How much can I increase my training before I risk an overuse injury?

Most overuse running and cycling injuries (IT band syndrome, patellofemoral pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy) stem from a mismatch between training demands and the body's capacity to adapt, rather than from a single traumatic event. A commonly cited guideline is to avoid increasing weekly training volume by more than roughly 10% at a time, though individual tolerance varies with prior training history, biomechanics, and recovery.

Research consistently links sudden increases in training load — mileage, intensity, or frequency — to elevated injury risk in runners and cyclists, more so than any single "correct" weekly mileage number.

Dr. Tortland sees this pattern often in active patients in the Farmington Valley: an injury that seems to "come out of nowhere" almost always traces back to a training change — a new season, a race buildup, a new bike fit — in the weeks beforehand. Identifying that change is often more useful than treating the symptom in isolation.