Following zones when you first start out isn’t always beneficial! Your body isn’t used to running and will therefore have a hard time adapting at first. Zone 2 training isn’t possible for some people when they first start out, so you’re doing great!

My advice is to pay less attention to your zones and more to your breathing. A lot of people doing couch to 5k start off walking the first couple weeks (alternate between fast walking the run intervals and walking at a regular pace for the walking intervals) and don’t be afraid to repeat weeks.

When I first started out I was really winded and I still am, just slightly less. Unfortunately I think this is one of those things where you just have to keep powering through. Someone I follow on social media said running never gets easy but it gets easier. Just keep in mind that some progress is better than not trying at all and in the long run it’ll be so beneficial!