buying shoes for normal running you should go to this link to find which type you need.
