Jogging?

Couch to 5K is how I did it. It'll get you there. I couldn't walk without getting winded when I started and now I'll jog for about an hour in the evenings and I'll go about 4.5 to 5.5 miles. In the beginning there were times where I wanted to throw up or cry but my body got stronger and as time went by I found that I loved running. You'll get there. Keep it up!!!

Two words.......slow down, and if you can't run slowly for 45 seconds do it for 30 seconds and build up to 45 seconds & 1 minute etc etc. If you find yourself getting out of breath slow down even more....your breathing should be deep and relaxed.

When I started running I couldn't make it around the block without feeling death would be a blessed release.....so I started with 1 minute of pathetically slow (almost a shuffle) "running" with 9 minutes of walking, then 2 minutes of running with 8 minutes walking and so on until I could eventually go 10 minutes without walking. It took a number of years but I'm now running half-marathon distances.

Be patient and be consistent. It takes time to build you aerobic base. Don't feel like you have to follow someone else's schedule (I find the C25K is a bit aggressive for many new runners - not everyone can go from zero to 5K in 9 or 10 weeks)

C25K was too aggressive for me. I am very new to running/ jogging too. So I started doing one min walk, one min run. It was pretty hard to start. I did that for two weeks. Then went to two min walk, two min run. Now, I do two min walk, 6 min run, then alternate every two min walk/rum. I don't feel like I'm dying anymore, but I certainly am spent by the end of those twenty min. I'm just going to do what my body allows and push myself in small increments so I am not discouraged.

I find it hard. I can walk 4 to 4.5mph on a flat surface. I was under the impression running was faster than that, but it isn't.
According to some in the c25k group on MFP, you can "run" slower than you walk. When you walk, you have one foot on the ground at all times- when you run, you don't.

It's hard. I hate watching the clock, I find it distracting. I just run as long as I can, walk a little bit, and run some more.

Relax and slow down, it's not about speed yet (and it shouldn't be for a while).
I did a couch to 10k plan, and it seemed really hard at first, but then after about two weeks something "clicked" and I found my pace, and figured out the breathing. Counting breaths really helped me take my mind off of running 2 steps in 2 steps out, or whatever works for you ;-)

These are all good tips. You can also try breathing rhythmically with each step to make sure you're taking deep enough breaths/getting enough oxygen. Breathe in through your nose when your right foot goes down, keep breathing in when your left goes down, and when the right goes down again, exhale through your mouth, continue exhaling when your left goes down, then when your right goes down again, breathe in through your nose.

So with each right step, you are starting to inhale or exhale.

You might find a different pace to be more comfortable for your body, but once you find a rhythm that works for you, the consistency in your steps and breathing could help your endurance.

If you are still having trouble, maybe just power-walk until you build up your cardio-respiratory endurance. This is also better on your joints!

Run as much as you feel good with, do it regularily and you will notice how you slowly can run longer and faster without getting as tired as you used to. Really, there's not much of a secret to it
Currently I don't run because my foot is swollen and hurting (oops) but I love running, yet I am not good at it. I love running really quick, but I want to increase my stamina- so I reward myself with little sprints now and then. Rewarding yourself is a good motivation and having the willpower to actually do it is all you need. Slow but steady.

...Prior to starting, I swam 2.5 miles.

To clarify - you swam 2.5 miles, changed and then started running? As in one workout right after another? If that's the case, this is one factor. I'm an experienced runner and a decent swimmer. Back to back workouts like that are brutal. Space them out, think of them as two separate things. Run early in the morning and get your swim on later that night.

If you're talking about 2.5 mile swim, non stop you've obviously got a good aerobic engine. You'll just need to acclimate your legs and joints to running. C25k is a very conservative way to do so. Good chance you can make progress more aggressively than the schedule calls for but I would start with that and see how it makes you feel.

Go as slow as you need to. If you can only do 30sec to start, then fine. But slowly push to increase that. Whether it I from 30sec to 1 minute or 30 sec to 40. Be consistent and don't give up! whether it takes a few months or a year to be able to run 10min, then do it. Commit to succeeding and you will

c25k works! and SLOW DOWN

This

I completed C25K. When I started, the week 1 runs killed me. But I stuck with it, and it worked like a champ. When I completed the 9 weeks, I was running 30 minutes straight at like 4.5 mph. That's not 5k, but it's a great start. I'm up to 4 miles or so 3 days a week now. Trust me, C25K works.

I didn't follow any program really, i "wing'ed" it. started at the end of september and ran a half marathon march 16 then proceeded to do a bunch of 5k's and 10k's haha! but I never followed any program, I followed my body. I run about every other day or so, and cross train on opposite days, I:E: turbo fire, elliptical, yoga, hip hob abs....and my speed is improving.
dont forget you are also starting in the middle of summer. this heat/humidity doesn't help runners at all. I have to walk a bit more and i have to hydrate alot more also. I go out with a wet head and a cool towel lmao!

60 seconds the first day of C25K

To clarify my exercise regimen for the day, I swam for 2.5 miles, had about a 15 minute rest, then started walking. I've noticed through a little perseverance, my endurance during jogging has slowly but surely built up. We've also started stretching a bit before our walk/jog and it's helped ease the pain a bit. We're going to start swimming in the mornings, and the walking/jogging in the afternoons. We also switched to the Jeff Galloway program first, to help get our bodies use to the process of jogging. I think I might have poor form when jogging, which as has been stated, can burn through my energy quick. I've slowed down A LOT, but I still get extremely winded faster than I'd like.

Are there any stretches specifically for beginner runners? Do they really help /that/ much?

Personally, I never stretch beforehand - or afterwards come to think of it.

My heartrate does tend to rise very quickly when I am running though, causing of course, breathlessness. However, I recently discovered I have exercise induced asthma so now take a spray from my asthma pump about 20 mins before I go running. I have also discovered, that if I start off running slow, I do not get half as breathless, I was just going off too fast, too soon.

I firmly believe that as you continue running and training, you will eventually get much better and efficient in your breathing, it's just giving it time.