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The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/Admirable_Annual6513 on 2025-11-04 05:35:23+00:00.

I used to hate running even though trying for YEARS. Every attempt ended the same way, gasping for air, legs burning, completely miserable. I figured I just wasn’t a runner.

Then a friend told me to check my heart rate during runs, and it was averaging 186 bpm. No wonder it felt like torture. I was redlining every single run because I thought “push through the pain” was what runners did.

Now I run using heart rate zones. I set a limit (for me, around 160 bpm) and if I hit it, I just slow down, even if it means jogging embarrassingly slow. It changed literally everything. Running stopped feeling like punishment and started feeling… good.

Last week I ran my first half marathon and actually enjoyed it.

If you’re trying to get into running and keep burning out, buy a cheap heart rate monitor and train easy. You’ll go slower at first, but you’ll go farther, recover faster, and maybe even start to love it.