We speak to an endurance athlete who has made big changes as he tries to maximize his potential
Balancing a full-time job with the hard work and aspirations of a full-time athlete was on Sarah Astin. Although she won the 2023 England National Cross Country title and ran a number of personal bests throughout the year, she wasn’t convinced she was maximizing her potential. :
Something had to change and with the support of Hoka and the support of charity Isle of Man Sport Aid, he made the tough decision to leave the job he loved to work part-time.
Initiating a positive chain reaction of events that saw him hook up with trainer Andy Hobdell and join Hoka’s British professional running team, Makou Endurance, Astin’s decision to run well was not to be. straight
“Signing with Hoka (in December 2023) has given me a new lease of life,” he says. “I’m either done here or I have to make a change and go again,” but it was a dream come true to finally sign with the brand, and I just felt like I owed it to myself and them to keep going.
This year, after spring training in Flagstaff, Arizona, Astin expected a strong summer, but instead of running well, he came back feeling flat and demoralized
in June and decided to end his season in Paris after the FAST 5000. To just finish his goal in the French capital, he knew it was time to think again.
“It’s hard to pinpoint what happened (in Flagstaff), but I think maybe I put in too many miles there or too many doubles or not enough rest days,” he said it was pretty high (7000ft) and i think i learned a lot.i found myself in a bit of a bad place running and i didn’t really know what to do though Andy wasn’t my coach at the time, we had a good, positive chat after the race in Paris and he could tell I wasn’t happy.
Sarah Astin (Charlie McCarthy)
“I had a break very early on at the end of the season and it got me thinking about what I should do next. Andy is coaching Chris (Chris Rainsford, Hoka’s senior sports manager) so I had a good chat with him and asked him what he was like. Andy as a coach and a little bit more about his training. It wasn’t an easy decision, I was with Jeff Watkins and he’s a great coach, but in terms of motivation I just felt like I was new. need a boost.
“I met Andy again when we got back and I remember him saying, “You need to get your mojo back.” He made me believe that I was still a good runner, and that cheered me up. I thought that was a good sign.”
Since moving to Hobdell at the end of the summer, Astin has been gradually rebuilding, which initially meant reducing her running and work days.She also experienced her first Hoka Altitude Camp with Team Makou (Font Romeu), officially being announced as the group’s first female athlete.
READ MORE. How do they train ranks?
“I think I’ll only run well if I’m happy,” says the 31-year-old i get
“Being part of the team helped a lot with that, too. I can’t tell you how good Font (Romeu) was, just having the guys there, they’re just the best team around. I didn’t even think about my run.” Everyone’s different, but personally, I’d rather be around people who are a bit cooler, and it’s all in good fun, right?”
Andy Hobdell (Charlie McCarthy)
Astin usually runs for feel, but at Font Romeu (at altitude) he used heart rate as a guide. As a rule, easy pace is rarely below 7 min/mile, while steady runs usually start outside 7 min/mile and get up to 6 min/mile (closer to pace effort).
Since joining Hobdell, Astin has introduced rest days and strides into his workouts in addition to more steady runs.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty typical winter week for me with Andy,” he said. it’s the same.”
READ MORE. Interview by Andy Hobdell
Highest running week at altitude at Font Romeu in October 2024
Monday. (am) easy 50 minutes; (pm) gym
Tuesday: (am) easy steady 45 minutes; (pm) easy 5 miles
and walks
wednesday․․․․․․․․․ “This needs to be controlled
session,” explains Asti. “I think we started at about a 6 minute/mile pace and got down to 5:30 seconds.” (pm) 10 minutes easy – 5 km steady – 10 minutes easy (starting at about 6:20 /mile and down to about 5:50s).
thursday: Gym/Restaurant
Friday: (am) easy steady 45 minutes
Saturdaycontrolled distance of 20 x 400 m for 30 seconds (on the track); (pm) 5 x 1 mile at 90 second pace. “We started out at about 6 minute/mile pace and got down to 5:30, although I think the last mile was a little off,” says Astin. “I was really surprised how I handled the double session, but I think it’s a lot easier when you’re in camp with more recovery time.”
Sunday90 minutes easy
Sarah Astin (Mark Shearman)
Favorite session“Probably a controlled track session, like controlled mile repeats after a short recovery, even better when you can share the load with company.”
Least favorite session“Long term. “Even though I loved my first half marathon, I just struggle with long runs. I’ve only recently been doing long 90-minute runs, but I’ve been doing about 18 miles every week, and I find them quite challenging mentally.”
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