Since McDougal wore flats at Nationals, some people have questioned his choice. Personally, I have gone to flats for all races, from the 800 to the 8k in XC. I think I run smoother and do not tighten up in flats, therefore they are better for me than spikes.
My question: Does wearing flats in cross country or in the longer track races(5k and 10k) hurt your performance in any way? Has there been any tests or experiments with this? Any opinions or factual information would be great.
I dont know when your running quarters in 67 and under pace (Just generalizing there) would the grip matter?
Im sure what's comfortable is paramount.
Me personally I feel faster in spikes its a mental thing for me.
Joe
Flats tend to be heavier, although with new superlightweights like the Asics Piranha, Adidas Adizero PR, Nike Mayfly, Brooks T5, etc. not so much anymore.
The only real downside other than weight is the grip factor. Flats are great right up until it gets muddy, wet, slippery, less than ideal. They simply can't give the traction that a foot full of 1/2" spikes can. But if you're on a dry course, or one with a lot of roads or gravel, flats are probably better than spikes. So, all in all, its basically personal choice with some considerations for the course conditions.
I also forgot to add:
On track, its a different story. For longer races like a 10k, there isn't much of a difference, but in shorter races, there are benefits to having an agressive, stiff plate. The 5k is somewhere inbetween, but for anything shorter than that I would never choose flats over spikes.
If you think you're going to run faster in shoe A, you'll probably run faster in shoe A.
mostly it is just mental, but anything below 5k on the track, or even 5k and 10k when its wet it would be best to wear spikes. for cross country i would go with spikes almost 100% of the time just because of the challenges of keeping your footing on some courses. there are courses that flats would work better (really rocky, well groomed grass, mostly pavement etc.) but chances are you aren't running on many of those. when it comes to cross, i'd take the spikes, on the track its up to you