Hello all,
Recently I have been running my cross country races in spikes, and I was wondering if they provide any benefits aside from the psychological boost you get from feeling light and quick. The ground gripping for muddy/wet courses is helpful, but I've found that my calves are always much more tight after running in spikes versus trainers. This makes me think that using spikes engages your calves more, which in turn might be taking load of of the more powerful glutes or hamstrings. Obviously this hypothesis is not backed by any science; it is just me sharing my personal thoughts. Does anybody know if spikes provide any benefits? Is my observation correct? As always, thanks for sharing and all advice/thoughts are appreciated.