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Most wearables track this metric, but it goes beyond simply paying attention to stats. 

When it comes to running these days, wearables have become a part of the “uniform.” If you sift through race photos, you’ll probably see both recreational and professional runners looking down at their smartwatches at the finish line rather than glancing up to smile at the camera. 

While most smartwatches capture basic metrics such as activity duration, heart rate, pace, and time, not all can measure the physiological effect of workouts over time or what’s known as “training load.” But with the new Apple training load feature, watchOS 11 will join the ranks of Garmin, Coros, and Polar and start providing insights into this metric. 

So, if you’re considering buying a smartwatch—or you just want to better track your training and your progress—let’s learn about what training load is and how it can help or hinder your running.

What is training load?

Researchers of a scientific review published in Sports Medicine in 2017 define training load as the stress an athlete experiences after completing physical activities over a certain duration, most often a week. Another way to think about it is how hard you are physically working over time. 

Training load is comprised of both an internal and external load. Internal load refers to the physiological and psychological effects of exercise on the body such as heart rate and rate of perceived exertion during exercise. The higher the heart rate or the harder a workout feels, the greater the internal load. External load refers to quantification of the work completed, such as pace and distance.

Sara Manderscheid, RRCA-certified endurance run coach and founder of Elevate Your Running, describes training load as the amount of stress that flows through the body in a training session or training season. “Every day is going to be different,” she says, referring to both the physical and psychological workload an athlete feels with both easy and challenging workouts. 

Ric Rojas, head coach of Ric Rojas Running and coach with RISE Running in Boulder, Colorado—and father of pro runner Nell Rojas—highlights that both volume and intensity play roles in understanding an athlete’s perceived exertion. And that perception of exertion helps him determine whether training load is too high or too low. “Language and body language are the most important indices [of training load] that I use on a day-to-day basis,” he explains.

How do wearables measure training load?

Metrics used to estimate training load tend to differ among brands. For example, Garmin uses heart rate to estimate excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), the amount of oxygen your body uses to return to homeostasis—a rested, refueled, and recovered state after a workout. 

In general, EPOC accumulation is higher for more intense workouts and lower for easy efforts. EPOC measurements over a seven-day period equal your training load for the week. So, the higher your EPOC measurements, the higher your weekly training load.

Both Coros and Polar use training impulse (TRIMP) to estimate training load. TRIMP uses heart rate and workout duration to estimate effort during a workout with higher heart rates presumably reflecting higher efforts and higher TRIMP. Unlike EPOC, TRIMP may not be as reliable in estimating training load for strength training sessions, because it relies on metrics acquired during a workout rather than after. 

Unlike Garmin, Coros, and Polar, Apple’s watchOS 11 will not provide a numeric value for training load. Instead, training load will be derived from workout duration and effort scores based upon a rate of perceived exertion scale from 1 to 10 with 1 equating to easy effort and 10 meaning an all-out effort. These scores can be generated automatically for 17 different workout types using an algorithm that incorporates age, height, weight, and performance metrics like GPS data, heart rate, and elevation. Scores can also be self-reported for any workout, a feature that distinguishes watchOS 11 from the rest of the pack.

After 28 days, the watchOS 11 algorithm establishes a training load baseline, and uses it to compare your training load over a seven-day period. The goal is to keep your seven-day training load or estimation of effort close to your 28-day baseline. 

Can I use training load to build my workouts?

You certainly can! Many wearables prompt users with recommended workouts to help maintain training within an optimal load. Visual cues and graphics can also help users identify when fitness and fatigue are not balanced, which is an issue because too much fatigue can lead to overtraining, whereas workouts that may not be as challenging may hinder the ability to improve fitness. 

Rojas uses heart rate data, pace, perception, recovery, and overall distance in a workout to generate the next workout (or workouts) and avoid overtraining. “I have to keep you healthy,” he comments. “I maintain an optimal training level to allow you to work out again without missing any time.” 

To ensure balance in both training and recovery, Rojas also prioritizes an athlete’s perception of their effort during a workout. He will have athletes repeat the same workout every four weeks and evaluate how they felt at the prescribed paces. If the workout feels easier with time, they are likely building fitness. This should also correlate with heart rate: As you become more fit, your heart rate will get lower at the same pace—proof that “the training is taking you to the next level,” he says.

Manderscheid also uses perception more than the numbers, stating that communication is one of the best tools coaches have. “I feel that the mind is such a huge piece to training as a whole,” she says. She also emphasizes that it’s a fine balance of ensuring you do enough to gain fitness but don’t go overboard and set yourself up for injury.

Following Rojas’s and Manderscheid’s advice, you can use training load to schedule your own workouts by paying attention to effort and/or heart rate throughout a workout and throughout your week as a whole. You want a majority of easy efforts (RPE around 5 or 6 and heart rate around 60 to 70 percent) and a few harder efforts, like tempos or interval runs, mixed into your weekly schedule. 

Keep in mind, if your typical paces start to feel hard or spike your heart rate, it could be an indication to lower your training load by taking an extra rest day or swapping a tempo run for an easy run. And if your typical paces start to feel too easy, it could mean you can increase your training load by adding more miles, faster paces, or another day of easy running.

Are there any downsides to tracking training load?

Metrics based upon algorithms have their pitfalls and training load is no different. Heart rate is one of the primary determinants of training load so anything that affects your resting heart rate (stress, sleep, etc.) can also influence training load. 

Apple’s training load is also dependent on an effort rating system comparing seven-day training load to a 28-day baseline. So, if you rate a tough workout as a very easy effort, your watch will assume you are training below your baseline training load, which may prompt you to increase your effort. If you continue to rate hard efforts as easy, you may set yourself up for insufficient recovery, overtraining, and injury (especially if the workouts weren’t truly easy). 

On the flip side, if you rate easy workouts as feeling hard, your watch will suggest you are training above your baseline, prompting you to decrease effort. As a result, you may not see fitness gains, because without a sufficient physiologic stimulus, you’ll likely plateau or lose fitness. 

Both Manderscheid and Rojas note that there is incredible potential for over and undertraining when following training load on wearables in isolation for your workouts and progress tracking. 

Manderscheid says training load is “one piece of the puzzle,” noting that it is easy for athletes to get bogged down in the analytics of their watch. “Can we stop, pause, and listen to our bodies? If we can connect a little bit more to that mind-body side of things, we are going to be stronger athletes,” she says.

What if you don’t have a wearable? How can you track training load?

If you don’t have a wearable, you don’t need to run out and get one; most of these devices are not cheap. Perceived effort—similar to what the Apple Vitals app is using to generate training load—is a free, easy, and reliable way to determine whether your workout is too easy, too hard, or just right.

Remember: You want a mix of both easy days and hard days on your calendar, without tipping too far in one direction. Both Rojas and Manderschied advise running easy efforts most days and incorporating harder efforts or intensities twice a week as a general guideline.

Manderscheid suggests going a step further than just mentally noting efforts and writing down how you felt at a particular workout. “At the end of the week, take a look, how did you feel: Did you feel good, strong, or terrible? Monitor that. Play around with it and experiment,” she explains.

Numbers are just a part of the puzzle in terms of how you can progress. “Keep the long view in mind,” Rojas says. Patience and perception work together to generate resilient, recovered runners capable of stacking training cycles. You can certainly be one of them, as long as you listen to your body—not just your watch—when it comes to your workout efforts and not going too hard or too easy all the time.

Some victories are measured by finish times. Others are defined by the obstacles overcome simply to reach the starting line.

For American Paralympic swimmer Ali Truwit, completing the New York City Marathon represented far more than covering 26.2 miles. It was the culmination of an extraordinary journey of survival, resilience, and unwavering determination that began with a life-altering shark attack just two years earlier.

On a crisp November morning in 2025, Truwit crossed the iconic finish line wearing a carbon-fibre running blade, fulfilling a promise she had made while recovering in a hospital bed after losing her lower left leg. The emotional milestone marked another remarkable chapter in one of the most inspiring comeback stories in modern sport.

The road to that unforgettable finish began only days after Truwit celebrated a major personal achievement. In May 2023, she completed her first marathon in Copenhagen alongside her mother. Just ten days later, while enjoying a graduation trip to Turks and Caicos with former Yale swimming teammate Sophie Pilkinton, tragedy struck.

While the pair were snorkelling, a shark attacked Truwit, severely injuring her left leg. Displaying remarkable courage, the two swam approximately 55 metres back to their boat, where Pilkinton—then a medical student—quickly applied a tourniquet that stopped the bleeding and ultimately saved Truwit's life.

Doctors were forced to amputate her lower left leg on her 23rd birthday.

Even in the darkest moments of recovery, Truwit's determination never disappeared. Reflecting on having recently completed her first marathon, she joked with one of the first responders that at least she had managed to run a marathon before the attack. The responder's simple but powerful reply would remain with her throughout rehabilitation: "You'll run another one."

Those words became a source of hope during the long and demanding road back.

Only weeks after surgery, Truwit began learning to walk on a prosthetic limb before gradually returning to the swimming pool. The process was anything but straightforward. The water that had once been her sanctuary became a source of painful memories, yet she refused to allow fear to define her future.

Her relentless work ethic soon produced extraordinary results.

Less than 16 months after the attack, Truwit represented the United States at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, producing a sensational performance to claim both silver and bronze medals. Standing on the Paralympic podium was a powerful reminder of how far she had come in such a short period, and she dedicated those achievements to everyone who had helped save her life.

Still, another dream remained unfinished.

The New York City Marathon carried deep personal significance. It was not merely another endurance event but a symbolic return to the city where her life had changed forever. On November 2, 2025, she lined up in Staten Island accompanied by 13 family members and close friends, all proudly representing her nonprofit foundation, Stronger Than You Think. Among them was Pilkinton, the friend whose quick thinking had preserved her life on that unforgettable day in the Caribbean.

Together, they covered every mile of the marathon before celebrating an emotional finish that Truwit later described as being "over the moon."

Completing a marathon on a carbon-fibre running blade presents challenges far beyond those faced by able-bodied runners. The prosthetic demands greater strength from the hips, core, and remaining leg while requiring exceptional balance, coordination, and endurance. Truwit's preparation combined months of disciplined training, patience, and mental resilience as she effectively taught herself how to run again.

Her story extends well beyond medals and marathon finishes.

Inspired by her own recovery, Truwit founded Stronger Than You Think, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping individuals overcome physical and financial barriers following limb loss. Recognising that sports prosthetics can cost tens of thousands of dollars and are often not covered by insurance, the foundation provides financial assistance for prosthetic devices, supports water-safety education, and promotes opportunities within Paralympic sport.

The organisation has already helped provide more than 11 prosthetic limbs, delivered nearly $200,000 in direct support, and funded over 4,000 hours of water-safety lessons benefiting more than 700 young people.

Throughout her journey, Truwit has remained refreshingly honest about the emotional challenges that continue to accompany recovery. She has openly acknowledged that healing is an ongoing process and that grief can still come in waves. Rather than portraying an effortless comeback, she has demonstrated that resilience is built through persistence, even on the hardest days.

Her remarkable transformation resonates far beyond elite sport. While few people will ever experience the trauma she endured, countless runners and athletes understand the frustration of injury, disappointment, or rebuilding after adversity. Truwit's journey serves as a powerful reminder that recovery is rarely linear and that courage is often measured by the willingness to keep moving forward despite uncertainty.

Now looking ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, Truwit continues to redefine what is possible. She is no longer known simply as the swimmer who survived a shark attack. She has become a Paralympic medallist, marathon finisher, advocate, and symbol of resilience whose story continues to inspire athletes around the world.

Her journey proves that while life can change in an instant, so too can the strength of the human spirit. Sometimes the greatest triumph is not returning to the person you once were, but discovering someone even stronger than you ever imagined possible.

Sprint and hurdles superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has entered an exciting new chapter in her remarkable life, welcoming her first child with husband Andre Levrone. The four-time Olympic champion and women's 400m hurdles world record holder announced the birth of their daughter, Savannah Michelle Levrone, who was born on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

The couple shared the joyful news with an emotional message celebrating the arrival of their daughter and expressing gratitude to everyone who supported them throughout the pregnancy. Sydney described Savannah as "our blessing and our joy," while expressing excitement and faith for the future that lies ahead for their growing family.

The announcement marks a deeply personal milestone for one of the most accomplished athletes of her generation. Renowned for redefining the women's 400m hurdles through a succession of record-breaking performances, McLaughlin-Levrone now embraces a new role beyond the track as a mother.

The timing of the announcement adds another layer of significance. Just days earlier, Sydney reflected on the 10th anniversary of qualifying for her first Olympic Games at only 16 years old—a breakthrough that launched one of the most decorated careers in modern athletics. Ten years later, her journey has come full circle with another life-changing milestone, underscoring that her greatest moments continue to extend beyond sporting success.

The arrival of Savannah Michelle Levrone has been met with an outpouring of congratulations from athletes, fans, and the wider sporting community, who have celebrated the couple as they begin this new chapter together. As Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone steps into motherhood, the athletics world will undoubtedly continue to follow her inspiring journey—both on and off the track.

Ethiopia's Tsige Gebreselama produced one of the standout road running performances of the season on Sunday, storming to victory at the prestigious Boilermaker Road Race 15K in Utica, New York, with a sensational course record of 47:29.

From the opening kilometers, Gebreselama controlled the race with remarkable composure and precision, maintaining a relentless pace that ultimately erased the previous course record and secured one of the fastest performances ever recorded on the historic course. Her commanding display further reinforced her reputation as one of the world's leading road and distance runners.

The Ethiopian celebration continued as Melknat Wudu crossed the finish line in second place in 47:44, completing a dominant one-two finish for her country. Kenya's Priscah Cherono claimed third in 48:14 after a determined effort, rounding out a world-class podium in a race featuring some of the finest distance runners on the international circuit.

The battle behind the podium remained fiercely competitive. Kenya's Everlyn Kemboi finished fourth in 48:28, narrowly ahead of compatriot Selah Busienei, who clocked 48:31 for fifth. Ethiopia's Netsanet Desta and Alem Nigus Tsadik followed in sixth and seventh respectively, while Kenya's Mercy Cherono secured eighth place.

American athletes also delivered encouraging performances on home roads. Veteran Stephanie Bruce finished ninth in 50:40, with Jackie Gaughan completing the top ten in 51:02 to cap a strong showing for the host nation.

Boilermaker Road Race 15K – Women's Top 10 Results

1. Tsige Gebreselama (Ethiopia) – 47:29 (Course Record)

2. Melknat Wudu (Ethiopia) – 47:44

3. Priscah Cherono (Kenya) – 48:14

4. Everlyn Kemboi (Kenya) – 48:28

5. Selah Busienei (Kenya) – 48:31

6. Netsanet Desta (Ethiopia) – 48:46

7. Alem Nigus Tsadik (Ethiopia) – 48:48

8. Mercy Cherono (Kenya) – 50:23

9. Stephanie Bruce (United States) – 50:40

10. Jackie Gaughan (United States) – 51:02

The women's race combined exceptional depth with remarkable speed, as several athletes broke the 49-minute barrier in a contest that showcased the global strength of elite road running. Gebreselama's record-breaking run now stands as a new benchmark in the rich history of the Boilermaker 15K, adding another memorable chapter to one of the United States' most celebrated road races.

Kenya's Alex Matata delivered a sensational performance to claim the men's title at the prestigious Boilermaker Road Race 15K in Utica, New York, producing a dominant run that underlined his growing reputation as one of the world's finest road racers.

Matata surged to victory in an outstanding time of 42:24, mastering the demanding course with a display of strength, speed, and tactical brilliance. His commanding performance secured a memorable triumph in one of the United States' most celebrated road races, adding another significant international victory to his career.

Kenya's success was further highlighted by Kiprono Sitonik, who produced an equally impressive run to finish second in 42:53, completing a remarkable one-two finish for the East African nation. South Africa's Adam Lipschitz rounded out the podium after clocking 43:14 to claim third place following a determined effort.

The race featured a highly competitive international field, with American athletes Reid Buchanan and Hillary Bor finishing fourth and fifth respectively, while another Kenyan, Victor Shitsama, added to his country's strong showing by taking sixth place.

Matata's victory once again showcased Kenya's enduring strength in global road racing, as its athletes continued to dominate major international competitions through exceptional endurance, tactical awareness, and relentless finishing speed. His performance in Utica not only thrilled the spectators lining the streets but also reinforced the depth of Kenyan distance running on the world stage.

Men's Top 10 Results – Boilermaker Road Race 15K

1. Alex Matata (Kenya) – 42:24

2. Kiprono Sitonik (Kenya) – 42:53

3. Adam Lipschitz (South Africa) – 43:14

4. Reid Buchanan (United States) – 43:38

5. Hillary Bor (United States) – 43:40

6. Victor Shitsama (Kenya) – 44:02

7. Futsum Zienasellassie (United States) – 44:32

8. Charlie Sweeney (United States) – 44:37

9. Sam Lawler (United States) – 44:54

10. Tyler Berg (United States) – 45:08

With another major road racing title added to his résumé, Alex Matata continued his impressive 2026 campaign while reinforcing his status as one of the leading names on the international road racing circuit. The Boilermaker 15K once again delivered a high-quality contest, with athletes from across the globe producing memorable performances in one of the United States' most prestigious road races.

Eliud Kipchoge's remarkable World Tour continued on Brazilian soil as the Kenyan marathon icon completed the New Balance 42K Porto Alegre Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:18:39 to place 12th overall during the second stop of his ambitious seven-continent global running tour.

Competing against a strong international field, the two-time Olympic marathon champion displayed the resilience and determination that have defined his legendary career. While the result was not among the victories that have made him one of the greatest marathon runners in history, Kipchoge once again demonstrated the unwavering commitment that continues to inspire athletes and fans across the globe.

Morocco's Zineddine Ouria claimed victory in a superb 2:08:49, with Kipchoge finishing 9 minutes and 50 seconds behind the race winner after navigating the demanding course in Porto Alegre.

Kipchoge began the race with controlled and confident pacing, reaching 5km in 15:34 before passing the halfway mark in 1:05:07. As the race entered its decisive stages, the pace gradually slowed, but the veteran marathoner pressed on with characteristic determination, completing the 42.195-kilometre challenge in 2:18:39.

For many, the story will be told through the finishing position. But for those who truly understand greatness, this journey is about far more than medals, records, or podium finishes. Kipchoge's World Tour is a celebration of the sport itself—an opportunity to connect with runners across every continent, inspire the next generation, and continue living by the philosophy that has become synonymous with his career: "No Human Is Limited."

The Brazilian appearance also carried added significance, coming shortly after Kipchoge was permanently honoured in Porto Alegre with his footprints unveiled at the entrance of Parque Harmonia—a lasting tribute to his extraordinary impact on distance running and his enduring legacy in the sport.

Once a champion. Forever an inspiration. Legends do not stop inspiring when the victories become fewer; they inspire because they never stop showing up. Through every stride, every finish line, and every challenge embraced, Kipchoge continues to prove that true greatness is measured not only by what an athlete wins, but by the lives they touch along the way.

With the second stop of his World Tour now complete, Kipchoge will turn his attention to the next chapter of his global adventure when he lines up at the Melbourne Marathon in Australia this October. Wherever he races, millions will once again follow the journey of a man whose legacy extends far beyond the stopwatch.