BEST FEET FORWARD

Our team is off to a great start with coach Richard Coates’ training plans and a gait analysis courtesy of ASICS

BEST FEET FORWARD

Our team is off to a great start with coach Richard Coates’ training plans and a gait analysis courtesy of ASICS

PHOTOS: EDDIE MACDONALD / JOSH PUTTOCK

Our Big Marathon Challenge team met for the first time just before Christmas and coach Richard Coates put them straight onto their individual training plans, ready to hit their marathon goals in spring.

But first there was the annual obstacle that is the Christmas break to deal with. We caught up with the team in week five of their training, when they met up with Richard for a track session and visited the ASICS Store in Canary Wharf, London, to go through the Foot ID process and determine which shoe they should be training in for the next few months.

Although the team members are currently enjoying sponsored athlete status, this bespoke service is available to all runners – anyone can go to one of ASICS’ stores to have their gait analysed and shoes fitted in the same way. Canary Wharf store manager Saul Sadek explains: “If a customer is unaware of their running gait, we introduce the Foot ID. From measuring the degree of overpronation, we put them into a neutral shoe if they have a neutral gait, or a support shoe if they’re overpronating, then we put them onto the treadmill again and see the difference.”

Each Big Marathon Challenge team member in turn was taken through the process: running on the treadmill with special stripped down shoes and being filmed, while a trained staff member analyses the video. This means staff can then give runners suitable shoes to correct any issues in their gait, and can advise on sizing. “Many people are surprised to find their running shoe size is not the same as their everyday shoe size,” says Sadek. Team member Alice was one such runner, when she found out she should be running in a size seven. Find out more about the process at asics.com/gb/en-gb/foot-id.

KATIE HAINBACH

Age 29

From Essex (originally Dublin)

Big Marathon Challenge To run her first marathon to raise £2,000 for the Stroke Association and awareness of how running can help mental health

Day job Musician and teacher

Katie began running in spring 2016 as part of a drive to improve her physical and mental wellbeing, having suffered from depression and anxiety. Now, she’s lost two stone and discovered a love of running. Her marathon motivation is strengthened by running for a good cause: she aims to raise £2,000 for the Stroke Association because her aunt suffered a stroke aged just 57.

How’s your training going?

It’s going pretty well, I like the plan and Richard’s been really flexible when there have been weeks where I’ve been doing different things on different days.

You’ve invested in a Garmin to help you – tell us about that…

I ordered it in the January sale and it’s been amazing. It’s really motivating to see the stats and, when you’re running, to stop you being lazy, because you can see when you’re slowing down. Because Richard is on my Garmin Connect [group] I can’t cheat – I can’t say I’ve done something when I haven’t done it because he can literally see everything that I’m doing.

How did the Christmas period affect you?

Usually Christmas is such an excuse to veg out and eat and do nothing, and I definitely did veg out and eat loads, it’s hard not to, but it was kind of nice to have the excuse to get out [to run]. At that time of year, you can get a bit overwhelmed with not having stuff on, so it was nice to have the training plan. I was a little sick between Christmas and New Year, I had quite a bad cold, and I’m quite stubborn so I still went out and tried to do my training. I went for an interval run but my body was like, “You’re not running fast today!” so it ended up being a bit of a plod. But these things happen!