Improving your running performance relies on a simple principle: gradually increase your training load. Whether you're a beginner or an elite athlete, this gradual approach is essential to promote the physiological adaptations that boost your performance.
Simple in theory, but not always easy to put into practice!
For novice runners, a structured program is often the best option to avoid overdoing it and minimize the risk of injury. For example, a training plan for running a first 5 km, such as those extending over 12 to 16 weeks, indicates precisely the sessions to follow.
However, after a few years of experience, determining the right workouts becomes more complex. You have to find a balance: sessions that are intense enough to induce adaptations, but not too demanding to avoid injuries and maintain training consistency.
Modern tools for measuring training load
Many smartwatches use indicators like the Training Impulse (TRIMP), which combines exercise duration and intensity (measured via heart rate) to assess training load.
Another tool is theCOPD (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). This measure estimates the additional energy consumed by the body after an effort to recover, by comparing oxygen consumption at rest and after exercise. It allows the impact of a session on the body to be assessed.
Your smartwatch probably calculates your training load by combining these data with other indicators, such as the cardiac frequency at rest or heart rate variability.
The importance of subjective perception
A recent study, published in theInternational Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, compared different methods of assessing effort to predict fatigue generated by training. Surprising result: the NASA Task Load Index, a questionnaire assessing perceived exertion, has been shown to be more accurate than purely physiological measures.
This test asks you to rate, on a scale of 1 to 100, six dimensions of effort:
- Mental effort
- Physical effort
- Time effort (time pressure)
- Perceived performance
- General effort
- Frustration level
The respondent then compares these dimensions to assess their relative importance. This questionnaire, which incorporates the mental dimension of fatigue, proves to be particularly effective. This is not surprising: it has long been known that fatigue has a significant psychological component, which cannot be captured by purely physical measurements.
Balancing technology and feeling
Should you put your smartwatch away and rely solely on your perception of effort? Not at all! Technological tools remain valuable for assessing your training load. However, they are no more reliable than your own perceptions. The key is to combine objective data (watch, sensors) with your subjective perception and, if possible, the advice of a trainer.
By integrating these different tools – technological and intuitive – you will be better equipped to progress in running while respecting the limits of your body.
