racing flat design

Running Shoes/Running Gear Shoes

14 years ago 04/21/2010 6:40pm EDT

Why are racing flats higher in thew heel than at the ball of the foot?

If a slightly raised heel made running more efficient, wouldn't everyone's heels be a quarter to a half inch longer?

(i.e. those hunter gatherers that happened to have a mutation which extended heels would have had a better chance of catching prey, and thus would have been more likely to pass their genes on)

Why aren't racing flats completely flat?

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=102856&page=13#ixzz0lmUOoDbl

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14 years ago 04/21/2010 8:23pm EDT

re: why are flats still angled?

Because 1) a majority of people heelstrike, so more cushion in the heel is more comfortable to run in and 2) most people still train in regular trainers. If you jump from a regular trainer to a flat that is completely flat, you'll see tons of achilles and other lower limb injuries.

To go from a normal trainer to a completely flat racer, you have to change your stride to keep from hurting youself, and that isn't something that I would want to do in a race. Even that dummy McDougall said that it took a while for him to adapt to barefooting.

Don't pretend like minimalism isn't a fad. It will come and go just like many other ideas have come and gone. Maybe we'll see some better shoes out of it, maybe we won't.

14 years ago 04/21/2010 8:33pm EDT

re: goomb

We already have seen better shoes come of it.

And while it is currently a fad, I do think there are some great benefits in minimalist shoe design.

14 years ago 04/21/2010 8:45pm EDT

re: Run&Lift

Run&Lift wrote:
We already have seen better shoes come of it.

Which shoes?

14 years ago 04/21/2010 9:15pm EDT

re: goomb

Saucony Kinvara?

goomb wrote:
Run&Lift wrote:
We already have seen better shoes come of it.
Which shoes?

14 years ago 04/21/2010 9:47pm EDT

re: goomb

1) Shouldn't someone who heel strikes use a shoe with more padding in the heel than a racing flat?

2)What about people who go from a regular trainer(for long distance) to a track spike with almost zero support?

Fad?

Yes, minimalism does appear like a fad to me. (And in my question I was half questioning this fad; i.e. if the idea is to run as "naturally" as possible, shouldn't heel thickness=ball thickness of sole?)

However, it appears to me that thick heeled shoes may also be a fad. (Initially to make people taller?).

14 years ago 04/21/2010 10:10pm EDT

re: why are flats still angled?

The latest Harvard study clearly shows us that the heel lift "encourages" a heelstrike. Moreover, the study shows us that we can adapt to a flatfooted/forefooted landing when you remove the heel lift. This idea that the heel lift is normal and "right" (to prevent Achilles problems?)is a fallacy.

So I echo the OP-- take away the heel lift.

14 years ago 04/21/2010 10:15pm EDT

re: why are flats still angled?

However, it appears to me that thick heeled shoes may also be a fad. (Initially to make people taller?).

That's still the case. I see so many short guys at the gym wearing Nike Shox.

Short girls love them (the shoes, not the short guys) for the same reason.

14 years ago 04/22/2010 11:41pm EDT

re: why are flats still angled?

So anyone know of any racing flats that have a heel the same height as the ball?

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