Spikeless spikes

Just buy blanks for your Spikes.

http://www.eastbay.com/product/model:71309/sku:71091/blazer-track-spike-blanks/&SID=7726&inceptor=1&cm_mmc=SEM-_-Engine-_-Google-_-Plusbox

Why is it that California has that dumb can't wear spikes rule? Some lawsuit happy parents boohoo when their kid fell down and got spiked?

Why not go with the Mach 14 Ms. Screams? They have both a spiked and spikeless version for all your sound barrier breaking needs. http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Mach-14-Womens-XC-Shoe/120121,default,pd.html#sthash.1dXS2QPh.dpbs

Asics Blazing Fast. Basically a spikeless spike. Might not solve your slipping problem though.

Why do you think you're more likely to get injured in spikes than in spikeless shoes?

In any case, I have a pair of spikeless Nike Miler XCs that offer decent traction without spikes. The only time I ever wore them was on courses that had a significant amount of pavement but were slippery enough that I didn't want to wear spikes.

xenonscreams wrote:...Basically XC for me now (post-collegiate) is something I do in the fall because it's fun and it makes me stronger and faster when I go back to the long road races I care about right now. It's very far from my focus and I'm honestly pretty bad at it compared to long road races. So it's usually not worth getting into my old spikes and risking injury, but at the same time it gets pretty slippery out there sometimes and my road flats aren't always such a great option either. So I really want spikeless spikes...

I was late to the XC game, didn't start racing until junior year of college and started with spikeless rather than spikes. Have worn spikes a few times post-college. IMO spikeless are ok on dry surfaces but hardly any difference to road flats, for me anyway. When it's "pretty slippery" I've never found spikeless to work very well for me.

What I'd recommend is stick with your spikes, get a set of blanks for courses with some pavement, and get a really small set of spikes, like even 1/8" if you're concerned about injuries. That small a spike isn't going to catch if you start shuffling, but it will give you a bit better traction if you're racing a course that is a little wet.

Since two people here suggested blanks I might give those a try at least for an early season meet. I have no idea what size spikes I have right now, whatever I bought impulsively when I ran in college (I didn't run XC before that).

And the Mach 14 would be fine, the point is I can't find the Brooks XC spikes anywhere in person, either spikeless or normal. I can ask for a special order but then if I don't buy them I'll feel awful.

The reason I think I'm more likely to get injured is that other people have relayed that information to me. I don't know jack sh*t about XC. Ran one season in college and one post-collegiate season. All I know is we had one of our fastest runners in my club get a stress fracture and people started warning against wearing spikes unless we really need them. But nobody really cared if we wore flats. I don't know why.

xenonscreams wrote:

The reason I think I'm more likely to get injured is that other people have relayed that information to me. I don't know jack sh*t about XC. Ran one season in college and one post-collegiate season. All I know is we had one of our fastest runners in my club get a stress fracture and people started warning against wearing spikes unless we really need them. But nobody really cared if we wore flats. I don't know why.

You're not going to get a stress fracture from running in spikes unless you're running on super hard packed dirt. Most xc courses will be majority grass (or mud) which is very forgiving on your legs. I ran xc for 10 years and I never saw a stress fracture attributed to racing in spikes. 90 percent of your running is going to be training and then the rest will be racing, so if you develop a stress fracture it'll most likely be from training, not racing in spikes once a week.

look no further.

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageMRS-NB5KM1.html

How long do the lugs on those last?

Buteyn wrote:

look no further.

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageMRS-NB5KM1.html

This is the closest thing you will get. I work in run specialty retail.

Mizuno Wave Universe is close.

Xenon, from previous comments, it appears that we may be on the same team, or at least running the same courses in Seattle. If you are only doing the fall xc races as training, you might be fine in regular racing flats.

I've had a pair of spikeless racers (a Mizuno pair) and my favorite pair of spikes (Asics Dirt Diva) had both spikes and rubber cleats so I could pick. I didn't get any traction with the Mizuno one, but get moderate traction with the Asics. Sadly, both are discontinued. But Nike makes both spikes and spikeless pairs and I think a few other makers do.

On Upper Lower Woodland, and Lincoln Park (Sundodger), opinion is definitely divided on whether you even need spikes. Woodland is really rocky for half the course and yes, one of the fast masters guys rolled his foot and was pretty badly injured. Jerry recommended that we not wear spikes for Woodland (but I continued to do so). If you are only going to do Sundodger and Woodland, and you aren't planning on nationals, you'd probably be fine in flats.

I've been lucky and I've worn spikes all season and prefer them - and I think I've only done one race per season (usually an early one) in the spikeless kind. On grass courses (or mostly grass ones) I think spikes are advantageous (and safer on slippery courses). I didn't run WWU, but you can ask the other women (and guys) on your (our?) team or Tom C. for guidance. Many wear Brooks, too, so maybe you can borrow a pair to try on?

FWIW, though, spikes are pretty cheap and they often have last year's models on sale. I have way more xc spikes than i have any other racers, but they don't seem to wear out too much.

Hahaha now I'm really curious who you are. Definitely the same team.

Nationals are going to be in Bend this year though which means even if I end up on the B team I'm still going to go. So I do need a good pair for nationals. I do really want to think about this ahead of time. Running XC last year was totally impulsive, but this year I know I'm going to do it, so I might as well plan for it.

You're more likely to hurt yourself running without spikes when you need them, honestly. Quickest way to injure your achilles is running hard while sliding around in mud

Have you considered a lightweight trail shoe? There's some pretty good ones out there that I think would work well as an alternative for someone who is more used to road racing.

No real idea of the course in Bend, although it's apparently pretty flat and on grass. It's at a bit of altitude and it's in December, so snow is a definite possibility. So, it sounds like a "spikes" course to me (but as I said, I almost always wear spikes).

Most open runners wear spikes and you are young enough and resilient enough to be fine. You can twist an ankle on a rock in flats too. If you were a masters runner and new to spikes, I might advise caution, but you are not and I think you'll be fine.

But here's the thing - Nationals are in December and it's not even June yet! The stores don't even have their xc stock in and you actually have LOADS of time to figure this out. Even if you run Sundodger (and none of the open women ran it, only the W50s) did, that's mid-September. You could easily get your spikes after Labor Day and be fine. Most of the qualifying races are in October-November anyway.

I certainly hope we are taking B teams - it's close enough for people to drive - the more the merrier (and better displacement). And you'll have a blast if you go.

Yeah I noticed that when I asked SJ&J. They said they usually sell XC spikes but they're not in stock yet. And I think last year Jerry said we'd take a whole B team to Bend. It's a personal goal to make the A team but it depends a lot on who's healthy and whatnot.

Homeboy wrote:

Why is it that California has that dumb can't wear spikes rule? Some lawsuit happy parents boohoo when their kid fell down and got spiked?

Yea, no biggie right? My friend's teammate looks fine. Probably didn't wash out either. Such an inconvenience.

Here's my personal advice if you are serious about making the A team (or just running xc well). Make sure you start doing some easy running on grass throughout the summer so you get used to the softer (and more uneven) footing. You don't have to train fast on it yet, just get used to running on it. It will help you A LOT. You finished between me and my daughter in the two races we all ran. I'll introduce myself when the races start again. Good luck!