What's with the obsession of low drop shoes?

I don´t like to run with a pair of pillows under my heels, but that´s just personal preference. When I started to run (I´m old) the shoes didn´t have high drop.

It's mostly because our feet don't have drop. They are just flat.

level rider wrote:

It's mostly because our feet don't have drop. They are just flat.

yeah, but our feet also dont have cushioning soles. and our ancestors didnt run on tarmac and concrete, man!

thats the appeal to nature fallacy, man! humans are the smartest animals, we invernt things to make our lives better! but you go on and run bearfoot, man!

I've not seen anyone marketing heel drops.

The issue is that most running shoes have heel lifts that are way too high,

3/4 of an inch or higher, which causes shortening of the tendons and leads to injuries.

Personally I prefer shoes that are either level, or have a heel lift of no more than 1/4 inch.

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

WhitePony wrote:

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

I dont think its easy to find shoes with higher than 12mm nowadays. Standard Mizuno trainers have 12mm but I don't know of shoes with more than that.

anti born to run whiner wrote:

level rider wrote:

It's mostly because our feet don't have drop. They are just flat.

yeah, but our feet also dont have cushioning soles. and our ancestors didnt run on tarmac and concrete, man!

thats the appeal to nature fallacy, man! humans are the smartest animals, we invernt things to make our lives better! but you go on and run bearfoot, man!

Irrelevant. You can add a piece of "good ground" to you foot without making it a wedge.

It is relevant in the sense that it makes it possible for you to make your point ;)

I agree with you. Although for me personally a little wedge doesnt matter because my calf is so short that a 10mm is not in the way at all. If anything it makes it possible for me to run less pronounced on my forefoot because of my high arches.

Since racing spikes have next to no drop, your lower legs are best prepared for racing if you train in low drop trainers.

anti born to run whiner wrote:

WhitePony wrote:

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

I dont think its easy to find shoes with higher than 12mm nowadays. Standard Mizuno trainers have 12mm but I don't know of shoes with more than that.

I am running in the Mizuno Sayonara now, switching over from the Wave Riders and I think the Sayonora have a 10mm drop, I don't notice a lot of difference other than the Wave Riders feel like I am "clomping" while running while the Sayonara feel a little smoother. Not sure if that has to do with the lower heel drop or not.

I am not a bear, although I have run barefoot. I will note that in addition to approaching a more natural foot position, a lower drop heel can yield a small fractional increase in stride length, which is part of the reason some people notice extra fatigue in their calves from racing flats, as well as representing less material in the shoe which equals less weight.

WhitePony wrote:

anti born to run whiner wrote:

I dont think its easy to find shoes with higher than 12mm nowadays. Standard Mizuno trainers have 12mm but I don't know of shoes with more than that.

I am running in the Mizuno Sayonara now, switching over from the Wave Riders and I think the Sayonora have a 10mm drop, I don't notice a lot of difference other than the Wave Riders feel like I am "clomping" while running while the Sayonara feel a little smoother. Not sure if that has to do with the lower heel drop or not.

It's possible. The difference is only 2mm but at the same time its a reduction of 16,67%.

But the drop is only one factor. Adios have 10mm but I dont think anyone will feel like they are "clomping" in them. The sole is so thin and the ride so direct that the drop never bothers me in the Adios.

I did it the other way around and ordered a pair of Wave Ultima with 12mm which will be delivered wednesday. Normallly I always run in firmer shoes with 6 or 8mm. So we will see how that works out.

WhitePony wrote:

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

Are some people really this stupid?

I'm very obsessed with low drop shoes, and disappointed that there haven't been any available that I like.

So I decided to make my own low drop shoes.

I got a pair of shoes with 12mm heel lifts (about 1/2 an inch), and cut the soles entirely OFF OF THE SHOES.

Then I turned the soles completely around backwards, and glued them back on.

Viola!!!!!!

This gave me shoes with 12mm drops.

The only problem is that I keep tripping on the fronts of them.

Wtf................ wrote:

WhitePony wrote:

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

Are some people really this stupid?

Yes?

So the heel drop of your shoe is common knowledge to most people?

of course it's a fad. All the cool kids do it to prove to observors that they are real runners. Not some hobby jogger. Whether it is 5 fingered shoes or marshmallows or barefoot. Take it with a grain of salt. There is no gospel. Try it but don't proselytize it

We run on minimalist shoes and have not had any injuries in 4 years.

We also have other combinations of cushion, support and drop.

The angle your foot strikes the ground makes a difference. In my opinion, you can train that angle of contact for any shoe. Most people do not spend the time on that aspect of running. Even for flat feet, it is possible to train yourself to make correct contact with the ground without any support.

The shoe companies rightfully go after the opportunity that is created.

WhitePony wrote:

What are we considering low drop?

Is 12mm the middle of the road for most running shoes or is that considered high drop?

Wtf................ wrote:

Are some people really this stupid?

WhitePony wrote:

Yes?

So the heel drop of your shoe is common knowledge to most people?

No, because there are probably NO running shoes with heel drops.

Of course the heel doesn't drop. The toe has a drop. But who cares if you correct the terminology but still have an idiotic argument based on flawed logic?