Why is running so hard??!!

Swimming and cycling involve concentric muscular contractions -- that meaning that the muscle is contracting while it's getting shorter.

Running involves eccentric muscular contractions -- your muscle is contracting while it's getting longer. MUCH harder on the body.

Couple thoughts....

I think part of it may be a mental block.  Other than just pushing through it, that's something you've gotta just figure out.

I think another part of it is your distances.  I think that you need to start upping the distances for each run.  Also, start with smaller increments of increased running vs. walking.  I think going from 1:00 to 1:30 is steep.  Try 1:10.

Other than that, it's tough to really say, other than you need to be patient, and consistent.  Might even try adding an extra run a week, if that's your limiter right now. 

The breathing pattern idea has helped me.  Also, you might try really slowing your pace down to where you can sustain that for 3-7 minutes, and eventually as you get used to it, you can speed it back up. 

 
I found that I can correlate pace to breathing.  I do kind of a sniffing and blowing breathing - inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth.  A physical therapist told me to do this.  I know I'm going an easy pace that I can sustain if I'm able to inhale 4 sniffs and exhale 4 blows.  I know it sounds weird but it works for me.  If I'm going up a steep hill, or really pushing myself, I breath 2 sniffs and 2 blows. 

This has helped me to an extent.  But I have the same problem as you just in general.  The burning in my chest and nausea that accompany my running are pretty annoying!

I don't get it.

turtle, I hear ya.  I'm in the same boat.  I am always saying " I HATE - I mean love running".  It's so friggin hard for me to make any sort of progress...  I envy those people that can go out and run 5 miles and have it be enjoyable.  For me, I am bright red, huffing, and sweating. 

That being said - I did figure out a few things so far.  I run 11-12 min miles(treadmill), and am up to about 2.5 - 3 miles.  This after 20 weeks of tri training....   My ab strength seems to have a lot to do with my ability to not get winded, because I learned that I need to focus on my posture when I run  (not lean forward) and use my diaphragm to breathe (not my ribs). Shoulders back, head up.  It sounds kinda silly, but I was doing it the wrong way and had a really sore ribcage!  and my shoulders hurt, too.  So, try to focus on breathing correctly. 

I also figured out that I was wheezing a lot when I ran - and found that I have exercise-induced asthma.  The wheezing seems to happen more when I don't allow myself to warm up and just start running.  I have found that doing 10 minutes on an elliptical first seems to help. 

Well, I saw your posting and just wanted to let you know - YOU AREN'T ALONE!!  Hang in there - that's what my 'runner' friends tell me.  It may be slow, but you'll start to see progress. 

some questions first:

1.  How many times a week are you running?

2.  Are you short of breath or are you weasing?  Have you ever been checked for Exercise Induced Asthma?

I used to loathe running.  I was horrible at it.   Running one mile would kill me.  I was fine cycling, even used to be pretty fast.  Didn't do much swimming back then, so I don't know what that was like.  About 2 years ago I was diagnosed with EIA, was put on medication and guess what?  Running became fun.  The shortness of breath disappeared, as well as most of the strange side cramping.  It may or may not be your problem, but I would at least check it out.

I think you may be right.

Here's an example. Say you are performing a bench press. As you lower the weight to your chest, you are performing the eccentric part of the movement. This is sometimes referred to as the "negative" portion of the movement. You have to control the weight as it comes down or else you'd injure yourself, so your muscles are contracting even during the lowering portion. Press up and you are performing the concentric part of the movement. Sport scientists believe that eccentric loading is responsible for the majority of the muscle damage and soreness experienced after lifting weights. In fact, I've seen programs that are "negative only" where you take a weight that's more than you could lift on your own, lower it slowly, then have your training partners help you bring it back up. That's not to say that the concentric portion is not useful because it is.

In running, your muscles have to contract as your foot hits the ground to absorb the impact (the eccentric portion) and then your muscles contract to propel you forward (the concentric portion). In swimming and biking, your muscles are only used to propel you forward - it's all concentric movements.

You've gotten some great advice so far.  I'll add this to the mix.  I've run a decent amount since I started 2 years ago, and a lot lately, and I'll tell you this much - it's still hard to get started.  I start a 4 mi run and my legs hurt and I get out of breath after a half mile.  But I know in my head I can do it and I just need to keep going until my body adjusts to the shock of running.  I started a 20 miler on Sunday and after 3-4 miles I didn't think I would be able to do it.  It ended up being one of the best runs I've ever had!  I correlate it to stetching, in a weird way.  When you stretch your muscle will immediately try to rebound or recover and go back to its normal state.  You have to hold a stretch for about 7-10 seconds.  Then your body understands that you want it to be doing this and it stops fighting you and you can go deeper into the stretch.  When you begin running I think it is a shock to the body and its initial reaction is to want to go back to its resting state.  After some time (half mile, mile, 4 miles, whatever) it realizes that this is ok and it goes along with your desire to run.  You just have to mentally make it through that barrier and that is very tough to do.   So you are not alone, we all battle it.  Hope this helps.