Comments on: Science Wednesday: The 10 Percent Solution?

By: abram’s nickels » 10 Percent Rule

abram’s nickels » 10 Percent Rule — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:56:01 +0000

[...] should not increase their weekly mileage by more than 10 percent. Makes sense to me, but this Dutch study disputes the rule finding that people who trained according to the 10 percent and those who cranked [...]

By: Mom On The Run

Mom On The Run — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:56:37 +0000

Ummm… what’s a “standard 8-week training plan”?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:10:15 +0000

It is interesting, but i’d have to say I’m more like Blaine. I jump around a bit. I think that the 10% rule is pretty generic, and with most things related to exercise and the body, EVERY single person is different. Some can handle it and some can’t.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:19:35 +0000

The problem with the 10% rule is that some people see it as an absolute limit, while others see it as a goal. It shouldn’t really be either. For some people it might be too gradual, for others it might be too much. Depending on your current level of mileage, your past mileage peaks, and how much harder vs. easier running you do, you might find that a different rate of increase works for you.

Someone who has run 30 miles per week before can more easily jump up from 20 to 30 in one week without issue. For someone who has never run more than 20 miles per week, jumping up by 10% each week for several weeks might be too aggressive.

By: kch

kch — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:59:55 +0000

Thanks for pointing us to this interesting study. I agree with you that we shouldn’t draw any firm conclusions about this until the ’10% rule’ is tested more broadly under different circumstances, and like Blaine, I think it is a good guide, especially for novice runners that don’t know how their body will respond to increases in training.

Meanwhile, it points to the fact that we should take a broad view of our training, keeping in mind that we should make sure we have the proper shoes, don’t always run on hard surfaces, take rest when we need it, etc. to keep ourselves healthy and injury free.

By: Soozan

Soozan — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:34:46 +0000

I don’t stick to it either, but I bet I’d have better finish times if I did.

By: kara

kara — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:12:34 +0000

Interesting post.
In prep for a half-marathon, I increase my long runs by half a mile every couple of weeks…
Just playing it safe.
Worked for me last year – No injuries.

By: Blaine Moore (Run to Win)

Blaine Moore (Run to Win) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:30:40 +0000

I think that the 10% rule is nice as a guide, but I don’t personally stick to it. I will jump from nothing to a 20 or 30 mile week and think nothing of it, and after that I try to avoid jumping more than 5-10 miles per week and include cut back weeks every 3-5 weeks.

It works for me. I tend to keep myself in pretty good shape throughout the year, though, and am probably not what you would consider a “novice” runner.