I am running track this season in a pair of Nike waffle XCs from 2008 that my coach gave me from the bin of old spikes. There's absolutely no support, cushion, or stiffness to them.
This season I have managed the stellar times of a 1:09 400 and 2:41 800 and 6:30 mile. In cross country my 5k is a 21:30 (in different spikes) and the times don't exactly line up. Would newer/better spikes help me run faster?
how do i put this. i thought about this a few years ago. i bought every pair of soccer cleats i had until college. and even then i would supplement their copas with kings that i preferred for game day. i was a cleat snob.
and yet for some reason in TF world all through HS it was dig through the bin. i had a pair of no-brand shoes with no labels. i had a pair of flourescent adidas i might have even worn more than a season, and whether i was running 100m or hurdles or XC. i would realize i was missing spikes and not know how long they were gone. i didn't get a pair of fresh spikes til college. which i loved. in retrospect, with how picky i was in soccer, hour in the soccer store trying on cleats, i was oddly passive. maybe it's that it was always a school sport for me and i took the spike bin for granted as how it was done.
anyhow, long story short (too late), get geared up and be picky. i wouldn't get the most expensive shiny new object, which may not suit you, but if you played any other sport you'd make sure you either got something good from the school or bought yourself comfortable, durable, and quality gear. TF should be no different. and get a set of replacement spikes and the key thing for yourself. and this verges on well duh but make sure it's the right type(s) for your event(s).
you're kind of putting it cynically like you need it for time, and you will probably get faster immediately, but in retrospect it's just getting geared up for. the sport.
If you do go for new spikes, make sure to do your research. Example: don't get the air zoom victories. Even though they are for the distances you are running, those are meant for paces between 55-64 seconds per 400m (roughly), and if you're running much slower, it will actually slow you down more than it otherwise would have.
Your preference though. A lot of it could be mental, in which case it would probably be worth it to invest in a new pair of spikes
Also, odds are that a new pair of spikes will increase your love of the sport, which will in itself cause you to run faster and train harder
New spikes are absolutely beneficial. Spikes are usually meant for speed, but sacrifice durability. For this reason, it typically would advise against buying old or previously used spikes.
Update - ran the mile in my daily trainers and set a decent pr while also feeling a whole lot less beat up. I think it's definitely the shoes.
slowspikes wrote:
I am running track this season in a pair of Nike waffle XCs from 2008 that my coach gave me from the bin of old spikes. There's absolutely no support, cushion, or stiffness to them.
This season I have managed the stellar times of a 1:09 400 and 2:41 800 and 6:30 mile. In cross country my 5k is a 21:30 (in different spikes) and the times don't exactly line up. Would newer/better spikes help me run faster?
Absolutely, my junior year of XC I switched from multi spikes/ beat up trainers to XC specific spikes and my PB dropped from around 19:00 flat to something in the 17:40s, they weren’t even the best XC spikes ever so i’d imagine the shoes were indeed slowing me down
