Why the 10% Rule Doesn’t Work — And How I Keep My Athletes Injury Free

A new client recently asked me how I’d build them up for their marathon in January 2026. Specifically, they brought up the “10% Rule.”

If you’re not familiar, the 10% Rule is the idea that you should never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% to avoid injury. On the surface, it sounds reasonable — even smart. But if you’ve ever trained with me or heard me talk about coaching, you know where this is going:

We are all different, and we need different inputs to reach our individual goals.
So my take? The 10% Rule completely misses the mark.

In fact, a recent study** of over 5,200 runners — with 22% female participants and an average age of 45.8 years — showed that even small mileage spikes can significantly increase injury risk. A 10–30% jump led to a 64% increase in injuries, while spikes of 30–100% led to a 52% increase (yes, slightly lower — welcome to the messiness of human data). And jumps of more than 100% in a single session? That was linked to a 128% increase in injury risk.

It’s clear: arbitrary mileage bumps, even small ones, can be risky if they don’t match your current training load, history, and recovery capacity.


One Size Never Fits All

Let me give you an example. I worked with an athlete last year who’d been running marathons for years using a free online plan. The plan followed a simple progressive mileage model — likely influenced by the 10% Rule. But despite being consistent, they were constantly dealing with overuse injuries.

When they came to me, our priority was to train smarter — not just harder. We built their plan around them — their history, strengths, schedule, and feedback. Fast forward: they not only stayed healthy, but they ran a PR at the California International Marathon and qualified for Boston.

So, why doesn’t the 10% Rule work?


It Ignores Individual Variability

No two athletes are the same. Some adapt quickly to higher mileage, while others need more time. Sticking to a strict 10% increase could either:

Hold someone back unnecessarily, or push someone into injury territory. Your training should reflect your unique physiology, history, and recovery ability — not a cookie-cutter formula.


It Doesn’t Account for Life

Mileage isn’t the only stress your body is handling. What about: Sleep (or lack of it)? Work deadlines? Family stuff? Weather? Terrain?

If you increase your mileage by 10% and add an extra speed session and only sleep 4 hours a night… that 10% just became a lot more than your body can realistically absorb. Context matters. Always.


It Discourages Intuitive Training

Blindly following a plan can train you to ignore your body’s signals.

Another athlete came to me training for their first 50K. They were terrified they wouldn’t finish, so they stuck religiously to an online plan based on — you guessed it — the 10% Rule. When their body started sending warning signs (fatigue, soreness, nagging pain), they kept pushing through.

The result? Injuries and water jogging as their only cardio for the last month.

Soreness, pain, fatigue — that’s feedback. You need to pay attention to it, not override it.


Progress Isn’t Linear

Your fitness doesn’t go up in a straight line. It’s more like a squiggly one: progress, plateaus, setbacks, breakthroughs. Some weeks you’ll feel unstoppable. Others, you’ll feel like a slug. That’s normal.

If you expect to increase every single week, you’re setting yourself up for frustration — or worse, burnout.


Long-Term, It’s Just Not Sustainable

Even over a 12-week training cycle, a consistent 10% increase (with deloads) leads to a 135% jump in mileage. That’s a lot.

Unless you’re starting at very low mileage, most runners simply can’t — and shouldn’t — handle that kind of build. Eventually, the math just doesn’t add up to sustainable, injury-free training.


So What Does Work?

My approach with athletes is based on adaptation, not arbitrary rules. Here’s the framework:

Keep mileage steady for three weeks.
Deload for one week.
If those three weeks felt strong and manageable: bump up mileage — a good starting point is 10%, and sometimes by a bit more than 10%.
If they felt anything other than great for those three weeks: a smaller increase (5%) — or maybe none.
If signs of fatigue or overuse show up: we don’t increase, and we might even back things down.

This model respects the body’s natural rhythms and allows time for adaptation. It’s sustainable, personalized, and — most importantly — it works.


Run Your Race

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s this: training isn’t about following rigid rules — it’s about learning to listen to your body. The 10% Rule is a fine starting point for beginners, but it falls apart quickly for real-world athletes with real-world lives.

So ditch the rigidity. Tune into your body. Trust the process. And train like the unique human you are.

If you’re getting ready for an endurance event — don’t wait until the last month to reach out. The earlier we start, the better we can understand how your body responds and get you to the start line strong, healthy, and ready to crush it.

Let’s build you up — the right way.

**https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/07/bjsports-2024-109380

How much running is too much? Identifying high-risk running sessions in a 5200-person cohort study

 

The Power of Consistency: Training Smarter After 40

 At some point after 40, many of us discover that training doesn’t feel quite like it used to. Maybe recovery takes longer. Maybe life feels fuller—more responsibilities, less time. But for female endurance athletes (and the men training alongside them), one truth becomes increasingly clear: consistency matters more than ever.

It’s no longer about pushing harder—it’s about showing up, again and again. Consistency is what builds long-term strength and durability. It helps you stay injury-free, maintain your motivation, and keep moving toward your goals, even when life pulls at you from every direction. It’s the quiet, steady force that carries you across the finish line—not just of races, but of decades of active living.

And yet, staying consistent can feel anything but easy.

This post is important to me because, over the past six months, I’ve fallen off my regular training schedule—and it’s been a fight to get back into a routine that feels good. I want to share why consistency becomes even more critical after 40, what tends to get in the way, and—most importantly—how to create a routine that supports your athletic life now and into the years ahead.

As I discussed in my last blog, Over 40 and Feeling Sore, there are real hurdles that come with this phase of life—especially for women. Hormone levels don’t just dip; they plunge. While men experience a gradual hormonal decline over several decades, women often fall off a cliff. And these shifting hormones impact everything from energy and sleep to recovery and mood.

Remember when you could take a month off training in your 20s or 30s, then jump right back in without much issue? Try that now, and your body might rebel. Injury risk skyrockets. Recovery drags. That “quick restart” might take weeks—or months—just to undo.

For me, the tipping point was menopause. My perimenopause experience wasn’t terrible—I had hot flashes, poor sleep, and some brain fog—but once I crossed that 12-month mark, everything intensified. Symptoms hit harder. Sleep quality tanked. Fatigue took over. Meanwhile, my business was growing rapidly, and I wasn’t managing my time well. Training took a backseat.

That break from exercise led to a downward spiral—body pain, stiffness, a rising resting heart rate, falling HRV (heart rate variability), and a noticeable dip in my general sense of well-being. And yet, I knew the antidote wasn’t intensity. It was consistency.

Why Consistency Beats Intensity After 40

When you're over 40, it's tempting to think you can "make up" for lost time with a few hard sessions. But the truth is, intensity without consistency is a fast track to burnout, injury, or complete derailment. At this stage in life, our bodies simply don’t bounce back the way they used to—and that’s not a sign of weakness. It’s biology.

Consistency builds resilience. Training regularly—even if the sessions are shorter or less intense—keeps your body in a rhythm. Your joints stay lubricated, muscles stay engaged, and cardiovascular fitness stays within reach. It's like tending a garden—pull a few weeds every day, and your plants thrive. Ignore it for a week, and suddenly the jungle fights back.

Intensity demands recovery—and that recovery takes longer now. A tough interval session or long run can leave you wiped for days if your hormonal and nervous systems are already under strain. Cortisol, our stress hormone, tends to stay elevated longer as we age, especially in women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Add in poor sleep, emotional stress, and life obligations, and your body simply doesn’t process stress the same way it once did.

What’s sustainable is what works. The workouts that “count” are the ones you can keep doing—week after week, month after month. The more consistent you are, the more your body adapts gradually and positively. And that adaptation leads to real progress: stronger muscles, better mobility, more energy, and fewer setbacks.

I used to chase intensity as my way of feeling “fit.” If I wasn’t pouring sweat or collapsing at the end of a workout, I felt like I hadn’t done enough. But now I’ve seen the toll that takes—and I’ve learned that slow, steady progress feels better, lasts longer, and gets me back to a place where I can enjoy training again.

Remember: What matters is not perfection—it’s compassion. Give yourself grace. Recognize the place you’re in. And know that consistency isn’t about never missing a day. It’s about learning to return to yourself, again and again, even when it’s hard.

My 4 Tips for Staying Consistent

Consistency doesn’t happen by accident—it’s something you create. And like any long-term habit, it’s built with intention, flexibility, and the right tools for where you are now, not where you used to be.

1. Schedule workouts like appointments.
Treat your training time the same way you would a meeting with a client or a doctor’s visit—it’s a non-negotiable. Put it on your calendar, and try to protect that time from other obligations. You don’t need hours; even 20-30 minutes counts. The key is showing up regularly, not perfectly.

2. Lean into routines and rituals.
Habits thrive on cues. Whether it’s putting on your workout clothes right after your morning coffee, taking a short walk before dinner, or stretching while your afternoon tea brews, routines reduce decision fatigue. The more automatic it feels, the less energy you waste talking yourself into or out of it.

3. Find your community—or create one.
Consistency is easier when you’re not doing it alone. That could mean a running buddy, a local training group, or even a text thread with like-minded friends. Accountability doesn’t have to be formal—it just has to keep you connected and supported. Sharing struggles and celebrating wins together can keep the spark alive when motivation dips.

4. Adjust your expectations.
This might be the most powerful shift of all. Progress doesn’t mean smashing PRs or training 6 days a week. It means showing up, listening to your body, and stacking small wins. Let go of “all or nothing” thinking, it’s exhausting and not helpful. Sometimes, your best workout is the one you almost skipped.

Consistency isn’t built on motivation—it’s built on systems, support, and self-compassion. The more you tailor your tools to your real life, the more consistent and enjoyable your training will become.

Progress, Not Perfection

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s this: you don’t need to be perfect—just present. Consistency after 40 isn’t about flawless streaks or intense schedules. It’s about returning to yourself, again and again, in the midst of everything else life brings.

There will be missed workouts, off days, and stretches where it feels harder than it should. That’s normal. What matters most is that you keep showing up—in whatever way you can.

You are still an athlete. You are still capable. And the effort you put in today, even if it feels small, is building the foundation for years of strength, energy, and confidence to come.

Show up for yourself. Your future self will thank you.