Okay my anatomy and physiology knowledge is no much past the common person on slowtwitch but I wanted to pose a question. Who nows maybe some expert will answer…
Any way I have recently observed that on longer runs (10+ some times shorter) when I have my shoes laces tied normal tension my calfs cramp up.
Muscles could be soleus ,Flexor digitorum longus, flexor hallucus longus again not an expert.
but when I have my laces barely tied I don’t get any cramps in my calf area.
I dont think I am overly tying my shoes when I get cramps just a normal tension.
I wear very think socks and have run newtons distance,nike free run 1,2 and three. Only shoes I ever noticed this.
I have zero thought how a looser knot would change my running mechanics and causes cramping in my calf.
ive found that as my feet swell during longer runs, if my shoes are too tight blood doesnt get into my feet and then my calves can get a bit crampy. Maybe try wearing a thinner sock so your feet have a bit more room but your shoes can still be tight
interesting thought on foot swelling.
I did try a thinner sock and nothing but upon loosening the laces and few paces cramping goes away. I think it has to do with my foot mechanics changing slightly.
Not sure why it would cause cramps in the calves, but I would just get used to running in slightly looser shoes. Having them too tight makes it impossible for your foot to completely spread out when you land on it anyway. I keep my shoes loose enough that I can slip in and out of them w/o tying them.
I like my laces a little on the loose side, but this can lead to hot spots right behind my big toe, especially on long or fast runs. Tightening the laces alleviates this, but leads to pain in a couple of muscles, as well as the inferior extensor retinaculum. For me this extends up the chain and results in shin tightness, but overall it sounds not terribly dissimilar from what you’re dealing with.
For me the answer was Xtenex laces. These allow me to keep the shoe snug across the forefoot, but progressively looser towards the top of the foot. They are a little spendy, and a little harder to get into than traditional speed laces, but they’ve worked well for me.
I have no affiliation with them, just like the product and it sounds like it might be a good fit for you. Good luck.
…a bit off the topic, but* *I won’t buy a shoe unless it fits without lacing. I still lace them lightly, or with my zoots I slip them, but I feel lacing makes for a very unatural movment of my ankle. this was something my dad taught me while running in middle school.
I just got those laces this weekend, and popped them into my shoes the night before my first Olympic tri. They were so much better than regular laces. I have high arch and a narrow but high volume foot, they just felt so much better after the run than I normally feel. Plus I never have to tie my shoes again! (I dont work for them either, just am shocked at how good they work)
i have Yankz in all my run shoes and since switching have had zero problems with my calf muscles. i tend to set them up on the looser side and can’t see running without them anytime in the near future. i’ve also had no problems with blisters, black nails, etc since the switch.
Okay my anatomy and physiology knowledge is no much past the common person on slowtwitch but I wanted to pose a question. Who nows maybe some expert will answer…
Any way I have recently observed that on longer runs (10+ some times shorter) when I have my shoes laces tied normal tension my calfs cramp up.
Muscles could be soleus ,Flexor digitorum longus, flexor hallucus longus again not an expert.
but when I have my laces barely tied I don’t get any cramps in my calf area.
I dont think I am overly tying my shoes when I get cramps just a normal tension.
I wear very think socks and have run newtons distance,nike free run 1,2 and three. Only shoes I ever noticed this.
I have zero thought how a looser knot would change my running mechanics and causes cramping in my calf.
any one else ever notice this???
Sounds to me like there’s a confounding variable.
I run with elastic laces that I never adjust, so they’re just tight enough that the shoe doesn’t slide/slip a bunch on my foot, and I have really tight calves…
No idea as to the reason, but same thing happened to me when I first started Marathons.
For years now, I have had my shoes so loose I slip them on and off without touching the laces - I hardly ever touch the laces at all apart from adding/removing timing chips.
Made the switch over to elastic laces, shoes stay on when running feel snug enough would i trust his tie in a sprint 100 yard race, no but I did not have any issues running last night.