Well running at 30is definitely harder than I remember it being at 20!
I decided to start couch to 5k and picked week 4 to start (stupidly) as I'm fairly active and thought it would be easy. I was wrong. It probably didn't help that the last 5 minute run was uphill and it started to halestone.
Does running start feeling easier after doing it consistently for a couple of months or do you just get used to the feeling of dying?
sounds like you are running too fast. you should run at a comfortable pace where it is easy to have a full conversation. You have to slow down for hills, even if that means walking.
I also wouldn't skip the first 4 weeks. While you may have the fitness and general active life to make week 5 seem manageable, one of the mist important aspects of running jn very gentle increases kn training stress and giving time for your body to adapt. Especially starting out after a long break, you need to let your muscular-skeletal system adapt. Bones need to get stronger, ligaments strengthened and tightened. A lot of these changes take 6-12 months to achieve.
so really you just have to be patient and slowly build from a very easy level. This might mean the first 4-6 weeks seem to easy, but that is perfect. Running rewards the patient and consistent athlete. There are no short cuts (beyond weight loss).
and yeah, dont be afraid to walk hills or even take walking breaks on the flat. No shame in that. Every pro will do that when it makes sense. Im a sub 3 marathon runner and ultra runner - in September i ran 200miles with 75,000ft of climbing - yet i still walk moderate steep hills when running on roads.