I am just wondering what people think about wearing track or xc spikes vs. wearing road racing flats for these longer track races. I find that my legs feel pretty worn out after crashing against a hard track surface for 12 or 25 laps with only a thin cushion to protect them, and so I tend to fare better in road racing flats.
I've also heard many people say that even 5K pace is slow enough that the fact that a racing flat weighs slightly more than a spiked shoe becomes insignificant, as does the fact that the spiked shoe bottom provides more traction.
Moreover, I noticed a number of the top women's Olympic Development runners at the Penn Relays were wearing flats (all of those runners from NB who finished in the top 3, in particular). Of course, Alan Webb had his feather-light mid-distance spikes.
So I'm just wondering what other people do/think? Do you guys think I'm giving up a big speed advantage by wearing road racing flats to race the 5K? I'd really appreciate anyone's help. Thanks a lot.