My post-race training seems very heavy. Why?

It’s not uncommon to feel your initial post-race plan in TrainAsONE seems a bit ambitious. Here’s why that can happen and how to manage it:

• A rest period, then normal planning: TrainAsONE sets aside a number of rest days after your race, shown in your calendar as post-race rest days. After those, the days follow the same AI model as your regular training — there is no dedicated “post-race block” beyond the rest period.

• Where the number comes from: the race’s ‘Post race rest days’ value, or your Post race rest days profile default when the race does not set a value. An explicit 0 means you have asked for no rest days.

• The challenge of post-race recovery: predicting how quickly someone will be ready to train hard again is very complex. It varies hugely from person to person, depending on physical recovery, how tough the race was, and individual motivation — many runners take a complete break. Because of this, even a well-chosen number of rest days can feel optimistic, especially after longer endurance races.

• Your body knows best: this is an area we are very keen to research and improve. In the meantime, the most important thing is to listen to your body and mind. Feel free to drop, shorten, or ease up on runs until you feel genuinely ready to train fully again — and see What is a post-race rest day and how do I change it? for how to return early or extend your rest.

• A note on perception: some users who have decided to follow their post-race plan have been surprised at how well they coped, which shows that our expectations and motivation can influence how we perceive the plan. However, this doesn’t override the need to be sensible and prioritise your recovery.

We are committed to enhancing how TrainAsONE handles post-race recovery in the future. For now, please prioritise your well-being and adjust the plan as needed.