Understanding Training Load: How to Avoid Overtraining and Burnout

Training harder doesn’t always mean training smarter. If you’re chasing performance goals, it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing more — more miles, more intensity, more racing — until your body starts to break down. That’s the tipping point where smart training becomes overtraining, and burnout or injury steps in.

But there’s a better way: understanding your training load and how to balance it.

What Is Training Load, Really?

Training load is the combination of intensity, volume, and frequency of your running. It’s not just how many miles you’re logging — it’s how fast, how often, and how your body is handling it. When these variables shift too quickly — especially without adequate recovery — the risk of injury and fatigue spikes.

A recent study confirmed what most experienced runners already know: sudden increases in volume, speed, or frequency are a key factor in running-related injuries (RRIs), particularly among new runners or those returning after time off (Deering et al., 2024)​.

What Runners Often Miss

Even experienced runners can get caught in the “more is better” mindset. But injury risk is about more than just metrics. It’s about how your body is responding. In a qualitative study, runners who experienced injuries often pointed to internal pressures (like personal goals) and external ones (like watch stats or peer comparison) that led them to ignore early warning signs of overload (Thornton et al., 2022)​.

They also emphasized the importance of self-awareness. Knowing when to pull back — and having the patience to do it — was seen as a critical skill in injury prevention. One runner summed it up: “You’re the only one who knows how your body feels.”

What the Science Says About Monitoring Load

Monitoring training load can be done using external measures (pace, heart rate, distance) and internal ones (fatigue, muscle soreness, HRV). A 2025 study found that heart rate variability (HRV), particularly the DFA-a1 index, can indicate systemic fatigue — especially when measured before a workout. When HRV patterns shift, it may signal a need to modify or postpone a hard session (Van Hooren et al., 2025)​.

This kind of objective feedback is becoming increasingly valuable, especially when paired with your own perception of how you're feeling day to day.

RUNsource: Your Guide to Smarter Training

RUNsource has videos on training load, overtraining, and injury prevention, along with resources to help you tune into your body and adjust your plan as needed. Whether you're following a structured plan or building your own, RUNsource helps you avoid the common traps — like going too hard, too often, or skipping recovery because your app says you're behind.

We’re not just about tracking. We’re about translating what your body and your data are telling you into smarter decisions.

Train Hard, Recover Harder

The best runners aren’t the ones who train the most — they’re the ones who train consistently and recover deliberately. That means knowing when to push and when to pull back. Pay attention to the signals. Respect your recovery. And use your tools — like RUNsource — to train with purpose, not pressure.

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References

1. Deering RE, Arnold C, Caswell S, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for running load progression in novice and postpartum runners. Br J Sports Med. 2024;58:183–195. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107490​.

2. Thornton JS, et al. Going their own way – male recreational runners and running-related injuries: A qualitative thematic analysis. PLOS One. 2022;17(8):e0273401. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0273401​.

3. Van Hooren B, Mennen B, Gronwald T, et al. Correlation properties of heart rate variability to assess the first ventilatory threshold and fatigue in runners. J Sports Sci. 2025;43(2):125–134. doi:10.1080/02640414.2023.2277034​.