Personalized Coaching Based On Your Running History

By: Karen Karnis

At Marathon Dynamics Inc., you can expect to receive individualized coaching that takes your whole life into account. After all, everyone is different, with different histories, lifestyles, abilities, and needs.  MDI President and head coach Kevin Smith says, “I wouldn’t say we take an entirely minimalist approach, but we try to get the best performance out of the mileage you’re doing first, before adding to your week.”  He adds, “There are 168 hours in a week, so we look at how many of those you want to use towards running, and try to get as much out of that available time as we can.”

This approach stems, in no small part, from Smith’s own experiences with rigid coaching. He was a competitive runner in school, but his coach took a one-size-fits-all approach that contributed to an injury that no one could quite figure out – so from the ages of 17 to about 21, he couldn’t run. During that time he did all kinds of things – joined a band, learned to juggle, took up inline skating – but the whole time, he says, “I was a runner who was not allowed to run.”

Ultimately, however, Smith feels that it may have been a blessing in disguise. He learned the perils of being too focussed on one thing, having all of his eggs in one basket, so to speak, and became a more well-rounded individual.  And, it was what inspired him to become a coach.  “I became a running professional rather than a professional runner,” he chuckles.

One of the big challenges they have at MDI, says Smith, is fighting the reputation they’ve developed for being a fast group of runners.  “It is not about absolute speed at MDI,” he says. “It’s all about relative improvement. Because so many of our clients are repeat clients, they see improvement season after season, so overall our clientele keeps getting quicker.”

Smith does coach several high-level athletes, including Mizuno Run Club’s own Michelle Clarke and surely his own running contributes to that reputation as well, since he has gone on to become an accomplished Masters runner. His recent racing highlights include a 1:13 at the 2012 Canadian Half Marathon Championships, making him 3^rd Master, as well as 6^th Master at the Yonge Street 10K with a 32:46.

But, he says, he is not all that removed from the experiences of his clients. Due to several injuries overtime, he has found himself starting again at square-one more times than he cares to remember.  “As exciting as it is to see someone get their time in the marathon down from 3:02 to 2:56, I get way more excited when I can work with someone to get a 5-hour marathon down to four,” says Smith. MDI coaches a range of runners, from those who are working hard to break 2:30 in a half marathon, to those working to break 2:40 for a marathon.

So when should you consider hiring a coach? Smith says that in general, people seek out a coach after they have a bit of running experience.  You may have started with a clinic but have done enough of them that you’ve gotten all you can out of them, or maybe you started on your own but aren’t sure what to do next.  Or perhaps you are an information junkie who has read all of the research and training books you could get your hands on, but you’re struggling with how to put it all together.

As a Mizuno athlete himself, Smith shares that in 2010 or 2011, as the research promoting faster cadence and a shorter stride was becoming more mainstream, he got a pair of Wave Elixirs and he hasn’t run in anything else since.  “They’re great,” he says. “They allow me to run with that quicker, lighter, more efficient stride, without all of the issues someone might encounter when trying to switch to barefoot running.”  He also says he must be pretty enthusiastic about his shoes, since a number of the runners in his workout groups have switched to Mizuno.

If you are considering hiring a coach, Smith says to look for someone who will work with you to keep running as a balanced part of your life.  “The greatest travesty is when someone decides running won’t work for them based on an injury, or being pushed too hard in the wrong direction or rushed towards goals that aren’t their own,” says Smith.

At MDI, they will simply put together a customized training plan for you if that’s all that you are looking for.  However, the full package includes the completely customized training plan, groups across the Greater Toronto Area who get together to do their hard workouts under the supervision of one of the coaches, and adjustments to the plan based on feedback from those workouts and changes in the client’s life and schedule.  This is the ideal, considering that in most cases, the training plans are adjusted several times. Clients may suddenly find themselves with a huge project at work and need to adjust their running accordingly, or they may find they are progressing faster than anticipated, meaning a need for more challenge in the plan.  MDI also does e-coaching for those who don’t live nearby.