Does it ever feel easy?

I have never run a marathon, but yes running a 5k can become easier. I say easier because as you improve your times you will want to keep pushing youself to run faster.

Two years ago I couldnt run for 2 minutes without stopping - then ran for 20mins and rang my husband I was so excited.  And so it went on - doing my first 10K and half marathon I felt invincible.  Now training for a marathon and a mere 13 miles seems easy so  yes - 5k - running a nice gentle 5k -  is a walk in the park - but it has taken a lot of training to get there. I am sure that anyone who does Ultras or Ironman events etc thinks of a marathon as no big deal - all relative.  Keep going and it will get easier.

Somehow your lungs seem to work better!

As a very experienced runner once said to me, a 5K race should feel like the last 5K of a marathon. I know when I really go for it on a parkrun, it will hurt but I will recover pretty quickly.

Hi Shona, yes dont worry it will get easier!
and you dont need to have run a marathon for it to do so

remembering my first parkrun 2 years ago i couldnt imagine how i could ever do the whole thing in one go, and it tired me out completely, now I run to parkrun as a warm up, run round parkrun (and if pacing someone under 35 minutes talk the whole way!) and then have been known to go out for a few miles in the afternoon! something i couldnt have envisaged back then

You will get there, I guarantee it!

If it becomes easier you're not going fast enough!

+1 for intermanaut

its only easy if you make it easy!

i.e if your always stretching for that P.B then it shouldnt be easy at all.

if your running your local parkrun for fun then yeah its going to be easy!!

 As a marathon runner, most 5ks that I run feel really easy if I am training at the correct pace. I maybe breathing slightly harder if I ran it at a steady pace, and it will be on the verge of becoming uncomfortable at a tempo pace. It will be bloody hard work if I raced it.

80% of my training is easy miles, so 80% of the time it feels easy. If you are out of breath on every 5k you do in training, you need to slow down.

"It never gets easier, you just go  faster." Greg LeMond. It is all about pace.

What Sideburn said - if you race it it should always be hard - it is a hard event.

That is exactly what I thought you meant Shona. Easy running is very important to building a solid foundation - running at a pace where you could still carry out a conversation.

 Absolutely do not run everything as hard as you can - I think people were getting a little carried away!

I didnt think you meant running a 5k race either - just going out for a run should only feel hard if it is a tempo or threshold run as part of a training programme - there should be lots of nice easy miles too to build up endurance and confidence and so you actually enjoy being out there in the fresh air!

When I started we did sometimes nice easy 5ks but with a few sprints in there to get some interval training established eg a few 100m or less sprints between lamposts but if your limit is about 5k then it shouldnt be run hard!

RunShonaRun wrote (see)

Okay, I'm going with the people who say it will become easy one day!

Training is all about a balance of hard and easy(er) sessions. There is nothing wrong with running for its own sake. A significant amount of millage should be done at a pace where you can either hold a conversation or breath through your nose. After most of my sessions I feel great; I think nothing of running 10k before or after work, it leaves me feeling less tired. Many people do their fast runs too slow and their slow sessions too hard. You may be surprised how easy you can run and still be doing yourself good. Train don't strain; otherwise you will be back to this forum asking for help with injuries/motivation

At the begining of this year I couldnt run to the end of the road without wanting to keal over. I joined a running club and the woman I run with has really stripped everything back to basics., I now run at a much slower pace but can now run nearly 10k. It might take me 60 minutes, but who cares.

You will get there eventually, but as with everything running takes time. Keep up the good work & just be proud your trying