Shoes - for me they’re a love/hate relationship, and I need to figure this out so I’m appealing for help.
I ran in the spring in a Brooks glycerin but they “smacked”, even while walking - hated them. They smacked so bad that store windows would shudder when I ran down main street. Tried an Adidas Boston, and same thing. I mean, I couldn’t even sneak up on a deaf person, they were so bad.
So I tried another shoe, Adidas Ozweego TR, and it was heavenly. After a summer of use and abuse, it’s dead and I can’t find a replacement. They don’t make it anymore. So, I’ve gone to another shoe, an Adidas A3 or something like that, and wouldn’t you know it…“smack, smack, smack!”
So, what does this smack mean? A friend said it’s tecnhique, but how can it be technique when one pair of shoes smacks and the other doesn’t. Is it that I probably need one type of shoe versus another? It’s got to be something to do with the sole/midsole…or maybe not. I don’t know. We don’t have a good shoe store near where I live, so that’s not an option, and the local runny nose teenager at our local store has no idea what he’s selling, so he’s out. I need the help of some running guru’s.
Background: I’m 5’10", 175lbs, run about a 1:40 1/2.
If your feet smack and slap in race flats, then you need to look at your stride and gait and be lighter on your feet. If they only slap in certain shoes and these shoes have all kinds of plastic shanks and support mechanisms built in, then these very “support mechanisms” are interfering with your natural gait…ditch them.
I think it’s at least partly about sole material. I have worn through several pairs of Asics DS Trainers. The sole rubber is soft, but makes little noise on impact.
The pair of Brooks Axioms (not the current version, but the prior one) I use for much of my mileage has sole material which feels like plastic. They are so noisy I have to crank up the music to cover it…
Another data point is that my training partner has a very loud footfall, but his shoes last thousands of miles. Go figure…
Dev is right - you are probably being “sold” stability or motion control shoes and you don’t need them. go with a more neutral shoe with a low heel stack and blown EVA outsole.
I would try: ASICS DS Trainer (don’t last long though), Brooks T4, Saucony type A
Adidas Boston is one hundred percent lightweight neutral trainer. FWIW it fits my 130 pound self just wonderfully, however, as you experienced it is not exactly meant for everyone. You need to find a shoe that matches your stride.
It’s not just the noise that bothers me, but rather the fact that the shoes that “slap” actually hurt. They make my feet smack pretty hard, and will no doubt lead to an injury.
For what it’s worth, the Ozweego TR’s that I loved were a trail shoe, and had a very stiff sole. Trail shoe or not, I loved them, and they were great on the pavement, presumable because of this soft sole.
So how do I figure out if I need a stiff sole or a soft, cushioned sole (without buying more pairs)? Is the slap a sign of a poorly matched shoe for that specific runner? And if so, does this naturally indicate that the runner should look at one type over another?
I’m looking for anything here…it makes me not want to run, and run is the one thing I need to do the most.
This is what I’ve found when doing a search for running shoe slap…
“Look for a low, supportive heel that rounds (or bevels) in. A thick heel or one that flairs out will cause your foot to slap down rather than roll. This slows down forward momentum and increases the occurrence of sore shins.”
“a thick heel wedge can cause the forefoot to slap down, leading to shin soreness or even shin splints.”
Is this accurate? Could it be that the thicker heel is the cause of the slap?
The slap comes from transitioning from your initial heel contact directly to your forefoot, instead of smoothly pronating along the outside of your foot until your weight rests on the ball of your foot (at which point you start your takeoff). Of the shoes you named, the only one I have direct experience with is the Glycerin, but I would bet that the shoes you don’t slap in are shoes that give you lots of heel cushioning. A very cushioned heel can completely collapse as you land, which encourages you to roll through the cushioning along the outside of your foot (assuming you don’t overpronate) and gives you a smooth footstrike. There are lots of problems that come up from having too much heel cushioning, but slapping isn’t one of them. On the other hand, a firmer heel in a shoe that’s designed for a more midfoot strike will act as a brake if you’re a heel striker. Your heel will touch first and since the cushion doesn’t give as much, your heel will decellerate while the front of your foot maintains its velocity. The front of your foot can’t move any faster than the back of your foot, so the resulting rotation causes the the slapping that you feel.
Go to your local running store and try on some shoes that have a LOT of heel cushioning. Nike Pegasus or Air Max Motos come to mind. (That Air is good for some things!) Or if you need more stability, try the Brooks Trance or the 2007 Brooks Adrenaline (we’re getting them December 1). I’ll wager that those shoes with really plush heels are the ones that don’t make a slapping sound.
And once you find that pair of shoes that lets you avoid slapping, be very cautious about achilles tendonitis or plantar fascitis. Lots of cushioning lets your heel drop relative to your forefoot during the support phase, and you can get pretty messed up as a result.
The slap comes from transitioning from your initial heel contact directly to your forefoot, instead of smoothly pronating along the outside of your foot until your weight rests on the ball of your foot (at which point you start your takeoff). Of the shoes you named, the only one I have direct experience with is the Glycerin, but I would bet that the shoes you don’t slap in are shoes that give you lots of heel cushioning. A very cushioned heel can completely collapse as you land, which encourages you to roll through the cushioning along the outside of your foot (assuming you don’t overpronate) and gives you a smooth footstrike. There are lots of problems that come up from having too much heel cushioning, but slapping isn’t one of them. On the other hand, a firmer heel in a shoe that’s designed for a more midfoot strike will act as a brake if you’re a heel striker. Your heel will touch first and since the cushion doesn’t give as much, your heel will decellerate while the front of your foot maintains its velocity. The front of your foot can’t move any faster than the back of your foot, so the resulting rotation causes the the slapping that you feel.
Go to your local running store and try on some shoes that have a LOT of heel cushioning. Nike Pegasus or Air Max Motos come to mind. (That Air is good for some things!) Or if you need more stability, try the Brooks Trance or the 2007 Brooks Adrenaline (we’re getting them December 1). I’ll wager that those shoes with really plush heels are the ones that don’t make a slapping sound.
And once you find that pair of shoes that lets you avoid slapping, be very cautious about achilles tendonitis or plantar fascitis. Lots of cushioning lets your heel drop relative to your forefoot during the support phase, and you can get pretty messed up as a result.
Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
New York City
My experience of slapping came from a pair of Brooks Beasts where the sole was so rigid that when I put my heal on the ground I couldn’t help slapping the rest of my foot.
Shoes that I have tried to reduce that slapping you describe while working on my mechanics are:
NB 765 - got rid of the slapping but was not enough shoe for me at the time.
Muzino Alchemy 3 - started slapping again
Brooks Addiction 6 - interesting story about that shoe, I’ll explain below
Asics Kayano 10 - Very nice slightly rounded sole, no slapping
Asics DS Trainer - Same experience as the K10, much lighter
Asics Kayano 11 - more like the A6 but my mechanics were better
Asics Kayano 12 - more like the DS Trainer and lighter than the K10
Asics 2110 - Much like the K12, less $$$ I’m wearing those now.
Brooks Addiction 6 - When I got them I was dissapointed that I was slapping again but after a couple of weeks I ran in the rain and got the new shoes pretty muddy so I washed them in the sink. Had to scrub the heck out of them, probably took 20 min per shoe, when I was done I put them in front of a fan to dry. When they dried, they got a slight curve in the sole, I was like “Oh crap, I ruined them” but when I wore them again the slapping dissapeared and I felt so much better and running was easier. I bought another pair of them and did the same thing but for some reason they kept giving me blisters so I went back to the old ones untill after IMFL. After that is when I went to the Asics models.
The curved sole helped me so much so when I look for a shoe now, I look for at least a slight curve in the sole.
Thanks Lee - that was an excellent explanation, and it totally makes sense. Currently, the only way that I can minimize the slap in my current shoe is by consciously rolling on the lateral side of the foot after the heel strike, exactly as you mentioned. It helps, but at this point it’s not a natural movement yet. Perhaps a bit of time in a softer shoe will allow be to work on proper mechanics, and I can then progress to a stiffer heel.
So let me know if this would be a good course of action…get a shoe with a lot of cushion in the heel, build solid mechanics on this type of show, and then slowly progress to a stiffer heel. Everything you said about the soft heel totally makes sense, especially how it can get rid of the slap but eventually lead to injury.