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You have the WRONG pair of shoes for your body. The store you visit will no doubt discuss things like pronation (sp?) with you, arches, etc. A $150 pair of shoes built for a "normal" foot will cause hip, knee, ankle and a variety of other problems for someone who has high arches, pronation, etc. It may cost you a few bucks, but try out some different shoes to determine what fits best for you. I used to wear Saucony in my old days, but find New Balance to be far better for me these days. Once you find a pair that fits your foot properly, stick with it and buy about six pair, as the next time you need some, they will have changed the model number!
Some people can be happy in a standard pair of shoes. Most Nike running shoes actually come with a pair of inserts for those of us with high arches. I can't run in normal shoes, as I weigh 200 lbs and my feet naturally point outward at about a 30 degree angle (naturally being because I was lazy as a kid & just seemed to walk that way, my body is now practically built around it).
I tried orthotics and found them to be a waste of $200 (and considering the fact that my dog ate one they became somewhat useless). There are many different styles of shoes, just figure out which one is right for you. If you can't find something that works, then try the orthotics.
If you haven't run for years and just started going 3-5 miles a day, expect problems. As good as you might feel running that long of a distance, it's unnatural to expect your body to welcome the constant pounding of a half hour run all at once. Go jog 1 mile every day for a week at least, even if you think you can go farther. Build up some endurance, running requires muscle endurance from many parts of your body, as well as lung and heart endurance. Every part of your body won't welcome your new hobby in the same way.
You'll find in OTC school that everyone doesn't just go out and run 15 miles on day one. While the instructors might bitch, there will be plenty of you lagging behind. It's expected.
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