The old 10% rule doesn’t hold up any more, unfortunately, if you are looking to increase your Weekly Mileage and aim for longer running races then don’t leave it to chance and continue reading.
In every Physiotherapy Clinic in the world, the injured runner presents with an increase in something…intensity, other types of exercise or mileage. It is so common for even the experienced runner to fall foul of increasing weekly mileage incorrectly.
A group from Denmark designed a study with 874 runners. Each runner used a GPS watch to measure their distances and this was recorded over a 1 year period. The researchers found that novice runners were more likely to sustain a long-distance running-related injury e.g. Patello Femoral Joint Pain or Tendinopathy if they increased their Weekly Mileage by more than 30%. Those who increased their Weekly Mileage by less than 10% were less likely to develop an injury.
Running Technique can also be an important part of staying pain-free and running regularly.
Take home message: Do not increase your Weekly Mileage by more than 30%, try less than 10% per week, it may save you a lot of frustration.
Reference:
Nielsen, et al., 2014. Excessive Progression in Weekly Running Distance and Risk of Running-Related Injuries: An Association Which Varies According to Type of Injury. Journal of Orthopaedics and Sports Physical Therapy.