Running the Numbers: High Metabolic Load Distance as an Alternative to Traditional External Load Metrics in Elite Women's Football

This study examined the relationship between High Metabolic Load Distance (HMLD) and both session RPE (sRPE) and athlete wellness in women's football and compared it with traditional load monitoring metrics. An observational design was used to collect data from one elite women's football team during training and games in the 2024/25 A‐League W season. Twenty‐four athletes wore global positioning devices to capture external load metrics, including total distance (TD), high‐speed running distance (HSRD) and HMLD. Session RPE and daily wellness were collected through online questionnaires. Generalised additive models were used to examine non‐linear relationships between external load, subsequent days' wellness and RPE, and relationships between morning wellness and same‐day external load. Higher load was associated with increased sRPE, and poorer next‐day wellness, with effects diminishing within two to 3 days post‐session. Across all outcomes, HMLD demonstrated stronger and more consistent relationships than TD and HSRD, explaining a greater proportion of variance in wellness and sRPE. Same‐day wellness was associated with differences in distances, with higher motivation and lower fatigue corresponding to higher HMLD. HMLD demonstrated comparatively stronger associations with immediate perceived exertion and short‐term athlete reported wellness than traditional distance‐based metrics in this cohort. These findings support the application of HMLD as a practical and sensitive measure to inform training decision‐making in elite women's football.