s5/e21 Training Load: Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right? with Coach Elisabeth | The Running Explained Podcast

In this episode of the Running Explained podcast, Coach Elisabeth breaks down the science of training load and how understanding it can significantly improve running performance and reduce injury risk. She explores the differences between acute and chronic training loads, highlights the importance of using tools like TRIMP (Training Impulse) and heart rate variability to monitor recovery, and emphasizes the role of progressive overload in building fitness. Coach Elisabeth also discusses how wearable technology like COROS can be a valuable tool for tracking training load metrics, providing runners with real-time data to make informed decisions about their training and recovery. This episode offers a deep dive into how runners can personalize and optimize their training plans for long-term success.

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What You’ll Learn:

• What training load actually means (and what it doesn’t)

• How to avoid the dangers of "too much too soon" (even if your mileage says you should be OK)

• Why intensity (and training intensity distribution) is more important than distance alone

• How the acute:chronic ratio of your training load tells you when you’re on the onramp to the highway to the danger zone

• What the 10% “rule” misses (and why it’s not always that simple!)

• The difference between “I ran 10 miles!” and “I worked HARD for 10 miles!”

• Tools like TRIMP, TSS, and HRV: what they tell you and how I use them

• The deets on my own quick & dirty training load spreadsheet before I had fancy tools

• Why managing training load is especially important for self-coached runners!!

Sound Bites:

• “Training load is the cumulative stress placed on your body by your training. Not just if you're running, but all the other things that you do: lifting, cross training, the other things that you take part in during the week from an exercise capacity or from an activities capacity standpoint. So this is quantified by looking at intensity, duration and frequency.” 

• “There's a lot of individualization that comes down to the personal level for when we're training; not just how much we run, but the types of workouts that we do, how frequently we run, when we take our down weeks, how we structure our training throughout the year, how much we can handle in general, what our preferences are.”  

• “The goal of training is to increase your capacity to do more, to handle more, to run more, run faster, run farther, all the things. And by specifically managing your training load, that's how you slowly increase your capacity over time.”

• “T-R-I-M-P, training impulse....this was a way of quantifying load. How long you are working and how hard you're working with using heart rate data into a number that represents the stress of that workout."

• "You shouldn't let your devices tell you how you feel. They're tools. So you have to keep some subjectivity in this. It's easy to say, well, I'm a data-driven runner. I'll just let the numbers do the talking for me. You're not a machine, though. You're not, you have to consider the fact that you're a human being, and most of this is, our entire experience, is subjective."

• "Your heart rate variability range can be very different from somebody else's and have it still be completely normal for you. Same with, like I said, heart rate zones, maximum heart rate. Those things, you literally cannot compare them to another person."

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction and RE Updates

• 06:00 What is Training Load?

• 15:33 Acute vs Chronic Training Load

• 21:04 Training Load Management

• 26:00 Avoiding Injury and Burnout

• 29:03 Measuring Training Impulse (TRIMP)

• 35:54 Training Intensity Distribution

• 45:04 Heart Rate Variability

• 54:12 How to Make Good Training Decisions

• 01:03:41 Prioritizing Recovery

• 01:08:04 Connecting Metrics with Personal Experience

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About Your Host

Elisabeth Scott is a running coach, educator, and the founder of Running Explained, where she helps runners train smarter, run stronger, and enjoy the process. After getting sober at 29, she laced up her running shoes with the goal of finishing a 5K—and never looked back. Since then, she’s gone on to complete multiple races, including marathons with a Boston Qualifying time, all while deepening her expertise in endurance training.

With a science-based approach, Coach Elisabeth is passionate about making complex running concepts accessible and actionable for runners of all levels. Her coaching philosophy centers on building a strong aerobic base, improving running efficiency, and developing a whole-human approach to training that prioritizes consistency, injury prevention, and sustainable progress.

Through Running Explained, Elisabeth offers training plans, online courses, and 1:1 coaching designed to help runners achieve their goals while avoiding the common pitfalls of overtraining, under-fueling, and burnout. Whether you’re training for your first half marathon or chasing a new PR, her guidance will help you train smarter, race stronger, and love the journey.

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