Training in racing flats?

Bookwerm wrote:

9/10 the injury is because your probably running entirely on the roads, or doing a majority of your mileage on the roads. Back in the day, werent the shoes runners trained in basically flats? they were generaly just a piece of rubber on the bottom of the foot. I trained in flats for along time and never got injured, because i ran most of my weeklymileage, if not almost all my weekly mileage purely off-road.

I'm pretty sure that surface is somewhat irrelevent as long as you have good running technique and the right shoes. I'd say 9/10 injuries come from overuse, not running surface. I'm pretty sure Lydiard, who was a minimalist by most, advocated doing a lot of road running becasue the harder surface allowed for better push off. And Gordon Pirie also a minimalist talks about doing a lot of road running in his book that can be dowloaded from:

Where he states, "Good technique requires the runner to caress the ground with his or her feet, and to land with a slightly flexed knee. But what do we see in the majority of cases? Straight-legged “runners” pounding the ground with their heels. They end up crippled. People are advised not to run because it will ruin their feet and knees. In 45 years, I have run more than 240,000 miles without any major problems, and with more than half that distance covered on so-called hard pavement. Have I been lucky? No. I have merely employed correct technique, as described, and have been careful about the shoes I wear."

Same here!

blank_ wrote:

flats vs trainers wrote:

If you train too much in them you will end up hurting yourself.

Really? That's strange, here I thought for the past three years I was healthy for the first time in yeears and running pr's.

Runners of yore wrote:

...In 45 years, I have run more than 240,000 miles without any major problems, and with more than half that distance covered on so-called hard pavement...

^^that's incredible... I can't believe no one has called BS on that.

yeah, that's over 102 mi/wk for 45 years.

What about over pronaters? I get knee pain even in trainers and especially when I race in spikes, thus I wear orthodics. I run with a slight roll from heel to toe which is not very pronounced. Are there any exersizes one can do besides running barefoot or in flats that will strengthen the Calf and foot muscles for racing?

PS- My question is not retorical or argumentative I would sincerely like an answer to this question.

A few years back I went out to Boulder, Colorado to train for a month with some other runners. We got to hang out with the CU team, and we always saw Ryan Deak run in Nike Streak Vapors I think they were? But yeah, that is all he ever trained in. But then again, he was a little light guy. I guess it depends on your body type and gait.

It depends. What is it like when you run more on your midfoot/forefoot? That should skip the resistance phase of your footstrike and thereby bypass your pronation problem.

Mind you, i don't think that it's too many people that are in serious trouble (unless something ahs happened to them later in life).

good luck.

PS -- as far as size, I have one friend who is at least 200 pounds (6ft3) who runs in the nb 550 and 750 w/o any problems. and he pronates A LOT so it can be done, though i suppose it would be different if you weighed 200lbs and were short.

IRS wrote:

yeah, that's over 102 mi/wk for 45 years.

In his prime Gordon used to run 200 mpw and as I recall kept running all his life.

If you're going to start training in racing flats, work into it gradually.

Super shoes bump

I've been running for 15 years, and I've always done this.

In fact, the only runners I know that don't do intervals in racing flats are oldies and hobbyjoggers.

I don't see how you could run at race pace for any extended period of time in daily trainers, without making your workouts way too hard.

If you're getting injured from wearing racing flats, maybe do some more strength and conditioning work.