What is the reason for cushioning road shoes for elites?

Everyone wears shoes for the same basic reasons. They make you capable of running faster.

Bekila Feet wrote:

Everyone wears shoes for the same basic reasons. They make you capable of running faster.

Actually, that's is not correct. The MAIN purpose is to prevent injury. If running fast was the purpose of shoes then everyone would train in spikes all the time.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

Bekila Feet wrote:

Everyone wears shoes for the same basic reasons. They make you capable of running faster.

Actually, that's is not correct. The MAIN purpose is to prevent injury. If running fast was the purpose of shoes then everyone would train in spikes all the time.

Even non spikes make you capable of running faster in the sense of maintaining higher average speed.

try to keep up chump wrote:

Even non spikes make you capable of running faster in the sense of maintaining higher average speed.

Gibberish. Training shoes prevent injury. What are you talking about "maintaining higher average speed"? If I wanted to maintain higher average speed, I'd wear spikes, but then I'd get hurt.

Quick inventing phrases to try to make yourself seem intelligent.

It's a higher average speed, because the speed you can run barefoot or in spikes is faster at its peak, but once you get hurt you're definitely going to slow down. Sooo...cushioned shoes help you keep a higher average speed.

well duh wrote:

It's a higher average speed, because the speed you can run barefoot or in spikes is faster at its peak, but once you get hurt you're definitely going to slow down. Sooo...cushioned shoes help you keep a higher average speed.

According to this logic everyone’s average speed is zero, because time is infinite. Your time being not born is infinite, and your time being dead will be infinite. At both situations your speed is zero.

Jack Daniels did some lab test a while back compare running economy with running shoe weights/cushion levels. The result was a bell-shaped curve that showed that too much cushion or too little will produce best results. That optimal level depended on the surface and the athlete. On tracks, lighter spikes may be the best, while on the roads some cushion for the bounce.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

try to keep up chump wrote:

Even non spikes make you capable of running faster in the sense of maintaining higher average speed.

Gibberish. Training shoes prevent injury. What are you talking about "maintaining higher average speed"? If I wanted to maintain higher average speed, I'd wear spikes, but then I'd get hurt.

Quick inventing phrases to try to make yourself seem intelligent.

Getting hurt kills your average. Proper shoes will prevent that. Were you dropped on your head recently?

try to keep up chump wrote:

Getting hurt kills your average. Proper shoes will prevent that. Were you dropped on your head recently?

Your logic is like answering the question "Why do people brush their teeth?" with "People brush their teeth so they can get dates. You see, if you brush your teeth, you prevent cavities, which prevents your teeth from falling out, which makes you look more attractive, which helps people want to meet you, which helps you get a date!"

The answer is to prevent cavities. Sure, getting a date may be at the end of the logical line, but the correct answer is the first one.

Running shoes prevent injury.

end of thread.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

Actually, that's is not correct. The MAIN purpose is to prevent injury. If running fast was the purpose of shoes then everyone would train in spikes all the time.

Woof. The misinformation in here.

Track spikes can be minimal because the track itself (mondo or rubber) takes up a lot of the impact forces.

Road racing shoes, especially for the marathon, are leaning towards more cushioning (Vaporfly 4%) because of the impact forces of the asphalt.

If you went barefoot or super minimal in a marathon, your skeletal muscles are taking up a lot of the impact forces. If you wear something with cushion, the shoes are taking up some of the impact force, leaving your muscles to fatigue less quickly.

There is a line to draw where the cushioning isn't as necessary. Maybe 10k and down, you can get more minimal shoes. It would benefit you more to wear super light, vs super cushioned. As you get longer in distance, the cushioning is more beneficial than the weight.

I'm struggling to find the NCBI article. But it is generally summed up like that.

What is the reason for cushioning road shoes for elites? wrote:

What is the reason for cushioning road shoes for elites?

Gimmicks make money.

Good shoes that last forever without causing any problems don't make the big bucks.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

Running shoes prevent injury.

end of thread.

Of course they do! Because the injury rate of runners has been dramatically decreasing since running shoes were invented, right?

Cushioned road shoes make it easier to hold a faster average speed over long distances. Spikes and flats give you the benefit of your feet and toes pushing off more than cushioned shoes, which makes you faster over short distances but tires you out over longer distances. Cushioned shoes make you faster to a point, but as a certain level of effort and force exerted on the ground spikes are more effective. That's why the Vaporfly 4% is only effective from ~5k and up, and why most runners train in cushioned trainers for easier runs and spikes for fast repeats. It's about the level of "help" from the shoe that is actually beneficial at a certain pace.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

try to keep up chump wrote:

Getting hurt kills your average. Proper shoes will prevent that. Were you dropped on your head recently?

Your logic is like answering the question "Why do people brush their teeth?" with "People brush their teeth so they can get dates. You see, if you brush your teeth, you prevent cavities, which prevents your teeth from falling out, which makes you look more attractive, which helps people want to meet you, which helps you get a date!"

The answer is to prevent cavities. Sure, getting a date may be at the end of the logical line, but the correct answer is the first one.

Running shoes prevent injury.

end of thread.

When you don't get injured you can train more and run faster.

Are you going to scramble around looking for more dumb comparisons?

try to keep up chump wrote:

When you don't get injured you can train more and run faster.

So, now you are switching to "so you can train more". Which is it? Train more? Run faster? Oh, and both of those are preceded by "when you don't get injured".

So, I was right all along.

Moran.

Not So Sure 'Bout Dat wrote:

try to keep up chump wrote:

When you don't get injured you can train more and run faster.

So, now you are switching to "so you can train more". Which is it? Train more? Run faster? Oh, and both of those are preceded by "when you don't get injured".

So, I was right all along.

Moran.

All of the above. Except for your "right all along" flail. Just trying to get you to understand how running works.

Keep scrambling!