Does running get easier?

Running gets easier.
It is a jump on your body to go from Treadmill to outside. Outside is harder. Uneven ground, up and down inclines etc.
Good plan to back down a week.
Keep it up you are doing fine!

Yep, it gets easier. Stick with it. My slim husband and my slim cousin both started C25K over a year ago, right after I did. They thought that they were going to die after every 30 second interval, just like I did. Go slow, stick with it, and try to level up each week. You may end the last run on every week thinking "OMG! There is NO WAY that I can do the next one!", but you will surprise yourself with what you are capable of.

I LOVE running. Distance, tempo, whatever. As long as it's on a trail, I'm happy. But the first month or two is hard, it just is, for pretty much everyone. Runners are just the ones who stick it out anyway, and make it through that tough period.

C25K is an awesome app but I also like the Zombie Run app it is fun, almost like a video game and keeps your interests! Good luck!

Yes, it will. I had to repeat certain weeks, but I managed to keep progressing at my own pace.. I couldn't believe how great it felt when I finally did 20 minutes. I never would have believed it. Best of luck! You got this!

Yes and no!

It gets easier to go at the pace you are now, but if you want to get faster you will still have to push yourself. But the great thing is that when it gets easier, you can run for a longer time and it feels like a great accomplishment.

First off, great job! Keep up the great training!!!

Second off, running does get easier. As your body adjusts to the workload, so does your mind. Exercising takes both body and mind. Sometimes your body will tell you when you're tired from something but sometimes your mind will tell you instead. So, as you keep doing it, both your body and your mind will adjust to your new workload. And it will become easier.

Third off, and this is the tricky part: Do you actually LIKE running? I know you say you feel the accomplishment of the finish. But do you like it while you're doing it? Not everybody likes running. Some people absolutely detest it. Running can be like licorice - you either love it or you hate it. If you're struggling because you like it but stink at it, then that's one thing. But if you're struggling because you simply don't like it even though you keep trying? The odds are if this is the case then you're never actually going to like running.

I hope this isn't the case. I personally love running. It's an unbeatable high. But I know that what's great for me sucks for other people. And if it's not the case and you really do love running? Then yes it'll definitely get easier.

Yes! And when you start running outside, you will find it to be absolutely exhilarating. You'll see other runners and you will acknowledge each other with a smile, grunt or head nod and then you will know that you indeed are a true runner and won't even realize the distance and speed you achieved. It only matters that you keep going forward one step at a time. Dang, I wish it would stop snowing.

I've been running for about 8 months now and have yet to find it easier, exhilarating, joyful, etc. It's still a pain in the *kitten* but i do it anyway because it helps me burn calories.

I started with C25K in July and just started Hal Higdon's program for a 10K.

I don't think every person is meant to be a runner. Too many biomechanical variables come into play. Then there is the mental aspect of it all.

Maybe one day I will learn to love it. Not today.

I've always hated running, but don't have access to a gym. It took me probably a month before I actually started feeling comfortable, like it was something I could DO without dying. Sometimes now, I even enjoy it, although admittedly, I don't more often than not

Yes! And when you start running outside, you will find it to be absolutely exhilarating. You'll see other runners and you will acknowledge each other with a smile, grunt or head nod and then you will know that you indeed are a true runner and won't even realize the distance and speed you achieved. It only matters that you keep going forward one step at a time. Dang, I wish it would stop snowing.

QFT

Yes, it does get easier. I'm still a slow runner compared to many, but I can run much longer than I could before. Now running for 45 consecutive minutes doesn't seem daunting. Just take it one day at a time, give yourself enough time to rest and recover from each run. I'm glad I stuck with it because now I really enjoy running.

Hey all. As some of you may know, I am doing the c25k program and loving it! I got off the treadmill and completed a run on the track today and it was DIFFICULT. So much so that I went from week 3 back to week 2 and I don't regret it. I'm going to just keep going from there. That said, there is nothing like the accomplishment of running, and I can't wait until my first 5k in 58 days.

So I am going to keep at it no matter how hard it is. If I have to change something, I will. I am also doing well with calorie counting and losing weight. Here is my question...
Will running get easier before I lose this weight? I have about 100 lbs to lose total, and I just hope that I can get more comfortable running before then. I know running will always be challenging, and without that, I wouldn't experience the triumph of completing a run, but I am curious about the "hardness" of it. Make sense?

Thoughts?

Yes, running feels like torture at first. But eventually it will get much easier and actually enjoyable. The best way to make it feel easier faster is to work intervals into your runs. Running outside is also a lot more fun than a treadmill.

Thanks for posting your question, because it was my question also after doing week 4, day 1 of couch to 5k. All day it had been on my mind that I was scared of the 4 minute blocks and that I would hate it and not do it. (And that was on the tread, not as tough as outside!). But I made it, and I am looking forward to repeating it on Wednesday.

keep posting on how you're going because it sounds as though you've got all the bones of it - determination, enjoyment, and initiative (esp moving to outdoor running!)

Yes! I started c25k in November and thought I was going to suffocate, yet today I ran nearly 5 miles and felt fantastic. Keep at it, it gets better.

"You want to be a runner??? THEN DON'T STOP! RUN, DAMNIT!!"

I love this! When I first started I couldn't run more than about 30seconds without feeling like I was going to die. But I did 5k this morning. I still have to chant "can't run by walking" sometimes, it was my mantra in the early days!