Ask Lemmy

You were probably consistently training too hard.

Basically, if you say you always felt like you were dying, you were almost certainly always engaging your anaerobic system. This is the kind of running that "feels like training", because our physical culture has conditioned us to believe that all progress requires suffering. But this zone goes by the name "black hole training" for a reason - it beats you up enough that you can't get the volume in for further aerobic adaptation, while simultaneously not sufficiently taxing your aerobic system to create sustainable gains. Runners who follow a scientific training approach spend 90% of their time below the anaerobic threshold, running at a comfortable conversational / nose breathing pace. If you can't sustain running while nose breathing, then just walking, power walking, or using a walk-run protocol is preferred to simply trying to push through.

Meanwhile, it is also possible that you would have benefitted from heavy lifting or sprint work. Efficient runners bounce, rather than slog. The rely more on muscle stiffness and tendon elasticity to propel them forward, instead of relying on muscle contraction. The stiffness and coordination required is created by having a solid core (so the snap doesn't wiggle out) and exerting maximum force.