Why do I get out of breath so fast when running?

The most likely reason is that you're running faster than your body can currently support. Slow down until you can speak a full sentence, take walking breaks, and give it a few weeks. Aerobic fitness builds slowly, and most beginners start way too fast.

Getting winded early is not a sign that you're unfit for running forever. It's a sign that your heart, lungs and muscles haven't adapted yet.

The usual causes

• Pace. Jogging at 5K race effort feels brutal. Easy running should feel too slow.
• Not enough running. The adaptations happen over weeks of regular easy running, usually 4 to 8 weeks before it feels easier.
• Starting without a warm-up. A few minutes of brisk walking first helps your breathing settle in.
• Heat, humidity, altitude or a lack of sleep. All of these make the same pace feel harder.
• Breathing too shallow. Try slower, deeper belly breaths, as in how to breathe while running.

What to try

1. Use a run/walk pattern, like 1 minute of jogging and 2 minutes of walking
2. Run at a pace where you could chat with someone next to you
3. Do it three times a week for a month before judging
4. Slowly lengthen the jogging parts

If you wear a watch, easy running usually sits in heart rate zone 2, which is covered in what zone 2 running is.

League of Fitness scores runs synced from Apple Health by heart rate zones, so a slow run/walk session counts, and you're matched with someone near your level and not with a faster runner.

When to see a doctor

Breathlessness is normal when you push hard. These are not, and they are worth getting checked:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Wheezing or coughing that begins during exercise and doesn't ease up quickly after
• Breathlessness out of proportion to the effort, even at a very easy pace

Exercise-induced asthma is common and treatable, and a doctor can sort it out quickly.