What the plan expected and what you gave: your effort after a session
You ran an easy twenty-minute endurance run. On the review sheet the slider already sits on a number, marked "suggested", with what your plan expected for that session below it. Which number do you give, and what happens with it afterwards?
In short
- If your session is linked to your plan, the suggestion starts at the expected effort.
- How hard it felt, only you know.
- If you regularly give your easy endurance runs a step more than your plan expected, the expected effort in your plan adapts over the weeks to how you experience effort.
- A rating above the expectation is not a mistake.
1.Two numbers on the review sheet
The first number is on the slider: a suggestion for how hard your session was, on a scale of 1 to 10, with a word next to it. If your activity is linked to a session from your plan, a second line below it shows the expected effort. That is the same number as on your training card.
If the two are equal, you see a single line ending in "same as the plan". If you move the slider yourself, your plan’s expectation stays in view, so you see your own rating next to it.
For a standalone activity without a session from your plan, only the suggestion is there. For a short walk there is no number under the slider, and you choose yourself.
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| Linked to a session from your plan | The suggestion and the expected effort |
| Suggestion equal to your plan | One line ending in "same as the plan" |
| Standalone, without a session from your plan | Only the suggestion |
| A short walk | No number; you choose yourself |
2.What the suggestion rests on
If your session is linked to your plan, the suggestion starts at the expected effort. That number already allowed for the planned duration. If you ran shorter or longer than planned, the suggestion moves a step: stop a planned hour-long run after twenty minutes and you get a lighter suggestion.
Then your heart rate counts. If you ran an easy session truly easy, with nearly all your time in the low zones, the suggestion stays low and can land below the expectation. That number then says your session was easier than your plan expected.
3.Why only your own rating counts
The suggestion is an estimate from your plan and your session. How hard it felt, only you know. That is why only a rating you choose yourself counts as your judgement. If you leave the suggestion as it is, your session is saved with that suggestion, and it does not count towards how your plan reads your ratings.
If you regularly give your easy endurance runs a step more than your plan expected, the expected effort in your plan adapts over the weeks to how you experience effort. Your training card then shows a number that fits you, not an average runner.
4.When it felt harder than planned
A rating above the expectation is not a mistake. It says something about that day: a short night, heat, a busy week or a session you did fasted. Give the rating that is true, even if it is higher than the suggestion.
If your last two quality sessions in a sport were both fasted, and both felt harder than your plan expected, your next quality session carries one line about eating beforehand. What fasting does to your heart rate is in the article on fasted running.
Frequently asked questions
Should I accept the suggestion?
No. It is a starting point on the slider. Choose the rating that fits how the session felt, even if it differs from the suggestion or from your plan.
Why does the suggestion differ from the expected effort?
The suggestion rests on your plan and on the session itself: how long you went and what your heart rate showed. If you ran shorter than planned, or your heart rate stayed low, the suggestion comes out lower.
What is the difference between effort and load?
Load comes from your duration and intensity, measured by your watch or bike computer. Effort is your judgement. After a short night the same load can feel harder, and only your rating says so.
What if I give no rating?
Your activity is still saved and counts towards your load. Only your judgement of how hard it felt is missing.
In the app
Further reading
Fasted running: what your own heart rate says about it
Running fasted often lifts your heart rate at the same pace. Read what happens in your body and how Trimetra sets your fasted sessions next to your fed ones.
Why a 8.7 km tempo run counts as 10 km
Your tendons count landings and how hard they are, not just distance. Read why a fast or climbing kilometre weighs more than an easy one, and what your plan does with that.
Trimetra sets your own rating next to what your plan expected, so the expected effort on your training card comes to look more like yours over the weeks.