Out of Breath During the Run

I am on a team to do a sprint triathlon and have been training for the running portion since December. Although I can do the 5k on a treadmill, I am completely out of breath and can't wait for the run to end.
Outside my maximum mileage is only 2 miles.

How often should I be running and why am I so out of breath?
I have heard people say for years that they love running, they feel running clears their minds and makes them feel great.
I can hardly wait for the runs to be over and after the race I will probably quit running as it is not enjoyable for me.

Any suggestions on how to make it more enjoyable and easier for me to run?


Answer by Dominique:


Hi there,
Thanks for your running question.
Sorry to hear that running is that tough on you.

What is definitely the case is that running on a treadmill is quite different than running outside. They say that you need to train with about a 1% incline on a treadmill to get the same exercise as when running on the road.

So it is quite normal to be able to run less when running outside.

What I think you might be doing is going way too fast. Your running training should contain of lots of slow, easy running. The pace at which you are able to maintain a conversation.

If every training is a race for you, I can imagine that your running training is not very enjoyable. Races require a lot from you which includes enduring pain and fatigue. But your running training should generally be a lot slower, with a few faster workouts in between.

I suggest cutting down the speed for the next few weeks.
In the meanwhile, pay a visit to my Running Training section and read up on the types of running training you can do.

On number of days per week: highly dependent on what you are currently doing, what your goals are, what the rest of your exercise program looks like, but three times a week sounds about right and should give you enough running training to book progress.

Best of luck. I hope you'll start enjoying running more and hope you do well in your race(s).


Kind regards,
Dominique