Active / WellnessA Step in the Direction

A Step in the Direction

Whether you’re new to running and fitness or a seasoned pro with years of experience having the right wheels can make a monumental difference to both your levels of enjoyment and your technique.

But it isn’t as simple as just choosing the newest, coolest model available you need to make sure that you choose the best trainers for you and much of that comes down to your DNA, who knew?!  That’s right you are born with your running style or your gait, and it’s often inherited from your folks. So how do you choose the right trainers, a pair that will help you rack up the miles without the agony that many people associate with pounding the pavements.

Well having your Gait analysis done is an excellent start. Sadly we’re not all born perfect. Some of us need a little bit of help, glasses, braces, you name it. And gait analysis is the runners equivalent of a visit to the dentist.

We popped along to speak to Steve Arthurs, owner of Graeme Le Maistre on Bath Street, to check out his Templo+ Gait Analysis machine. This specialist bit of kit is manufactured in Germany and is unlike a normal treadmill you’d find in the gym; this one is the closest you’ll come to running on a pavement without needing to step outside.  

“We start people off running on the treadmill in trainers with no support and video this. We then work through different types of trainers, with varying degrees of support looking to find a neutral running position.  It’s a really fine balancing act as no two people are the same and too much support is as bad as too little.

People will probably be surprised that it isn’t always about opting for the most expensive trainer available it really is the option which suits you best; which a gait analysis will help you identify.

The fact we sell the trainers is a great advantage as we’re able to immediately put people in the right shoes so they can both see and feel the difference, which is the key to getting it right.  As we video each time the runner gets on the treadmill we can immediately see the difference the right pair makes to their positioning.

Often if we see someone who has been running in the same type of trainers for years you can’t immediately put them in a fully structured shoe as this could see them experiencing discomfort.  So it can mean a ‘halfway house’ until you’re comfortable with the changes the shoes will make to your positioning and then we can revisit later to get it absolutely perfect, it’s definitely a process.

Whilst we’re confident in what we do are happy to revisit our recommendation and we’ll exchange your trainers if we don’t get it right first time.”

We asked Steve to choose three of his top trainers from their current collection:

ASICS GEL 2000 structure running shoe £115(this shoe is their bestseller and also the most popular with London Marathon runners)

Mizuno Wave Inspire 14 £110

Brooks Ghost 10 Neutral Running Shoe £115

Graeme Le Maistre offer the gait analysis service for free to anyone that goes on to buy a pair of trainers from them or they charge £25 if you’d rather source the shoe they recommend elsewhere.

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