I used to believe that progress came from doing more.

More miles.
More sessions.
More strength.

I was running six days a week and squeezing in one strength session wherever it would fit. Recovery wasn’t programmed, it was accidental. If I felt tired, I told myself to toughen up. If my legs were heavy, I assumed I just needed to push through. I thought that’s what disciplined athletes did. Then my body stopped me.

I tore my hip tendons. My SI joint flared up so badly that even basic movement felt uncomfortable. Running, the thing that structured my weeks and cleared my head, was suddenly gone. Eight long weeks followed. Rehab. Strength work under the watchful eye of a physio. A lot of uncomfortable honesty. A lot of research.

But the biggest lesson wasn’t found in a textbook. It was this: I hadn’t been listening.

The Rhythm I Ignored

As women, our bodies don’t operate on the same rhythm every single day. Some weeks I felt powerful, fast and explosive. Other weeks my legs felt flat, heavy, almost disconnected. And instead of adjusting, I forced the same intensity anyway.

I never factored in my cycle. I never considered that fatigue wasn’t weakness, it was information. I treated every week like it should look identical. My body was asking for variation. I gave it stubborn consistency.

Eventually, it pushed back.

How I Train Now

Now I train very differently.

• I run three times a week.
• I strength train twice a week.
• I add yoga or Pilates for mobility and control.

And if my body isn’t ready for another run, which absolutely happens at certain points in my cycle, I don’t panic. I don’t feel guilty. I don’t try to “make up” for it.

I cross-train. I get on the bike. I move, but I reduce the impact.

There are weeks where I feel unstoppable and I lean into that. I push harder. I lift heavier. I enjoy the speed. There are other weeks where recovery becomes the priority, more sleep, more mobility, more fuel, more patience. That shift changed everything.

Redefining Recovery

I started seeing recovery not as a break from training, but as part of training. Sleep became something I protected. Refuelling became intentional, especially after harder sessions. Hydration stopped being optional.

Ironically, doing less, but doing it smarter, made me stronger.

I’m more consistent now. Fewer setbacks. Fewer flare-ups. Mentally I’m calmer because I’m working with my body instead of constantly fighting it.

The Lesson I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

The injury forced me to slow down. But it also taught me something I wish I’d understood earlier: Rest isn’t the opposite of hard work. t’s what makes hard work work. And as a female athlete, learning to respect my body’s natural rhythm has been one of the biggest performance upgrades of all.

My Top Tips

1. Track your cycle, not just your miles
Your energy and recovery change throughout the month. Spot the patterns and plan around them instead of fighting them.

2. Adjust intensity without guilt
If your body feels flat or heavy, reduce impact or swap sessions. Adapting is intelligent training, not weakness.

3. Prioritise recovery like it’s a session
Protect your sleep. Refuel properly. Stay hydrated. Recovery isn’t time off, it’s performance investment.

4. Cross-train to stay consistent
Cycling, strength work, yoga or Pilates can maintain fitness while reducing stress on your joints and tendons.

5. Focus on long-term consistency over short-term effort
The goal isn’t to win one week of training. It’s to stay strong, injury-free and progressing month after month.