in all likelihood you'll really feel it in your calfs if you jump into a race. Maybe sore for days. Like anything, you need to adapt to new things. I'd do several weeks of track workouts before expecting to race well in flats.

For myself; I practice what I preach, I'll wear my flats at least once a week - usually twice (mostly on the track), no surprises that way.

Good luck.

---

I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

thanks. this is counter to what others have told me--specifically not to run too much in them.

out of curiosity, is the calf pain due to the fact that they have less cushion or that they generally have a lower heel relative to forefoot?

any opinions on which flat to choose given that i've been running in zero drop shoes?

i'm OK with being sore for days after this event. (long story, but it came up relatively suddenly and i'm doing what i can with realistic expectations.)

Note: Others may have different experiences, and, you may too. But, an injury is a heavy price to pay. I'm not saying you do heavy mileage in flats, by any means. For me. I'll jog to my local HS track ~1.8km from home with my flats in hand. Then I'll run anywhere from 3 - 7k (depending on what I need to do), then put my "trainers" back on and head home.

Some soreness is to be expected when one is competition. It's just a question of; "will you get the performance benefit you hope for, if, you've not become at least somewhat accustomed to what they feel like?" It could be as simple as a blister in a place you've never gotten one before, that, keeps you away from running for a longer period that you desire (happened to me earlier this year - and, I was surprised).

Your question about being already in zero drop shoes may be significantly helpful to you. On this one I'll plead complete ignorance, because, I'm sure my trainers are not zero drop (Nike Pegasus), and my Nike flats are probably close to zero. - - - but, I'm so used to them it doesn't matter.

Big picture... I don't mean to over-worry you, you'll likely be OK, I think that multiple (even minimal) exposures to you new flats PRIOR to race day - won't hurt, and, will likely help.

PM me - or post as a follow up with your results/opinions/findings.

Best to you.

---

I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

thanks very much. i sincerely appreciate the comments. i do intend to do at least a bit of running (that may just be 2 or 3 of my 400s (12x400 workouts are my staple)) before race day....but i'm not sure i'll do 3k or beyond.


longer story, but i'm a cyclist and i'm just training for this one event as i have to run a 5k before hopping on my TT bike. my hope is to come out somewhere within striking distance...and then see what happens on the bike (i could be TOTALLY blown and only have tempo watts after the run). but....if i get a blister due to new shoes that's ok--probably not going to run for a while, at least until after the road season ends.

yeah, kind of curious as i'd like to return one of those pairs of shoes, and some feedback would be neat to help me figure out which one to try first.

again....thank you so much.

i posted more on my particular challenge (what to do in 5 weeks to prepare for this event) in the thread "Cyclist needs a few running tips". take a peek if you are interested; i am posting updates there. wanted to keep this thread about advice specifically on running flats.

If you are thinking about those two shoes, why not try the Lunaracer? Much more cushioned than the other two and shouldn't give you any of that post-run soreness ( at least that which is caused by the shoe). Of course the heel/toe drop might not fit your parameters, but it is a fantastic race and track-work shoe.

It depends on where you land on your foot what drop you should get, cushion heel for heel strike or closer to zero for midfoot/forefoot. I like vibrams for my short distance shoes if I've been fairly low mileage, I use hoka for long runs or all my runs if I've been doing high milage. Either way, unlikely you'll get injured in a 5k or that the weight difference will really matter significantly

Back when I was running ~4miles each weekday and a big 15-18 miler on the weekend, I decided to try zero drop minimalist shoes.

I ran one mile and my calves were sore for days.

Now, I only wear these same shoes all the time, at work, etc. I don't run so much anymore: too much time in the 33!

I also do a fair amount of training in my flats. A 5k is a long distance compared to a 400. It took me a few weeks to work up to a 5k, and now I run everything up to a half in them. I try to do 1-2 days per week. I recently tried running a full in them, and my calves still hurt.

thanks for the replies.


i have both of those shoes sitting next to me. is there something that the lunaracer does better than either of those? reviews say that a 5k is well within the scope of the 2 that i have--and that some folks (more experienced) could run longer. i see the lunaracer is more padded, but i also know that cushion is not always a guarantee of comfort. looks like the heel drop is 8mm, so in between the LT2 and flyknit racer.

i'm just looking for a race-day only option....not for training.


thank you. the only data point i have is that i've been running in the cushioned, zero drop altra torin shoes without any pain. is it the cushion? the zero drop? both? the LT2 (slight drop, 4mm) felt natural, but i wondered if that is because it is closest to the Torin. i've read that zero drop DOES give your legs more of a workout/beating, so for a RACE i wondered if switching to the bigger drop might help.

in other words, i wondered if the carpet test of comfort was really not at all useful for which flat i should try out.

i *think* i'm more of a mid-foot strike in zero drop shoes.

as for the weight difference not mattering, i'm reading that it could be ~8"/mile for the flats--saving ~4oz/shoes. that would be pretty huge as i *think* i may come off the 5k pretty close to the good runners who can still bike. saving 24" would be HUGE, actually.


thanks! i'm pretty used to the zero drop shoes, but that's not from running as i haven't run many miles at all. i think for whatever reason they just work for my body. not doing 4 miles a day and never doing 15-18. i respect it, but all i'm doing right now is training my legs to move fast and then to see what i can do in a 1-off 5k (+15k bike).

agreed on 5k continuous vs 12x400 with 200m walking breaks. (time-wise, a 1:1 interval-to-rest ratio)

did your calves hurt during the event that you think it slowed you down? or were you just sore afterward?

thanks for the discussion.

Have someone take a video of you doing your normal stride and see what it looks like. If you're hitting heel I would stick to altras and do some strides etc to try and correct it. Vibrams give great feedback in feel what your stride is like but push you too much on your toes imo they're the most comfy shoe I've worn tho. They're definitely good to put twice a month or something just for some feel but I prefer my hoka generally, I would get some minimalist shoes but not run in them regularly

thanks. honestly don't want to open up the minimalist/hoka can of worms. i'm 2 weeks out from a race.

i appreciate the thoughts but can't address all this in my circumstance.

I recommended the Lunaracer since there was a concern about being sore. They are definitely more cushioned but still very light, and I can run in these without calf soreness, unlike firmer racing flats. However, if you are only doing 5k in these i honestly wouldn't overthink it- go with the one that fits and feels better-- any of these shoes should work great!

T

sorry if i was unclear. i have no concern about being sore for a few days post-race (which will be a 90-100% 5k + the bike leg). i do not want to get injured--that's the only concern. i want to do what is best between now and the race (2 weeks) to stay healthy and to get used to the running flats.

anyway...primary question is between the 2 shoes i have, which would be the better likely choice for me given that i'm in the cushioned zero drop shoes--LT2 @4mm or flyknit racer @ 10mm.

LT2 feels better in the house (due to being used to zero drop pretty much all the time for me? i'm barefoot, or flip-flops or the Altras (for my limited running)), but i figure that may not be meaningful for the race.

anyway...point taken re: overthinking. seems like there is nothing anyone can really say so i'll just pick one and run in it. it's just 5k.

thanks!

The concern in changing heel drop too quickly is related more to going down than up. Calf soreness usually comes more from going down in heel drop significantly, along with achilles issues etc. If you are already running comfortably in a zero drop shoe you should be fine going to 4mm drop flat (or going up to 10, although it may feel a bit weird). Don't worry to much about it and choose whichever shoe feels more comfortable. Neither one is likely to cause you to be significantly more sore than the other.

killer. thanks--i'd read about concern but didn't know it was more an issue going to less than more. really appreciate the insight.

i'll pick based on colors. ;-)