How many of you guys use racing shoes (flats). I do only sprint races and am considering a pair of Brooks.
Personally i have been advised that i shouldnt wear them- by my podoatrist.
However i am 95kgs and have a mild pronation. Everyone else i train with uses them for sprint and olympic distance
I have been thinking about them… I am a very neutral runner who needs very little support plus only weugh 140 - 145…
Really thinking after seeing the Pearl Izumi racing flat… wow! cool…
Lots of tri specific running shoes coming out now… (about time)
I couldn’t imagine racing without them . . . I usually have an extra pair I rotate with my daily running shoes for the speedwork days. However, they are not right for everybody and there are many different types of racing flats depending on what you need.
I could get away wearing flats when I was younger, but now that I’m older (and a little heavier) I find that flats just don’t provide enough cousion and I’m much more likely to get injuried. Not with the weight savings in my opinion.
My $0.02.
I wear a pair of Brooks racing flats for sprints and Olympic distance and they do a great job. I do all of my training in normal Asics 2070’s, but when it comes to speedwork I occaisionally slip them on to remind the body of what it feels like to go fast. Throw a pair of elastic laces in them and I would not race in anything else.
FYI I am about 183cm tall and weigh about 72kg when race fit, so i am not exactly a heavyweight.
Odd man out, I suppinate, have medium-high arches, and beat the H-E-double hockey sticks out of running shoes. I totally agree that for any race 10k and under, flats are the way to go! An absolute MUST, though: try them on and inspect the heck out of them! Take a short run through the store to make sure they fit the shape of YOUR foot. You want them to fit like a pair of socks with a bit more room for your forefoot to spread and extend when you’re driving off. If there are any areas of bulging extra fabric after you cinch them down, they will end up being noticeably uncomfortable before you finish your first half-mile, so put those back and find a new pair!
In addendum: if you need orthotics, you’ll have a really hard time finding flats to fit them correctly, so check with your podiatrist before you buy.
Has anyone using flats ever tried to put cuishoned insoles in them? Or would this negate the reason to wear them in the first place? I like the flats for short races, but wouldn’t mind a little more cushioning in them.
In my experience, “cushioned insoles” usually means “thick, heavy insoles” and they totally change the fit and feel of the shoe. If you need more cushioning and still want something “speedier” than a training shoe, look for longer distance racing shoes like Adidas Boston or New Balance RC330…that last may not be the right number, but that’s what stuck in my head. Anyway, there are options that are still ultra-light, but have more cushion. If you’re racing longer than 10k, for sure look into something other than your standard Nike Waffle-type racing flat. Your feet (and times) will thank you!
I say get em’. I am not the be all and end all but here goes. My Podiatrist, John Durkin… guru of the foot! The man! A god in my eyes and savior of my running life and many professional athletes says. Racing flats are tough on your feet but especially for shorter distances from 10K and down if you want them then get them. The time you spend in them is reletively short. I agree and think they can be good. Now if you start pounding tons of track workouts or UT workouts on the road with them… it is a different thing. Have fun.
I had a real bad case of plantar faciitus, so I move my $200 precision orthotics from my training shoes (Nike Air Structure Triax) to my flats on race day. Also have to keep the calf muscle stretched. But I would not consider racing without them unless I absolutely had to. For longer distances such as a half-marathon I use the Nike Air Zoom Mariah which is a light-weight cusioned flat, no longer made. For a marathon I would consider a heavier shoe like the Asics 2070. In short, flats are a standard part of the overall racing package. Train heavy, race light.
I race in a pair of Brooks T3 Racers, but I train in a light-weight trainers. I agree slap a Speedlace on the T3s and you can’t beat them for racing. However, I would be hesitant to spend a lot of time in them outside of racing. I don’t even wear them for track workouts.
eric
Thanks for all the input, I don’t pronate or anything like that, love cushion but need help with speed, so I bought a pair of Brooks T3 Racer’s got the yanks on them and I can’t wait to run.
Great shoes. I put a dab of Vasaline in them before I went out on a little jog, just to make sure that I would get any hotspots with the new shoes. No problem. What color Yanks did you get?
eric
black reflective, I’ll try the vaseline
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