Heel to toe drop in flats

I run in 6in stilettos!

*Bump* since I really am curious to find out what the reasoning is...

My name is trackhead. I recite meaningless statistics regarding these things trying to use science to prove truths only experience will reveal.

The answer, it works, no one knows why. Ignore "Science" people throw at you unless it's a real scientist. Have yet to see one on this board.

"Footwear modifies some of the characteristics of the propulsion phase in other ways. Several of these changes are related to the aforementioned elevated heel of the shoe. One byproduct of heel elevation is a shortening of the Achilles tendon and calf muscles. Three of the calf muscles – the posterior tibial, flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus – play important roles in the function of the arch. As these muscles become shorter, they fail to pull properly on the back of the heel thereby increasing the flattening of the arch. Pronation occurs at a time when the foot should be in a neutral position. The unnatural position of the elevated heel also disrupts the work of some tendons connected to the toes. These tendons, which originate in the lower leg, apply their pull around ankle bones above the heel to hold the toes against the ground while the body passes over them during propulsion. The raised heel leads to an imbalance in the tug of these tendons thereby interfering with efficient propulsion.11

Perhaps the greatest hindering effect of elevated heel is the loss of the involuntary stretch reflex of the Achilles and posterior lower leg muscles. This stretch reflex is designed to aid the forefoot with propulsion, yet it can only be activated if the heel comes close to the ground. The elevated heels of most available footwear, including athletic shoes, prevent this stretch reflex from occurring.11 The result is a loss of propulsive power. The runner’s body is forced to borrow power from other areas – knee, thigh, hips, trunk – to compensate for the sidelined Achilles tendon and calf muscles.12"

http://nhscc.home.comcast.net/l3_paper.htm

When flats used to be light, you'd run faster because you were wearing lighter shoes. Now that flats are about as heavy as training shoes used to be, the impact of wearing flats is less dramatic in making race times faster.

Regarding heel drop, the theory is that the higher up your heel is, the lesser the recoil effect after the eccentric stretching of the calf muscles. This slows you down. Barefoot would be best because maximal stretching and recoil takes place.

My experience tells me this is true. If I run 100 meters all-out in 13 ounce training shoes, I run slow. In racing flats I go faster; in spikes, I go faster yet. My best all-out 100 meters is barefoot.

The problem is that I'm not conditioned to run barefoot for long distances.

Do any of you ever check these sources out, or do you just blindly quote something off the internet because it agrees with your preconceived notions? The article quoted is written by someone who really doesn\'t know much. The source (reference 11) quoted in that article is linked to here:

You can see that a. it\'s just something put up on the net, not a reviewed paper, and b. he isn\'t even talking about running shoes, let alone the few millimeter difference between training and racing flats.

If you are running, your achilles stretches, doesn\'t it? I mean the stretch you\'re talking about happens at toe off, right? And your heel is off the ground at toe off, right? So how does it matter that the heel height it for this stretch? I don\'t get it?

jack shoes wrote:

My experience tells me this is true. If I run 100 meters all-out in 13 ounce training shoes, I run slow. In racing flats I go faster; in spikes, I go faster yet. My best all-out 100 meters is barefoot.

The problem is that I'm not conditioned to run barefoot for long distances.

I'll start by saying i'm not a scientist. Well, I suppose am, but it's not a relevant field.

Next, I call BS, there's no way that you run a faster 100 barefoot than in spikes unless you weren't trying.

I basically agree with the point the article is trying to make. The issue isn't the weight of the shoes or how fast you run in them, it's the range of motion (this is most noticeable on flat surfaces). When I wear trainers, my calf muscle is prevented from extending fully because of the drop from heel to toe.

I used to run in trainers all the time, and my calf muscles were underdeveloped. So when i wore spikes in races, especially XC races, my calves got very tired and were often extremely sore the next day.

It is possible that for some people this underdevelopment isn't as extreme as it was for me, so it won't matter much or be noticeable. But if you wonder why your calves get so when you run in races, this might be why.

As is made clear through your post, you do not know what a strech is. It is generally considered to be when a muscle or tendon is elongated. During the toe off phase, the calf muscles are contracting, therefore shortening the legnth of the muscle, not elongating it.

The strech would occur when your foot strikes the ground. 1st, the ball of your foot contacts the ground. 2nd, your heel lowers partially or completely to the ground, depending on your stride. This is where the streching of the achilles occurs.

greg wrote:

As is made clear through your post, you do not know what a strech is. It is generally considered to be when a muscle or tendon is elongated. During the toe off phase, the calf muscles are contracting, therefore shortening the legnth of the muscle, not elongating it.

The strech would occur when your foot strikes the ground. 1st, the ball of your foot contacts the ground. 2nd, your heel lowers partially or completely to the ground, depending on your stride. This is where the streching of the achilles occurs.

I don't think this is right. The most significant stretch of the achilles would occur at the smallest ankle angle, when the shin is most forward compared to the foot. This happens at the end of the stance phase, just prior to the shortening contraction that produces toe off. The heel would be coming off the ground at this point.

asfdafd states that "I used to run in trainers all the time, and my calf muscles were underdeveloped. So when i wore spikes in races, especially XC races, my calves got very tired and were often extremely sore the next day."

I think this is due to the lengthening contraction of landing on the forefoot and having more stretch at the initial, rather than the later portion of the stance phase. For most it is a combination of the move to the forefoot at a faster pace, the reduced heel height, and possibly a slight effect of increased stretch prior to toe off due to an increased stride length. This shock absorption phase right after landing on the forefoot is the site of potential damage and injury, but it is not the portion of greatest energy storage that contributes to force generation at toe off.

When the calf muscles are used properly for running, there is virtually no concentric contraction of the gastroc. or soleus. The calf muscles generate the most action when in eccentric mode. They (eccentrically)) contract/stretch and then recoil. This toeing off by pushing off is an ineffecient way to run. That doesn't stop many people from doing it, but it is ineffecient nonetheless.

greg wrote:

As is made clear through your post, you do not know what a strech is. It is generally considered to be when a muscle or tendon is elongated. During the toe off phase, the calf muscles are contracting, therefore shortening the legnth of the muscle, not elongating it.

The strech would occur when your foot strikes the ground. 1st, the ball of your foot contacts the ground. 2nd, your heel lowers partially or completely to the ground, depending on your stride. This is where the streching of the achilles occurs.

If you are going to argue about something, learn to spell the most important words of your statement, especially if you're saying that someone else doesn't know what it means. Stretch.