So racing flats....any real benefit?

wayne clements

- I pronate so I've been using nike lunarglide and lunareclipses and found that my knee problems arent as bad as they used to be now my foot is more cushioned and locked in at the heel. Managed a 90 min half and 3.30 marathon in the lunareclipse 2s.

- A few weeks ago I was given a pair of nike zoom streak 2's (racing flats) for free and wondering where I should insert them for training/racing. I've tested them out for a 5 and 10k training run and found I really enjoy how light my feet felt, certainly felt a bit more nimble towards the end of the run, but when I looked down I could see I was pronating, mainly I assume because the lack of support in the upper and heel clip was allowing my foot to do what it wanted.

So taking into account my times, is there a real benefit to busting out the racing flats on race day only? Or should I keep them for track speed sessions? Hopefully someone with similar times and pronation has dealt with this before. I'd stick with my dynamic support shoes on long training runs, but im obviously loosing energy and feel for the road in those shoes. Even if someone said there is a chance of an extra few seconds a mile in racing flats, that might be enough for me. I've recently lost a few kilos and seen my times go down, so im a full convert to the 'lighter runner is a faster runner' mantra.

Philomena Cunk

A couple of seconds a mile is probably all they are worth. The more flexible sole might improve your finishing sprint but for me putting on my racing shoes tells my mind one thing. I'm racing today!

YoungPup

Wayne



I have a slight pronation issue, and my half marathon times are similar to yours.



I train in Asics 2170s, but I race 5k and 10k in Brooks T7 racers, and have recently bought some Brooks ST5 racers which I plan to race 10m and halfs in.



I think wearing lightweight racers is definitely worth it, and I agree with Sussex Runner that it helps me get my head into the right racing frame of mind.... The other big difference for me is that I think my cadence is higher in them

wayne clements

Sounds like I should give it a crack in a not so important 10k. I wouldnt want to end up 10 miles into a half or marathon and start getting knee pain because my tired legs are rolling all over the place.....but at the time time having lighter feet would be beneficial at that stage. I'll give it a go

Piers

If you are a sub 40 min 10k runner, belong to a club and train properly, are at your optimum racing weight then racing flats are probably worth investing in.

Otherwise it probably isn't worth it; I manage three of the four above but not going to wear my flats until I've lost the 3 kg that I've managed to accumulate, losing that will mean at least minute off my 10k time for the same effort .

However I agree that wearing flats or spikes puts your head in the right place.