Jun 15

There is a discrepancy between my Workout Adherence and the Distance Adherence. Why?

Category: FAQs

This is not an uncommon discrepancy to notice. For example, your Workout Adherence might be 101%, but the Distance Adherence is 96%, and you (rightly) question “if I ran slightly more than planned, how come the distance score is less?”. The reason is down to the difference in the how the scores are calculated (and some mathematics – not that we’ll discuss this in detail!).

Distance Adherence is a simple calculation of total performed distance vs planned distance, expressed as the simple fractional percentage.

However, the overall Workout Adherence, is a ‘second by second’ comparison of performed vs planned velocity (the phase ‘second by second’ is used, but the time slice used depends on certain factors). This is then further complicated by factors such as paces not being symmetrically scored. This is on two fronts: 1. the system works in velocity, i.e. metres per second; and 2. larger discrepancies are scored progressively more negatively than smaller ones. To illustrate the first point above. If I am planned to run at 5:30 min/km but run at 5:00 min/km (ie. 30 seconds faster), that is +9.9%, but if I ran a corresponding 30 seconds slower (at 6:00 min/km) that is -9.2%. A difference of 0.7%, and all these small differences over the course of a run add up.

About The Author

Dr. Sean Radford, the Founder & CEO of TrainAsONE, is a medical doctor, IT expert, coach and podium finisher in international endurance events. He has dedicated more than 20 years to the research of health, fitness and social well-being of the general population. He has been developing Artificially Intelligent (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools to help tackle some of the world’s leading health issues. Dr Radford is a Tech Ambassador for the UK, considered a leading expert in his field, and is a regular speaker at key events, as well as an author of numerous research publications.