I'm 28 going on 29 and will be honest that i've never been much on cardio. I've lifted weights and worked legs, but mostly walk for cardio. I can walk all day and night if need be. I'm really wanting to join the Army Infantry so started working on running. The rest of my body functions fine, but i'm in week one right now and I have a really hard time breathing while running. I'm practicing different techniques, but my lungs feel like they are going to explode. I have no problems with anything else, or even sprinting, its just long term running. I can dance, wrestle, sprint, bike just fine, but as soon as i run, my lungs want to fight back, i can breathe in and out just fine, but only short labored breaths. Has anyone encountered this? Is this just a "needing to get my lungs into shape thing"? I know most people will say see a dr. but if its just something i need to run through, i would rather not, not a big fan of going to the doctor. No offense to anyone.
Do you smoke? Learning to manage breathing is critical to your success as a runner. For those of us with lung disease, we use a technique call purse lip breathing. You might google it and see if that helps. There are other breathing techniques out there, but learning to breathe is important.
Seeing if you have asthma might also help. Exercise induced asthma may be an issue. There can be other medical issues, but without a professional evaluation, no one can give you any real advice.
