And then the getting faster stops. And you start to question why you spend so much time doing something for no appreciable return. And then you have a good run or race and it all makes sense.
Or you stop doing it and get annoyed at how quickly you get slower compared to how slowly you got quicker. So you start up again, or find a slightly different way of doing it (trail vs track, shorter stuff, or longer).
Rinse and repeat.
Exactly. In the early stages it does get easier (or less horrid). Keep at it.
But then you reach the point that it doesn't get easier, you just get faster.