On comparing racing flats and spikes.....

Did you really train in your spikes for 2 months?...do you mean you ran daily in them?...did I read this correctly? If so, you need to give up as there's no hope for you...unless you're maybe under the age of 14 or so...

In my experience flats have more of a heel. They must save the weight elsewhere. I think you're talking about XC spikes which would maybe have more weight with the outsole in comparision to racing flats. With raacing flats, I find it's more with the feel of the shoe, they don't feel like spikes but that's just me. They feel somewhere between trainers and spikes. You could get a lightweight trainer as a compromise between trainers and racing flats.

Wow, you my friend have no hope either judging from your response...re-read the original post please...

yes I ran in cross country spikes for two months. I am 47 years old and no dumb@ss ...I have run barefoot before longer than that. My main objective from this post was to try and understand how racing flats could offer more cushioning than x country spikes if they weigh the same. I am back running in my asics and Mizuno neutral trainers now.

spikes have a plate in the forefoot to which people attach metal spikes.

Flats do not have metal spikes or the hard spike plate.

I would suggest training in flats, spikes should really be used only on the track for speed workouts.

Thanks a lot...I got my answer.

mwwwin wrote:

Wow, you my friend have no hope either judging from your response...re-read the original post please...

Err, what? In my experience racing flats have more of a heel than spikes. The spikes have a thin layer of plastic as a heel. This is how much different they are from flats. They have a totally different feel. To me that makes more of a difference than having five (or 6, or 8, etc) spikes in the front of the shoe as I've found traction excellent in flats.

He is asking whether running in racing flats would make his injury flare up again which he attributes to wearing spikes with no heel.

Just a little FYI. I don\'t run barefoot but I agree with the concept. I run in Nike Frees and also Saucony XC flats (Kilkenney). I have run 80 mile weeks before in the flats w/no problems. I think that they\'re great. Because the flats don\'t haVe a spike plate they are more flexible and i think you won\'t have any problems.

I think there\'s a few different categories for you to consider depending on weight, foot type, etc.

Here\'s a little breakdown for your reference...

1.) track spikes: if it\'s a track spike, you\'re looking at a really minimal EVA foam midsole in the forefoot (3-5 mm), with a 5 - 7 spike configuration plastic plate making contact with the ground. If it\'s a distance spike (entry-level), generally there\'s a little more heel foam to handle the impact. Sprint spikes have very little foam, if any in the heel, but the plate is much more rigid to provide more energy return.

2) cross country spikes/flats: generally xc spikes/flats have a complete midsole in the forefoot and heel with a rubber outsole for traction. the spike version has a plastic spider plate sandwiched between the EVA foam and the rubber outsole. This is where you screw in your spikes. XC spikes are usually longer because the spike has to be long enough to extend beyond the luggy outsole and make good ground contact. The flats are usually the same design, but the spider plate is remove (foam replaces the cavity where it was). The design of the outsole replaces the holes where spikes would have been with a rubber \'nipple\' to simulate the shape of a metal spike.

Most spikes have a negative heel draft...meaning that your heel rocks back lower compared to your forefoot. Feels weird when your walking but when you run it\'s an awesome sensation.

3) Racing flats: Generally this term classifies shoes that are between 4-7 ounces. As mentioned before, there\'s a little more foam under the heel, and not as much negative draft (meaning your heel starts to sit level if not higher than your forefoot) A lot of times, you\'ll find that the sole unit is \'road flat\' meaning that there\'s not much arch-scooped out..the whole profile is low to the ground. A lot of elite runner\'s prefer this type of shoe because the weight is super light and the flat road contact handles their footstrikes better. So if a runner is a midfoot striker, when they land there isn\'t a gap in the arch where they might get no cushioning or a \'void\' feeling. some examples of a racing flats would be Nike Mayfly,Brooks T5, Asics Piranha SP, Nike Katana Racer,Mizuno Wave Universe 2,Saucony Type A2

4) Lightweight Trainers: These are usually shoes that range from 8 -11 ozs. They typically have a little more of everything. A little more foam under the heel, but still lower profile. Usually more of a midfoot shank for torsional rigidity, sometimes a medial post for support in case you overpronate. The outsoles usually have a little more durability built into them and are slightly thicker...hence a little more weight. Some examples would be Asics DS Racer, Brooks Racer ST 3, Saucony Fastwitch 3, Saucony Tangent 3, Mizuno Revolver 5

5) trainers...there\'s a whole lot more breakdown here...but i\'ve already written enough.

Personally i love running in super light shoes but I\'m not a light framed guy AND because i run more midfoot/forefoot it makes me really prone to shin splints.

anyway, have fun with your running.

one more point...as you asked above...why are racing flats supposedly more cushioned than xc spikes/flats if they weigh the same.

if you compare racing flats to xc FLATS...the answer is actually pretty simple....Rubber. XC flats have a pretty aggressive and luggy outsole for good traction. usually it goes from the heel all the way to the toe. That amount of rubber adds to the total weight.

Racing flats usually have less rubber. The really lightweight racing flats use minimal amounts of rubber in the heel to handle the heavy abrasion. In the forefoot sometimes they have no rubber at all. It might have exposed EVA foam or even a lightweight PU outsole injected onto a fabric base. The minimal amount of rubber allows them to make the bottom of the shoe slightly thicker (so more distance/cushion between your foot and the ground).

so the weights might be the same but the combinations of cushion vs. durability are different.