Resipsa has some good advice.
Also, if you're in the market for shoes & own an iPod, I would recommend looking at some of the Nike+ models (see my thread
here). That bit of technology keeps all your run data organized and even acts as a trainer--using your account on the Nike+ website, you can plug in what you want to do (run faster, further, a particular distance event, etc.,) and by when, and Nike will customize a training regimen to help you get there. It's a great tool if you've never been into running or training previously.
