do track spikes make any difference for 5k?

buyingthespikes wrote:

based on what everyone is saying I’m probably going to get some spikes. How about these ?

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/nik16646/nike-superfly-elite-racing-spikes-%7E-su20/

They’re expensive but I guess that’s cause they’re good (?)

Don't get those! Those are sprint spikes. Get some Mambas or Matumbos if you want nikes, ld5000s if you want NB spikes.

smhjjjjj wrote:

buyingthespikes wrote:

based on what everyone is saying I’m probably going to get some spikes. How about these ?

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/nik16646/nike-superfly-elite-racing-spikes-%7E-su20/

They’re expensive but I guess that’s cause they’re good (?)

Don't get those! Those are sprint spikes. Get some Mambas or Matumbos if you want nikes, ld5000s if you want NB spikes.

The Mambas are great up to 2 miles, but the Matumbos can be used from mile-5k, so more versatile.

trackspikesbuyer wrote:

my PR is 18:11. so I wonder if I'm too slow for it to make any difference...

Yes.

Also, you'll be much more comfortable in racing flats compare to running in spikes.

Would you care to share this new study with us? I can’t seem to find this study

Buy flats instead of spikes. Just get something under 5 or 6oz and you’ll be fine without having the spikes. Spikes may help you by 0.1sec sprinting the last 100m but you’ll be more sore and might get blisters or hotspots.

The Nike streak LT4 will be great. Or just get an XC flat as they’re cheaper

The VF has already been proven to be better and more efficient than spikes from 3k up. Telling OP it's a good idea to waste his money on spikes is just foolish. These aren't even races they're time trials, using spikes for a 5k TT is just going to wreck his feet and bring the possibility of developing calf and/or Achilles issues. OP if you are set on buying a new shoe to give you a boost pick up some Streak LT on sale, your body will thank you and if that's not what you're already using they are likely lighter shoes also.

DirtyT wrote:

Would you care to share this new study with us? I can’t seem to find this study

If you're referring to the study with VF vs spikes it should be part of the big studies as they tested the shoe against the adios and also spikes, it was not a separate study.

smhjjjjj wrote:

buyingthespikes wrote:

based on what everyone is saying I’m probably going to get some spikes. How about these ?

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/nik16646/nike-superfly-elite-racing-spikes-%7E-su20/

They’re expensive but I guess that’s cause they’re good (?)

Don't get those! Those are sprint spikes. Get some Mambas or Matumbos if you want nikes, ld5000s if you want NB spikes.

Also look at the Adidas Avanti. The boost on the bottom is great for lessening the impact spikes have on your feet, especially for people just starting to wear spikes. I got mine for $17 at an off price retail store, so they're dirt cheap online too.

ShilohDoesntCare wrote:

The VF has already been proven to be better and more efficient than spikes from 3k up. Telling OP it's a good idea to waste his money on spikes is just foolish. These aren't even races they're time trials, using spikes for a 5k TT is just going to wreck his feet and bring the possibility of developing calf and/or Achilles issues.

Yeah that is why every elite run wear VF on track.... oh wait!

Stop BS. Spikes >Vaporfly

And if spikes make your calf/Achille painful, the problem is not spike but trainers with high drop and cushion that make your calves and feet weak.

The spikes correct this weakness and prevent injuries. But you need to introduce them slowly if you wear 10mm drop shoe.

OP, go for long distance spikes, not sprinting spikes like the ones in your link.

Nike matumbo is the best choice imo.

Science vs superstition and tradition. For an elite athlete that needs to kick hard the last lap spikes make a difference, that fraction of a second can determine the outcome of the race. For an 18 minute 5k guy running a time trial it makes absolutely no sense to buy spikes.

science is a superstition.

Self experience is far superior to any study.

Elite don't need to run a fast last lap in meetings since the best way to set a new PR is to run even splits. They do not wear spikes because they need it in the last lap but because they are faster the whole race with them compared to racing flats.

It is just common sens. Spike are lighter, firmer and give better traction. Close your computer and go on the track with shoes and spikes. You will see the difference.

Impala31 wrote:

science is a superstition.

Self experience is far superior to any study.

Elite don't need to run a fast last lap in meetings since the best way to set a new PR is to run even splits. They do not wear spikes because they need it in the last lap but because they are faster the whole race with them compared to racing flats.

It is just common sens. Spike are lighter, firmer and give better traction. Close your computer and go on the track with shoes and spikes. You will see the difference.

Have you run in vaporflies?

Impala31 wrote:

science is a superstition.

Self experience is far superior to any study.

Elite don't need to run a fast last lap in meetings since the best way to set a new PR is to run even splits. They do not wear spikes because they need it in the last lap but because they are faster the whole race with them compared to racing flats.

It is just common sens. Spike are lighter, firmer and give better traction. Close your computer and go on the track with shoes and spikes. You will see the difference.

You obviously don't follow track at all. I dislike Vaporflys, but there's no denying that they work extremly well for the 5k (and even the 3k). Good examples are Keira D'Amato or Ririka Hironaka (19 y/o japanese runner), who both went low 15 in Vaporflys, much better than anyone would have expected before.

only example you can find is 19yo Japanese girl... this is supposed to prove me wrong?

Here is my $0.02

There is no question that track spikes improve performance. The most important thing is the change in traction. The spikes greatly increase your traction. You may say I'm not slipping and sliding around the track who cares? Rubber in the soles of your trainers have a small time (ms for an engagement of mm) that make a huge difference. This is common sense. Flats help with that. Spikes eliminate it.

Second, spikes put you on your toes and give you a more efficient running gait. Everyone knows forefoot running is faster and more efficient at certain higher speeds. Spikes effectively lock you into that gait. This is also why you don't want to strictly be using spikes 5k or above.

Third, spikes are light. That difference itself is worth the 1 second per lap described when compared to chunkier trainers.

Personally, I like Saucony spikes. They're all more or less the same though.

My shins would seize up when I ran 5k pace on the track in flats. In spikes I was totally fine. Trainers used to tell me it was a diet thing... ''You're not getting enough electrolytes during the day!''

This was an awful, awful feeling- I mean, the fronts of my legs, from ankle to knee, would be absolutely rock hard, and ONLY at 3 to 5k pace. Weird.

smhjjjjj wrote:

Impala31 wrote:

science is a superstition.

Self experience is far superior to any study.

Elite don't need to run a fast last lap in meetings since the best way to set a new PR is to run even splits. They do not wear spikes because they need it in the last lap but because they are faster the whole race with them compared to racing flats.

It is just common sens. Spike are lighter, firmer and give better traction. Close your computer and go on the track with shoes and spikes. You will see the difference.

Have you run in vaporflies?

I've tried them (not owning them). They feel great on road but slower than spikes on the track

I set my track or in streak lts. Spikes all hurt my feet and caused me to slow way down as a result, so yes they make a difference for me.

Kvothe wrote:

I set my track or in streak lts. Spikes all hurt my feet and caused me to slow way down as a result, so yes they make a difference for me.

Pr not or. Typing on a phone...