At the beginning of the summer, I signed up to run in a charity 5K. Since I'm not a a "runner", I found a beginner's schedule (couch to 5k) to follow and read some running for beginners books and bought proper shoes. Before I started, one of the books advised that you should be able to walk for at least 30mins at 15mm pace before you start. I was able to do this with no difficulty.

Fast forward 18 weeks, having slavishly run 3x per week (mostly on a treadmill at the gym) following the program, I can now "run" for 30m (not even 5K) on a good day, but at about 14.5mm pace. If I try to go any faster, it just feels really hard and my HR goes through the roof (well over 85% max HR). So, after over 4 months of training, I am a just a fraction faster than I was on the first day of brisk walking.

Now, I know nobody is forcing me, and honestly, why bother, when you can get the same exercise benefits while having fun (i.e. riding my bike, or even just walking for that matter), but is it possible to just be REALLY BAD at running? Or am I doing something wrong?