Understanding Your Training Load

Your training load reflects how much stress your recent training has placed on your body, built from what you log after each workout, and RunDNA uses it to decide when to push and when to ease back.

What RPE is, and why it matters

RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion, is simply how hard a workout felt to you, on a scale, regardless of what your watch says about pace. It matters because effort tells a fuller story than pace alone: the same pace can feel completely different depending on heat, hills, fatigue, or how you slept.

How your training load is calculated

Every workout contributes to your training load based on its duration and its RPE, both logged through your run check-in form. Please note that when syncing a run, the duration will be prepopulated into this form. Training load's inputs of duration and RPE is exactly why filling that form out matters: your training load reflects what you actually tell RunDNA after a workout, not a guess based on your plan or your daily check-in.

When your load is trending up quickly, RunDNA leans conservative rather than assuming everything is fine. This is also why you'll periodically see lower-mileage weeks built into your program: your body needs planned recovery to absorb the training you've already done, not just more of it.

You can also see your training load from the week view at the bottom of your screen, which shows how far into the week you are alongside it.