Runner’s World reports by quantifying how hard workouts make you feel can help you push past the psychological barriers that may be slowing you down.

Runner’s World spoke to Polly de Mille RN, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USAT, director of sports performance at HSS, about the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), a subjective assessment of how physically and mentally difficult an exercise is for you based on a scale ranging from 0-10 (0 being no exertion and 10 being the highest level of exertion). RPE gives runners a way to track their performance while considering other variables that affect performance. “RPE clues you into your body’s actual response to what you’re doing,” explained de Mille. “By training with RPE in mind, it extends your ability to withstand that hard effort,” said de Mille.

Read the article at Runnersworld.com.