RPE Explained: How Hard Should a Run Feel?

Open almost any running plan and you will see instructions like 'easy run, RPE 3 to 4' or 'tempo at RPE 7'. If nobody has explained what that means, it reads like code. It is actually the simplest tool in running: a way of scoring how hard you are working, using nothing but your own breathing and legs.

This guide explains the scale, shows what each number feels like, and maps it to every type of run you are likely to meet in a beginner plan.

What is RPE?

RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion. It is a score you give your own effort, based on how hard you are breathing, how your legs feel and how long you think you could keep going. The idea goes back to the Swedish researcher Gunnar Borg, whose original scale ran from 6 to 20. Most running plans now use a simpler 1 to 10 version, which is the one in this guide.

The point is that effort is what your body actually responds to. Your legs do not know what pace is on your watch. They only know how hard they are working. A hilly, windy 5K in January and a flat 5K on a calm spring morning can be the same effort at very different speeds, and RPE treats them as the same session.

What does each number on the scale feel like?

You do not need to tell a 5 from a 6 with any precision. Think of the scale as six bands, each with its own breathing pattern.

Coaches draw the lines slightly differently, so treat these as ranges, not exact scores. What matters is that your 4 feels clearly easier than your 7, and that you are honest about both.

How does the talk test fit in?

The talk test is RPE with the numbers taken out. The NHS uses the same idea in its activity guidance for adults: at moderate intensity you can still talk but not sing, and at vigorous intensity you cannot say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

For runners it works like this. If you can hold a conversation in full sentences, you are running easy. If you can manage a short sentence and then need a breath, you are at a steady effort. If you can only get out a few words, you are working hard.

Running alone? Say a sentence or two out loud. It feels odd for about three seconds, and it tells you more than a glance at your wrist. If you run out of air before the end of the sentence, you are going harder than easy.

Which RPE should each type of run be?

Here is how the scale maps to the sessions you will see in most beginner plans.

Notice how much of that table sits at 3 to 4. Many coaches suggest keeping roughly four in every five runs easy, with hard efforts saved for one or two sessions a week. Beginners often do the opposite and run everything at a 6 or 7. That middle effort is too hard to recover from quickly and not hard enough to count as a proper hard session.

RPE vs heart rate vs pace: which should you trust?

Each one measures something different, and each has a blind spot.

Pace is an output. It shows what you produced, not what it cost you. Heart rate is your body's response, and it is useful, but it can lag behind in short efforts and tends to drift upwards on long or warm runs even when your effort stays the same. Wrist sensors can also be less accurate than chest straps during exercise, so a strange reading is not always a verdict on your fitness.

RPE takes all of that into account, because it is your whole body reporting in. A sensible rule for beginners: let effort set the session, then use heart rate and pace as a check afterwards. If your watch says the pace was slow but the effort was a true 3 to 4, the run did its job.

How do you get better at judging effort?

Judging effort is a skill, and like any skill it improves with practice. Most people find their scores settle down within a few weeks.

• Score every run. Give it a number out of 10 within a few minutes of finishing and note it in your training log.
• Check your breathing first. It is usually the clearest signal. Legs can feel heavy at any speed when you are tired.
• Use the talk test mid-run. Say a sentence out loud every ten minutes or so on easy days.
• Look at your watch afterwards, not during. Switch to a screen that hides pace for an easy run, then compare the data with your score once you are home.
• Learn what the top end feels like. A hard parkrun or a tough final rep shows you what a 9 is, which makes a 4 much easier to recognise.

When does RPE let you down?

Effort is personal, which is both its strength and its weakness. A few things can skew your score.

• Fresh legs. The first kilometre of any run or race feels easier than it really is. Give it ten minutes before you judge.
• Good company. Music, a group or a race-day crowd can make a 7 feel like a 5. Use the talk test to check.
• Tired days. After poor sleep or a long day, your usual easy pace can feel like a 6. That is useful information. Slow down and keep the effort where it should be.
• Ego. The most common mistake is calling a 6 a 4 because the plan said easy. If you could not have held a conversation, it was not easy.

If a run feels far harder than usual for no clear reason, or you feel dizzy or unwell, stop and rest. Do not push through to hit a number.

Does RPE work if you lift or do HIIT as well?

Yes, and this is where it earns its keep. If you did a heavy leg session yesterday, today's easy run will feel harder at your usual pace. Pace says you are having a bad day. RPE says hold the effort at 3 to 4 and accept whatever speed comes with it. A simple mixed week might look like this.

• Monday: strength session.
• Tuesday: easy run at RPE 3 to 4.
• Thursday: intervals or a short HIIT session, with the hard parts at RPE 8 to 9.
• Friday: strength session.
• Sunday: long run at RPE 3 to 4.

One hard day, two easy runs, two strength sessions and two rest days. The effort scores keep the easy days easy enough that the hard day can be properly hard.

Where does Edge fit in?

Edge is a free fitness app that treats running, strength and HIIT as one plan, not three separate ones. With Edge Pro, from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial, you get a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready in 15 minutes, and a real coach to message anytime. So when you are not sure whether an easy run felt too hard, you can simply ask.

Edge syncs with Strava, Garmin, Apple Health and Coros, so runs come across from the watch you already wear. 20,000+ members already train with it.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.